All kids are asleep. I am going to have to start getting Athena ready for bed at 7 just like I get Morella ready since she seems to be going to sleep for the night then. Last night she went to bed at like 6 and slept through the night with the exception of getting her ready for bed at 10ish.

Today we went to a dog fair and looked at all different kinds of dogs. It's amazing the variety out there -- but when it all comes down to it, they are still dogs. Dogs are pretty much universal in how they are like.

Then I took a long afternoon nap with Athena while Morella snoozed in her room. It was a little rough going at first because of the city's ruckus in picking up leaves. I could have slept longer except my legs, and everything else started itching like nuts. I got this book called The New Mom's guide to Your Body after Baby from the library last Wednesday thinking it would be a fun read. You know the sort of book you read when you already know everything just to see how they write it. Well the joke is on me because I am learning some things I had no clue about -- the rash for example. It turns out that rashes are quite common in the post partum period and that it is the number one reason for women visiting the dermatologist. The rashes are largely unexplained and that it takes at least two weeks to start seeing a difference and can last from a few a weeks to a whole freaking year! One of my pals suggested Claritin and after investigating whether or not the book was right on the internet I discovered that you can pretty much treat it by steroids or taking Claritin/Benedryl. I has another friend suggest Claritin and after telling Tim about my findings, he said that he had some without the D. Hurray! I tried one this afternoon and it didn't make me sleepy and I think there is a reduce in the itchiness. The rash on the back of my leg died down quite a bit too. Thank goodness!

Still, I am disheartened to learn this. It's nice to sort of have an answer but also kind of sucky in that I thought I was done with pregnancy side effects (other than weight gain, stretch marks and loss of my previous fitness level).

Aside from that, I went shopping and got some chicken for dinner. I took Athena with me and she was just the little darling ever, talking and watching at the grocery store while Morella stayed back with Daddy. I made chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy for dinner and Tim made a pretty awesome salad. Sadly, we both filled up on the salad and now have no appetite for dinner. I am hoping to eat a least a drumstick before I go through all the work of putting it away. It was nice to have home cooked food in our house again. Last week was a lot of eating out for both of us, and you know how that adds up, not only to your pocket book but to your waist.

My Mother's Helper starts tomorrow at 2. Chances are that the girls will be sleeping, but she can help me work on the basement project some more. It's like having a student worker again! Awesome!