It's a.................................

..GIRL!!!!!!!!!!

I went to Columbus for work the week before Christmas and decided to go to a 3d/4d ultrasound place. I didn't tell Todd I was even going. I told the u;trasound tech I wanted to know th gender, but not until I got home to find out with my husband! So on the DVD she put the gender at the end. Todd, Carter and I watched the DVD when I got home the next night and found out the good news. We shared with our parents and siblings at Christmas.... We are so excited to welcome Hannah Eileen Frank into our family!

Good news

Well I got word from my MRI that there doesn't seem to be a tear. It looks like I have a Bakers's Cyst under my knee cap. I am going to start some physical therapy next week!

Update

First, the MRI. It went well, I laid on a teeny tiny table for 30 min, perfectly still with my knee locked in some sort of contraption. It wasn't too bad though, only half of my body went in and I had earplugs because the machine is so loud. I was done in about 45 min all together.

I saw Dr Domingo today. He came in the room dancing, gave me a big hug and told me how excited he was for us that we are expecting again! Baby's heartbeat was 160, which is in the "girl" range in terms of the old wives tales. I measured right on for 14weeks and 2 days. Everyone in his office is so great, they were all excited that I was back, and PREGNANT!

I kinda have to laugh though, they have a new receptionist, and as I checed in, she asked me if I brought in my first morning urine. I said no, I didn't know I was supposed to. She said in a somewhat snarky voice, well, I hope you haev to go becasue we need a pregnancy test to confirm before we can do anything. I kinda laughed and said oh so my last 10 weeks worth of ultrasounds aren't good enough? One of the nurses stepped in and said, she is 14 weeks pregnant, she is coming from a fertility specialist, she is pregnant for sure.

He said that I am not a candidate for a VBAC (vaginal birth after cecarean) because I had such a hard time with Carter. He said I never made it past 7cm and he had to use the vacuum to get him out during the c section, so it will be a scheduled c section. They typically do them in the 39th week. Looks like we get to pick our baby's birthday the first week of June.

I'm FREEEEEE

Haha not really but today I was released from Dr Nash and am back with Dr. Domingo! No more driving 40 min to doctor apts! I had my final apt today, baby looks great. There is a 1 in 10,000 chance baby will have Downs Syndrome, and 1 in 15,000 change for Trisomy 13 or 18. Praise the Lord! This is such great odds!

I had an ultrasound and baby was moving all around. He said he couldn't tell us the gender yet. We found out Carter was a boy at 14 weeks 5 days, I am 14weeks 3 days....... I think he just didn't look to be honest.

I go back to Dr. Domingo in the morning and I have my MRI tonight. I will post more after my appointment tomorrow!

We've hit a speed Bump

Well I hurt my knee in July, the Dr said it was fluid behind my knee, gave me an anti inflammatory for it and sent me on my way. Well it never really healed, and lately it's been locking up on me and sometimes giving out. not to mention it often hurts. I went back to my primary care yesterday and he did an exam that showed there is still fluid in there, and there is some popping and grinding going on. He said he really feels that I tore off some cartilage and it's just floating around in there. This normally is repaired surgically. Well, the kicker is since I am pregnant he had to call the Radiologist to see if they would even do an MRI on me since I am pregnant. I got a call yesterday afternoon we are set for launch, I have one scheduled Wednesday evening.

I see Dr Nash for the last time tomorrow morning. He is then releasing me back to Dr. Domingo, whom I see Thursday morning at 7:50! Things might finally slow down when it comes to baby dr apts. But I fear if I have to have surgery then I will be spending the next few months in doctor apts!

"So how are you feeling"?

I think I've heard this about a million times in the last few weeks. The truth is I feel MUCH better than I did in the beginning. I found out I was pregnant when I was about 4 weeks. When I hit 5 weeks it all went downhill. I started not feeling great, a little queazy here and there. By 6 weeks I was sick morning, noon, and night. I was unable to eat, and I threw up brishing my teeth, walking to my car, pretty much whenever the urge hit I couldn't stop it.

Around 11 weeks I slowly started feeling better, felt good all morning and afternoon until around 3pm, then I was not feeling well the rest of the night. I am now 13 weeks and feel pretty good 99% of the time. I am still 3lbs under when I found out I was pregnant, but I lost 6 total. So that's not too shabby. About this time with Carter I had already gained 6ish pounds.

