Life goes on

It's been a long time since I've posted, and it seems that a lot has happened since that time. So I'll try to do a catch-up.

The race: It was such a blast. The atmosphere before, during, and after a race is one of my favorite things. There are so many supporters telling you how amazing you are (who wouldn't like that?), tons of people rearin' to go, and all those "race day" feelings to run along with you. Ryan, his mom Linda, and baby Josh decided to support me in bed, but I can't really blame them; the race started at 7:00am. However, on race day, I was feeling sorry for myself because I had to go on the subway by myself to start the race by myself....until I realized that was what all the other runners were doing. Hehe. I felt really strong during the whole race, and I have to admit I dominated (in my own terms) on the hills (I'm glad my hilly runs came in handy!). Around mile 8 though, I had a little problem--I had to go to the bathroom, but during a race, I need all the time I can get! So instead of waiting for a port-a-potty at mile 10, I ran through my misery so I could finish with a better time. I wish I would have pushed it at the end, but I didn't want to end up killing myself five feet in front of the finish line, so I just kept running at a nice pace. I sprinted at the last 50 feet, but hahahaha.....I don't think that did a lot for my time. But I beat my goal by two minutes, coming in at 2 hours 6 mins, so I'm happy for myself. :) Ryan, Linda, and Josh caught up with me about 20 min later...they missed the whole thing! That's one problem with public transportation, it's not too trusty when you're in a hurry. But thanks, Ry for taking me down to DC, it was great. Love you!

Family and hospital visits: Ryan's family came to visit us this past week. Linda, Ry's mom, came about a week earlier, which was great. We went to all the tourist sites, got a few fake handbags (funny stories) and enjoyed each other's company. Scott, Ry's younger brother, is going on his mission to Fort Worth, Texas in May, so it was our last time seeing him for a while. Josh loved having them there (Linda could make him laugh like crazy!), and I think having them around has opened him up a little, making it so he's not quite so shy...
All was great, except for last Tuesday. I was feeding Josh and he stuck his arms out and started shaking. He was zoned out and really pale, and his tongue was hanging a bit. We jumped in the car to take him to the hospital, and while driving, he stopped breathing for a couple of seconds and would pull his face into his neck. I think he was swallowing his tongue, I'm not sure. Luckily there was a fire truck behind us, so we pulled them over and got an ambulance really quickly. When we got to the ER, Josh's temperature was 104 degrees, and we spent a miserable six hours in a toasty ER which probably didn't help with Josh's fever....They had to try an IV four separate times because Josh pulled the first one out. After the x-rays, blood work, etc. came back normal and Josh's fever came back down after spiking upwards again, we were allowed to go home. Josh was so happy to be out of there, he kept talking and laughing the whole way home. It made us feel so much better to hear him giggle after that ordeal. The doctors say it was a febral seizure, one that comes because of a high fever. Now we have to watch him closely when he gets a fever and give him tylenol early, but we're grateful that's all it was. It was such a scare!

Lastly, my birthday: Yesterday I officially turned 23. Yay for me! Josh gave me his present by letting me sleep in until 8:00. A big thank you goes to my parents and my in-laws for your gifts, you're so nice! I love you guys. And thanks Ryan, for taking me out to dinner to a restaurant that's out of our comfort zone (both in price and elegance) and for driving 2 hours around the island trying to find Target for me. And thanks, Shannon and Casey, for buying my Coldstone creation. Yum!
I know we (or maybe just I) tend to make birthdays a big deal, hoping for lots of presents, surprises and the like, but when we (or again maybe I just need to) stop and think about it, there are so many times I don't recognize "gifts" because they don't have a bow on them. (I've been sappy lately, haven't I?) Ryan cuts me a lot of slack, which is a major present if you know me, he goes to school (commuting 1.5 hours to do so) to support us, he changes poopy diapers, he lets me sleep in on Sundays, he loves Josh, etc, etc. So.....in addition to the wonderful gifts I got for my birthday, I want to thank you all (especially Ry guy) for the other gifts you've given me. Man, I can't wait until next year!

Mom and Josh reading a good book....

The family reunion after the big race.

A little tactless, but....Josh's pooping face...haha.

One of Josh's first experiences sitting on grass (we have no yard)....he didn't like it at all!

Mom and Josh at the expensive restaurant....We made quite a mess with Josh's help.