I can’t believe it, I haven’t participated in Illustration Friday for over a year! I was there for the very first Illustration Friday from the beginning before it got so very big. But then being pregnant with Isabelle, the morning sickness from hell started up. I just stopped and didn’t pick it back up. But I did today. Just felt like scribbling something really quick. I almost didn’t post it because I went back reading my blog from when I stopped Illustration Friday and got caught up in reading about my pregnancy and looking at ultrasound pictures.

So who knows if I’ll keep up with it again…but it was such a pleasant diversion to draw this fat bug then to get sidetracked by reading what I was doing over a year ago…getting fat growing my Isabelle.

This little rabbit (pattern from Schmeebot) finally got a face! I named him Squishy before I even knit him up. I was watching Finding Nemo when I found the pattern for him, hence his name. I wanted to knit up lots of these but only managed two, him and another guy.

I’ve never mentioned the other guy because he was a disaster. I just grabbed some yarn and started knitting and when I wanted to felt him up he refused to be felted. Well that’s what happens when you use just any old yarn. It wasn’t wool. It wasn’t meant to be felted. Doh! He showed me. After the agitation in the washing machine his leg fell off. Yeah…so no pictures of him. But look…it’s Squishy!! FINISHED!!!

Alan usually goes grocery shopping with me and Isabelle. Isabelle is so heavy that he is the one that usually lifts her car seat and her. Well when I went shopping with Olinda, Alan wasn’t with us. Man it was hard. Isabelle has gotten so heavy. Everything seemed more difficult, even just pushing the cart around the store. It was so hard to see. Guess it would have helped if I had lowered the canopy on the car seat. Silly me. Olinda figured that one out.

Read Silly Parent #11, Inappropriate Toys.

This picture doesn’t show Isabelle’s little red itchies. I thought this was a nicer picture to share. She had just fallen asleep rocked in Alan’s arms.

So anyhoo back to what I was going to say. Isabelle had some dry skin on her arms. I thought it would go away but it didn’t. It got worse and then she started scratching at her belly. It’s all red and it’s so sad. So we saw the doctor today.

The doctor says she has eczema. She recommended a 2.5% hydrocortisone cream, lukewarm baths with Dove soap, Benadryl, and Eucerin lotion to start. If that doesn’t help I may have to change my diet. I think she said peanuts, milk, and crab are likely culprits. But she said to go with the creams and such first. It sounds so complicated. Isabelle’s not going to like the Benadryl. We’ve had no luck with Tylenol or vitamin drops. It makes her gag and vomit. So maybe I’ll just start with Dove baths and Eucerin lotion and see how that goes. Wish us luck!

Update: Alan thinks my idea SUCKS. He doesn’t understand why I don’t want to use the prescription hydrocortisone cream. He says she’ll just get worse.

My mind is bursting with all sorts of ideas of things I want to make. So we went to the fabric store and I bought some fabric. I’m excited to start something new. I don’t know when I’ll get started though since my itchy baby has been needier than usual. Maybe it’s because she’s itchy.

Update: Maybe she was so very needy because her belly was really BAD. Last night when I went to give her a bath and took off her onesie she had red angry marks. It’s the worst I’ve seen it. It didn’t look like dry skin anymore. It looked like actual rashes. It almost made me run for the prescription ointment. But I wanted to give the gentler method a try. But then in the middle of the night she was crying or I should say whining and rubbing her little belly. Made me wish I had used the ointment. But it really scares me. I guess it’s the whole need a prescription to get it that worries me.

Thank you Pink Rocket for the suggestion and the offer! My sister is sending something in the mail for us to try.

I don’t know. I’m so torn. This morning her belly still looked bad and I grabbed the ointment with every intention of putting it on her. But then I didn’t when I read the paperwork that came with it and got freaked out again. Don’t know what to do…maybe Alan will just put it on her and take the decision out of my hands.