Everything this pregnancy is different. I can only think I am having a girl. We will see!

Another area of concern is my knee. I hurt my knee at work in July. I went to the doctor and there was a good bit of fluid behind my knee. They didn't do anything in terms of Xray or MRI. Well, 5 months later, it still hurts. I am afraid as I progress this pregnancy, and gain the inevitable weight, it will only get worse. Plus chasing after a toddler, it won't get better on it's own, you would think after 5 months it would have if it was going to. So I have an apt to see my doctor on Monday. I don't know what, if anything, they can do since I am pregnant but we will see!

Deuce

That's what we will call baby for now, until we know if baby is a girl or boy. I really think I am having a girl. I have thought that all along. Mostly because this pregnancy is drastically different than the first time around.

I am still seeing Dr. Nash, until next week when he will release me back to Dr. Domingo. I have been monitored very closely, every week at first with ultrasounds and now every 2 weeks, still with ultrasounds everytime. I think I've seen this baby on the screen as much as I saw Carter in my entire pregnancy! I'm not complaining, it's amazing to watch it grow from a tiny little blob intoa real baby.

I went on Monday for an NT test. This test is made up of an ultrasound that measure the back of the neck and take blood from me. This test is used to get a percentage of a chance that baby has chromosomal defects or Downs Syndrome.

I did this test when I was pregnant with Carter, it was optional. This time around I wasnt given a choice. I would have chose to do it anyway. I want to be prepared in the event there is a posibility. If results come back with a high likelihood we are given the choice to do an amnio or CVS. We will cross that bridge if we get there.

I go back to the doctor next Wed for results.

Exciting Thanksgiving News

So, I haven't posted in a while for a reason. I knew I would probably explode with joy! On Thanksgiving we announced baby #2 is on the way! That's right, I'm PREGNANT!

On Sept 29 I took a test. I am still really not sure why I even took one, it was 5pm, Todd was teaching and I was getting dinner ready for Carter. I gave up taking tests several months previous as things just weren't working.

It came up with a very faint second line. I couldn't believe my eyes. I hurried and fed Carter, then he and I ran to Walgreens for a digital test... I needed to see "Pregnant" or "Not Pregnant". We hurried home, and I took the test. "Pregnant"! I was in shock. You see, we had JUST finished all of our fertility testing. We were going to start treatments in TWO DAYS!

I blew up some balloons and made a poster and put all of it and the test on the changing table, and shut the door. Todd came home about an hour later, and as he walked in the door I asked him to please change carter's diaper. I expected lip from him since he had just got home. He didn't at all, he said no problem. As he walked down the hall, I followed behind. He opened the door and was in shock. He turned around and said "really"?! I started crying and said yes.

We told our parents and siblings that weekend, and kept the secret from other family and friends until Thanksgiving weekend.

So we didn't hold off on fertility treatments for any other reason than I was already pregnant!

This is the poster I made to tell Todd.

Long time

Wow I can't believe I haven't posted in a while. Lots has been going on. About a month after I started my job at CCHO, I was offered a position with Canton City Schools Adult Education in Financial Aid. After much deliberation, I accepted the position.

I am still on staff at CCHO on an "as needed" basis and scheduled sunday's to do a "wrap around schedule" one on one with a resident. I've been off the last few weeks as this resident is in a psychiatric hospital for an extended period of time. When she is back we will resume.

I like my new job, it's just stressful to take over for someone who is no longer there and he didn't really have a grasp on things when he was there. I am just getting somewhat comfortable right now, and it's been 4 weeks.

Carter is walking and a typical toddler these days. He is all over the place. He officially has 12 teeth, now that he got 4 molars in the last 2 weeks. he's a very easy going baby and I am so blessed.

I never realized how much my life has changed with him in my life, but it's such a blessing that he is in my life. I truly am blessed.

We finished all of our fertility testing in September. Everything looks good, my tubes are clear, and my hormone levels are out of whack as we suspected. We have decided to put fertility treatments on hold. Now is just not the time.......

