Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Hive-less, but not toothless

The hives appear to be gone. We don't have to see Megan all red and splotchy anymore!! (This picture was from Saturday morning.)

It took all weekend for them to subside, but I haven't seen any since Sunday night -- a great thing since Megan was refusing to take any more Benadryl. By Sunday night, none of us were doing so great with the Benadryl...Daddy tried to give Megan the last dose, but the oral dispenser was a little more sensitive than he realized and he shot Benadryl all across the kitchen and onto the ceiling. Amid all the stress of the hives and a fussy baby, we at least got a good laugh out of that.

I think we hit this "perfect storm" of baby issues this past week...on top of the cold/ear infection and hives, Megan also started to cut her top teeth. I guess the bottom tooth got lonely, so the top one decided to join the party. That would certainly explain her increased fussiness and obvious discomfort while sleeping (or, more accurately, not sleeping). I don't remember the first tooth being this bad, but i'm sure things have been compounded by the congestion and other junk. So far only one of the top teeth has cut through the gum, but it doesn't look like the other is that far behind. We'll have to wait and see.

First Pictures of Daddy on Track!



Who took Daddy's Photos:
F and S Enterprises

Where Daddy's Photos Are:
Click here Daddy's Photos.

Comments:

I thought when I was there that their service might be gimmicky, but honestly, it is a life saver. When you are doing an HPDE, you are 100% busy all the time. Between classroom instruction, car prep, talking with your instructor, and trying to find food; there is no free time. As a result, it is nice to have someone else providing you with a relatively cheap service that gives you lasting images (and video in the future) of the event.

If you are interested, check out the 76 photos I have from the event. I have the original 8M originals if you see something you like, let me know.

Friday, February 13, 2009

From Snow to Sun to Sick

It's been a busy few weeks around here. So here's a brief recap:

Megan got to see her first snow. She touched the snow and decided it was cold! We didn't really get down and play in it, but she had fun looking at it.

Then it warmed up and we took advantage of the nice 70-degree days and played outside with the tractor and Megan's new ball.

And thanks in large part to the huge temperature swings, Megan got sick. We tried to ward off the cold, but after 2 1/2 weeks she was getting worse, not better, so off to the doctor we went. Turns out Megan had an ear infection and needed amoxicillin. After 3 dose of amoxicillin, Megan broke out in hives all over her legs, arms, and bottom. Poor kid!! Back to the doctor! After spending the last two mornings in the pediatrician's office, I hope we are on the road to recovery.


Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Daddy's Weekend!


This weekend, Daddy went to an HPDE! For those not familiar with that term, it is a High Performance Driving Event. Essentially, this was something dad has been trying to do since 2005, but the timing never really worked out. The location for this event was in Alton, Virgina at Virgina International Raceway, or ViR for short. The event was hosted by THSCC/TZC, and it was a great event with great weather (and yes, friendly nice people).

So, this was Daddy's first time on a real track, and a thing that he "needed" to do to see if this is something daddy wanted to continue doing. Well, it started out rocky, but by the end of the event, I think Dad enjoyed it. There was lots of good things, and an exceptional instructor, Devin Cazin.

As for the event, a lot of words could be typed here, but it is mostly something that I think you just have to experience. You can watch videos, talk about turns in excrutiating detail, and analyze the 2-2.5 minutes on the 3.27 mile Full Course. Experiencing these events with friends is what really makes them special, and I am glad that Wei Yan (Mitsubishi Evolution IX MR) went along with me.

The actual driving... well, this is something that Mommy would not have approved of, nor enjoyed. Dad was mostly in 3rd and 4th gear (about off the limiter in 4th), so I think that is somewhere between 40 - 134mph (update: this is what the math worked out to with 3.9 with 225/45/17s ^ 6500rpm) -- not Mom's cup of tea. However, Hopefully she will come next time to take some pictures of the event, and we can all enjoy a day in the country. Dad did pass a lot of people, but more importantly, he learned a lot about how to be "more smoof" and rediscovering why he races (Dad just likes to do it, and Dad doesn't have to think about it or anything else).

If you ever have a chance to just stop by ViR and check out a race on a race weekend, I would highly suggest it. This is something our whole family has done in the past with GT Live, and it is something that everyone seemed to enjoy (including Mom!). It is truly awe inspiring as you drive over the bridge and are able to see 5,5a,6, and 6a on the right, and the Uphill-esses on the left (people over 100 through tight turns). The visual speed the cars carry and the weight you can hear is something you just have to experience.

Dad might get a chance to do another one of these later this year, but it is something that Dad is glad he got to do.

Thanks Mommy and Megan for giving me the time to do this and being so understanding (setting up the car, being gone, tearing the car back down -- 40+ hrs of work I am not with the family :( ).

I love you!

- Daddy