Thought I'd share something that's been weighing rather heavily on my mind and heart this week: A friend's baby was shaken by his daycare provider last Monday. Noah is five months old and is currently in the ICU--he has a subdural hematoma, retinal damage, and was experiencing continuous seizures. He was in a medically-induced coma but the latest report says that he's doing better--they were hoping that the seizures would stop after he was brought out of the coma, and it sounds like they have.

Erin, Noah's mom, has been providing updates on Facebook, and she's also going to be blogging about her baby's recovery. I've been so amazed by her composure and strength. She is so full of hope and doesn't seem to be dwelling on the tragic and horrific nature of the situation. I don't even know how I'd be able to string two sentences if that were to happen to Eamon, but I guess in even the darkest of times you have to rise above and look towards the light.

Please keep little Noah, as well as Erin and her husband, Mike in your thoughts and prayers.

Slow news day?

How funny is this: The press covering the press! This story--and these photos--ran in two Aruban newspaper soon after we left last week. Mark even made it in!

Wish they left the dorky shots of me out, though. Don't look like much of a "daredevil" with my backwards hat and running shorts on!

Sweet story

As most of you probably know by now, Bec WON the St. Anthony's tri today! This is a big-time race and she did amazingly well. As did Ula, who finished 14th. Here's a touching little story that's running in tomorrow's St. Petersburg Times:

Sister act: Ten years ago this weekend, women's winner Rebeccah Wassner of New Paltz, N.Y., was in London running her first big race.

"My twin sister, who had just finished her last chemotherapy treatment for Hodgkin's, was with me," she said. "We didn't think she was going to be able to go, but in the end, she made it."

On Sunday, minutes after winning her first major triathlon, Wassner lingered around the finish line looking for her twin, Laurel, also a pro triathlete.

"Did you win?" Laurel said as she crossed the line 7 minutes, 16 seconds behind her sister.

"I won," Rebeccah answered, giving her sister a hug.

"I can't believe it," Laurel responded. "I am so happy I could cry."

Aruba recap

We're back from Aruba, still basking in the amazing glow we gained during our stay on the island--and I'm not just talking about our (slight) tan. The trip was truly a tropical getaway, offering the perfect mix of adventure (kitesurfing, biking, and snorkeling) and relaxation (lounging on the beach and a hot stone massage). We also had the perk of hanging out with some great ladies (and one guy)--all part of the press trip, each with an interesting job (or jobs) and plenty of stories to keep us entertained and laughing all four days.

Kitesurfing (the purpose of me being there was to learn the sport and write about it) was, well, HARD and I can't say I did more than master the beginner steps. Not sure if it was my lack of coordination or just a fear that I'd get ripped 20 feet in the air by the kite (on my first go, I did shoot straight up and land...hard...though it was pretty awesome to get some air), but I never felt quite comfortable out there. Maybe if we had a few more tries I'd at least get up on the board for more than the five seconds I managed to be upright! Still, it was all very fun and I loved just attempting something new.

Lots of pics below! Enjoy!

Off to Aruba

Tomorrow morning (in about 7 hours, to be exact), Mark and I are taking off for Aruba. It's another press trip for me (learning how to kite surf and checking out the Aruba Marriott--of course, I'll write about it later on!). We're very excited for a little vacay but it's a bittersweet moment as it's our first trip without Eamon! He's in very, very good hands with the Flynn's...we took him down to NoVa yesterday and he was all smiles and basking in the attention all weekend. But we're going to miss him terribly.

Will post some pics when we return! Hopefully, I'll avoid any major catastrophes while kitesurfing...wish me luck!

Happy Easter!

We were lucky enough to celebrate Easter at home with my family, plus Bubba and Mario, Anna and her law school friend, Mrs. Smith, and the babies (15 people in all, though only 12 1/2 partook in the meal!). Mark and I had a great time getting the food ready (we made apricot glazed ham, sweet potatoes, roasted asparagus, corn casserole, and spinach dip; Bubba and Mario brought the turkey and potato salad; Mrs. Smith made apple pie and deviled eggs; then we had a smattering of sweets including Karl's homemade Oreo cookies, Bec's carrot cakes, and my brownies.) Whew! I'm still stuffed.

I was so happy to have everyone over and loved just being able to relax and laugh at home. Eamon had a great time playing with everyone and scooting all over the place--I'd say he thoroughly enjoyed his first Easter!

Lots of pics below!

All snuggly in his (Christmas?) pajamas after Easter (hey--it was cold in our apartment!), Eamon was all smiles before heading to bed. And finally agreed to wear the bunny ears long enough for me to get an actual picture!

Going...going...gone!

Eamon sampled his very first teething biscuit as an appetizer to his lunch today, and he was beyond happy to be able to feed himself! So happy that he readily accepted his meal of peas and brown rice--with a little help from me, of course.

(And oh--yes, he is wearing a St. Patty's day bib three weeks too late. And yes, he is shirtless. But meal time's messy around here--and holiday bibs need to be in the rotation or else we'd run out by the end of the day!)