Busted baby maker.... the journey

So we met with Dr. Nash in July. We had a new doctor talk to us and go over our medical histories, turns out she was one of the interns who worked when I delivered Carter. She was SUPER new at that time, and is now a resident with Reproductive Gynecology! Small world!

Anyways, It was confirmed I have PCOS. He looked at all our histories, blood work ect and did an ultrasound of his own, saying I have all the classic symptoms. Our next steps include more blood work, on day 3 of my next cycle, an HSG, where the put in a catheter and run a dye through it to see if my falopian tubes are clean and ovaries are functioning, between days 6-11 of that same cycle. I went this past friday for a pregnnacy test, which was negative as I figured it would be, and he gave me a prescription for provera to start my next cycle for me.

I am not ovulating at all, which explains why I am not getting pregnant on my own. We discussed a few options, including the use of clomid, clomid with injectables, clomid with IUI and IVF. We will talk more in depth after my testing to where we will start ect.

Todd wasn't left out either. He had to give a sample as well. Thankfully he was able to do so at home, and I had to take it in within an hour. His tests came back totally normal, so that helps to know at least one of us functions the way we should :)

Stay tuned!

Wow so much has happened in a month!

Sorry it's taken so long to blog! I went back to work full time on July 27 at CCHO (Christian Childrens Home of Ohio). I work in a partial hospitalization residential facility in Wooster, about 50 min from home. I work 4/ 10 hour days (usually 4/ 11-12 hours days) a week, Sunday through Wednesday. I LOVE working with the kids on a daily basis. In my cottage (there are 5 of them, 2 ph houses, and 3 teching parent model cottages), we have residents ages 11-17. These kids are almost all victims of abuse and neglect. They are tough kids to love, but I honestly love each and everyone of them, even when they don't make the right choices.

Within a few weeks of working, I was offered a position with Canton City Schools Adult Education doing financial aid and admissions work. It would be much closer to home, double the money and less hours/days. I also have the opportunity to set my own schedule. I would be stupid to pass it up, so I am struggling with a tough decision. I have accepted this position, but still struggle with am I making the right decision.

Enough about work, lets talk about Carter! 5 days after he turned 1, he started walking. Within a day he went from a few steps to walking 10-15 steps at a time, now he is running all over the house. He is such a joy! he's full of energy and full of life and loves to laugh.

Carter gets to play with his friend Kennedy while my friend Lisa watched him while I am at work. He loves being there, and loves playing with his friend!

We are officially bottle free! We took all his bottles away a few weeks ago and he is now strictly using a sippie cup. He had a very smooth transition to this. I am still amazed that I can give him a sippie of milk, put him in his crib wide away and he goes to sleep on his own. How did we get so lucky??

Well I think that's all for now, I will post a seperate post on our baby making progress

Time flies....

.....When you are having fun! I cannot believe Carter is ONE! We celebrated Carters First birthday with his first party on Saturday, July 11 at my in laws house. We had a monkey theme, for our little monkey. We are having another party for him on Sunday the 19th at my parents house, a Hungarian bacon roast theme...

Carter's Official birthday was July 15th. He and I spent the day playing, then went to my in laws that evening for pizza, cake and swimming. Carter loved everything about that!

Here are a few pictures of his first party.

LIving with the diagnosis

Well, I think I have come to terms with my diagnosis. I have been doing lots of research over the last week. I have decided to get a second opinion with a reproductive endocrinologist, Dr. Nash. We will be meeting with him on July 23rd to go over our (Todd and mine) medical histories and my tests and discuss our options. I think we are ready to move forward so we can have a baby. stay tuned

I have a busted babymaker

Well, just as the title says, my babymaker is busted. After having some cramping and pain, and two visits to the OB with an ultrasound and exam, I was diagnosed with polycystic ovarian Syndrome (PCOS). Basically what this means is that my hormone levels are totally out of whack, I have cysts all over my ovaries, and a ton of other little issues. This also explains all the issues during my pregnancy, weight gain and trouble losing it, high blood pressure, acne ect.

This doesn't sound too bad, right? Well PCOS is the #1 cause of infertility in women. But I already had a baby, so I souldn't have issues right? Well, the way it was explained to me, I had been on birth control pills for many years, which helps keep the cysts from forming and evens out hormone levels. I was lucky and got pregnant right after going off the pill. But now my ovaries are totally covered in cysts.

It's going to be a long hard road to get pregnant again, or so I am told. I went for blood work this morning to check insulin levels (often really high with PCOS), testosterone levels and a few other things. I go back in two weeks to go over the findings and discuss treatments. Looks like we will need some fertility medication, so here's hoping it does it's job and it's not a super long journey for us.

Some may know we have been working on another baby since December, so now with this new diagnosis and an amazing OB who said will work with us every step of the way and "get us pregnant", we have put our faith in God and know when it's in His time, we are ready with open arms.

So I am coming to terms with my new diagnosis and the fact I have a broken babymaker. I'm scared, sad, upset and so many other things, but I thank God every single day for giving me a supportive husband and an incredible little boy that they say "it's amazing" I ever got pregnant with in the first place.

So now as I start my journey with PCOS, I can't help but hug my munchkin a little longer, and enjoy him more and more every single day.

He's almost a year old!

Sorry it's been a while! I can't believe Carter is 11 months old! He is growing so much every single day. He had his first haircut last weekend, and Todd and I celebrated our second wedding anniversary. Time sure flies when you are having fun.

Back to the haircut, Carter did fantastic! He sat on my lap and let Todd's Aunt Mary cut his hair like a big boy! He looks like such a little man now!

We started Carter on Cows milk last week. So far so good, I got him on 2 bottles of cows milk a day and his last one is either frozen breast milk or formula. This week I hope to get him 100% on cows milk.

He is now pointing at everything, saying mama and dada and when he sees the cat, he usually shrieks and says what we believe to be "kitty". He is very interested in walking, although he hasn't quite figured out his balance just yet. He will walk from couch to couch, holding on along the way and now testing his balance by letting go and standing for a brief moment. He loves to walk while holding onto fingers, but don't let go and stop walking, he gets super upset!

My baby boy isn't so much of a baby anymore :(

Mother's Day

Well, I got to celebrate my first Mother's Day. It started Friday night when Todd took over "baby duty" for the weekend. This included waking up with him and changing diapers.

Sunday morning I woke up around 7:30 (that's sleeping in these days). Todd made me breakfast, eggs and bacon. Carter gave me a card, in which he and daddy came up with a list of 43 reasons why they need me. It was super sweet and made me feel very loved and needed. We then got ready and headed to my parents where we met for lunch. We then spent a few hours at my parents house, where Carter crawled all over exploring a new territory.

On our way home, Todd bought me a DQ Blizzard. It was a nice relaxing day and all I had to do was relax and play with my son. It was a fantastic first Mother's Day.

So fast

I can't believe how fast my munchkin is growing up. In seriously a matter of a month, Carter has learned how to sit up and lay down by himself (going from laying to sitting), crawl, and now pull himself up onto everything and cruise. Where did my tiny little baby go? With all of these new achievements, the separation anxiety is getting much better. He does alot more independent play and can crawl to where I am, so I dont have to be holding him and carrying him all the time.

We had his 9 month pictures done this past week (I know I know, he is almost 10 months). We used Portrait Innovations this time instead of Sears and I was MUCH happier with how they turned out! The price was about the same, if not better, and they actually took their time with us and got the right shots. Lots of props, back drops and toys for him to stay busy.

Well that's about all for now. This is my first Mother's Day with an outside baby (I was pregnant last year). Looking forward to what Carter has in store for me (grin).

Not much new

Well not much new has been going on around the Frank household these days. Carter is full fledge crawling now and yesterday while sorting through boxes of clothes, Carter pulled himself up on a box from sitting to standing. I can't believe my munchkin is growing up right before my very eyes. Where did my little newborn go? Although I dont miss sleepless nights at all, I miss my lil man who slept most of the day and stayed where I put him. Now, I set him down and he is on the go! We are also dealing with separation anxiety now, I can't leave the room without him screaming until I come back. He just likes to see me (or daddy) at all times. Luckily he is still napping and sleeping at night.

Todd, My brother in law Brian, and our neighbor Doug and his little boy Trent, pulled 6 huge bushes out of the front of the house. They were the old big square bushes that dated our house. Todd liked them, I hated them. My mom is a landscaping guru so she said she will help me with plants and shrubs. I am looking forward to having it all done, right now it's a big pile of dirt. I have the mulch ready and waiting for the planting to happen. Can't wait! It will give our house a great new look!

Easter

We had an awesome family filled Easter. We started the morning around 6am when I started getting ready for 8:00 mass before Carter woke up. He woke up around 7 and we let him play with his easter basket. He got new sippy cups, sandals, bibs, binkies, a hat and sunglasses. He enjoyed pulling everything out of the baskets! We went to 8am mass, followed by the annual Frank Family easter egg hunt at Todd's aunt and uncles house. We left there by 10:30, and headed south to my parents where we had an awesome lunch with the Grimm and Rozsa sides of the Family. Carter got to see the Easter Bunny "helper" and enjoyed a few pictures with him.

We got home around 6:30 and were all pretty tuckered out, but had a great Holiday!

Growing up TOO fast

Carter's new thing is standing. He always wants to be standing, either holding on to our fingers or the couch or the coffee table. He can finally stand while holding onto the couch or coffee table without assistance. I guess this means he is one step closer to standing alone, and then walking.... YIKES..... He is still not crawling, unless you count scooting backwards. He gets up on all fours and rocks, and then scoots backwards, but hasn't figured out the forward motion yet. He gets super frustrated, but I am still happy he's not that mobile. He rolls all around to get where he wants, but it's slow enough I know what he is up to before it happens....

Where did my baby boy go??

What a weekend

So, Todd and I got to get away this past weekend. One of Todd's good friends from college got married (HOORAY Dave and Andrea!). My parents stayed at our house with Carter. My mom came around 10am so I could go get my hair cut. I had a little bit of time to pamper myself. Todd and I left around 1:30 sat afternoon and went to the wedding and reception and stayed in a hotel. It was hard to leave him, especially overnight, but I knew Todd and I needed a night away. We enjoyed ourselves, I called and checked in 3 times (That's all my mom would let me call, I had 3 tokens haha), and we had a great night. I think it helped reconnect Todd and I, and it made me a better mom to have some time away.

When we got home on Sunday morning, the smile across Carter's face when I walked in the door made it all worthwhile.

Another not so dull day

So I had to take Carter in for a follow up with his doctor. He has another ear infection and his breathing and coughing has gotten worse since yesterday. It turns out he has a severe broncial infection with the start of pneumonia. So we started breathing treatments today and will continue them every 3 hours for 5 days.

I then had an apt with my doctor. I have broncitis and an ear infection that just isn't going away. I started meds and an inhaler.... AWESOME

Todd

This should be interesting.... I am answering these all about Todd

1. He's sitting in front of the tv. What's on the screen? Sports of some kind, ESPN, and right now Basketball

2. You are out to eat. What dressing does he get on his salad? Ranch or cesear

3. What's one food he doesn't like? anything with mushrooms or tomatoes

4. You go out to a bar. What does he drink first? depends, if it's lent he gets jack on the rocks. If not he gets something on tap

5. Where did he go to high school? Marlington

6. If he were to collect anything, what would it be? Video games

7. What shoe size does he wear? 11

8. What is his favorite type of sandwich? Ham

9. What would he eat every day if he could? Pizza or chicken

10. What would he never wear? Anything that makes him look "like a homo."

11. What is his favorite sports team? Browns, Cavs and Buckeyes

12. What is something you do that he wishes you didn't do so much? get mouthy :)

13. How many states has he lived in? Just OH

14. What is his heritage? German, Irish, French

15. You bake him a cake for his birthday. What kind of cake would it be? He's not a cake kinda guy, so I would say brownies

16. Did he play sports in high school? football, basketball and track

17. What could he spend hours doing? video games and watching movies

1am wake up then visit to ER

So Carter woke up around 1 am, unhappy. I fed him and he went back to sleep until close to 3am, when he woke up in a coughing fit. I jumped out of bed and ran downstairs to find him in a coughing fit, gagging and just sobbing. I scooped him up and tried to soothe him back to sleep, no luck. I ended up putting him in bed with Todd and I for a bit more sleep. HE dosed off and on, coughing and crying. Finally at 4:30 he woke up again coughing so hard it made him throw up. He started sobbing more, so I brought him down to change his clothes and try to calm him down.

After about 15 min of not being able to console him, still coughing, I decided to take him to the ER. So after waiting 2 hours to even see a Dr, they send him for a chest Xray after hearing something in his left lung. The chest X ray was horrific for me, he laughed at the tech. They had to strap him in this chair that reminded me of an electric chair. His arms up, strapped to the board. They ended up having to do the x ray 3 times as the machine was malfunctioning. All while my munchin sit all strapped to a chair with his arms above his head. I couldn't help but have tears running down my face.

Another hour later, it came back Carter has pneumonia. So they started him on an aggressive antibiotic and said I need to follow up with his dr by Friday for a recheck. If it's not better, or worse, we will talk about the next step. (they mentioned breathing treatments).

So, life is never dull these days...... Now if only I can get some sleep, since I am working on 3 hours and a bunch of coffee.

Here is a picture of Carter's big adventure at the hospital.

Getting over the "crud"

So it appears both Carter and I are getting over the crud that's been following us around for over a week. He is still sniffling and coughing, but much less than before. Although I still have a "clogged" ear, I feel a ton better. Now we just need some warmer weather so we can open all the windows and get some fresh air in this house. Looks like tomorrow might be a good day to get out of the house. Here's hoping for some sunshine and warm weather!

We took some Easter pictures of Carter last night. They turned out wonderfully! Here's a few of our favorites.

What a week

So, Carter now has a runny nose, still pulling on his ears and now has a nasty cough. I went to the dr yuesterday, I have a sinus infection and an ear infection. We are quite the pair right now. I can't believe it's now Friday and we have both been sick all week long, Carter has been fighting this ear infection since last week. He is going back to the doctor today to check his ears and listen to his lungs to make sure they are clear before the weekend..... Will it ever end?

So Carter is getting over a double ear infection. I woke up Monday morning not feeling well at all. I now have a full blown head cold and am wondering if it's turning into a sinus infection. Carter woke up this morning with a really bad cough and a runny nose. Looks like it's going to be a great rest of the week in the Frank household. HOPEFULLY Todd doesn't get sick, he's in full blown tax season. I think maybe I will be sleeping in the spare bedroom the next few nights just so I don't disturb him and so he's not around a sicky! Why can't it be summer time and no little bugs going around? Is that too much to ask??

Naps

This past week Carter WOULD NOT nap. He was waking up at night and was just not eating either. I had enough and took him to the doctor last Thursday. He had a double ear infection, so mystery solved.

Friday he took a 2 1/2 hour nap (I was lucky to get him to take more than 45 min). Saturday I got an hour and 45 min nap. I was ELATED! And now today he is still napping, it's ben an hour and a half already! I have been trying to keep him up longer between naps trying to get 2 good naps instead of his 4 small ones. So far his best napping is in the morning, and I won't complain! Afternoons are still a little rough, I can get 2- 45 min naps if I am lucky. We are working to move his bedtime up to about 8, Right now he's about 8:30.

Hopefully in the next few weeks we will have established 2 good nap times! Any tips, let me know!

Arbonne

So I was laid off from my job when I was 8 months pregnant, and on bed rest for 14 weeks. An amazing blessing came into my life when I was introduced to a woman named Laura. She introduced me to Arbonne. I had heard of it from a friend who was selling it, and at the time, I didn't have time to really look into it. Once I was off bed rest, and Carter was born, I was invited to a party where I tried it out, and learned about the products. It was love at first sight! The products were amazing, they had baby products without all the chemicals found in Johnson and Johnson and it even helped eliminate my son's excema issues and dry skin. So I started my own Arbonne business. I am now into my 3rd month of selling and it's going amazingly well. If anyone is interested inlearning more about it, using some samples to see if you like it, or to learn about the business side, let me know! It's helping to keep me at home with my son and us out of the poor house! haha

www.arbonne.com

Can't believe I am doing this

So I never thought I would be a "blogger". I also never thought I would be a stay at home mom. I always thought I would be a career mom. I guess someone had other plans for me, and I thank Him every single day for this amazing blessing of watching Carter grow, experience life, and learn new things every single day. So I guess this will be my place to start putting on paper what I am thinking about as I spend my days with my munchkin.