Loving Two

LOVING TWO I walk along holding your 2-year-old hand, basking in the glow of our magical relationship.Suddenly I feel a kick from within, as if to remind me that our time alone is limited.And I wonder, how could I love another child as I love you?

Then she is born, and I watch you.I watch as the pain you feel at having to share me as you have never shared me before.

I hear you telling me in your own way, "Please love only me" and I hear myself telling you in mine "I can't".Knowing in fact that I never can again.You cry, I cry with you.I almost see our baby as an intruder on the precious relationship we once shared. A relationship we can never have again.

But then, barely noticing, I find myself attached to that new being, and feeling almost guilty.I'm afraid to let you see me enjoying her -- as though I am betraying you.But then I notice your resentment change, first to curiosity, then to protectiveness, finally to genuine affection.

More days pass, and we are settling into a new routine.The memory of days with just the two of us is fading fast.But something is replacing those wonderful times we shared, just us two.There are new times -- only now we are three.I watch the love between you grow, the way you look at each other, touch each other.

I watch how she adores you, as I have for so long.I see how excited you are by each of her new accomplishments.I begin to realize that I haven't taken something from you, I've given something to you.I notice that I am no longer afraid to share my love openly with both of you.I find that my love for each of you is as different as you are, but equally strong.And my question is finally answered to my amazement.Yes, I can love another child as much as I love you, only differently.

And although I realize that you may have to share my time, I know you'll never share my love.There's enough of that for both of you -- you each have your own supply.

I love you both and I thank you both for blessing my life.

~Author Unknown~

Take A Guess!

My BIG ultrasound is coming up soon! Monday, November 9th at 10:30am we finally get a glimpse of our little one! I can not wait! So while you are waiting, please go to this site and vote for what you think! Boy or Girl??

http://www.acepolls.com/polls/1048993-baby-frost-ii---boy-or-girl

12 Week Appointment

The other day I went for my 12-week appointment at the doctor's office. Pretty amazing I'm out of the first trimester already! It's going way too fast for me. With Brayden, it seemed like it took forever and this time it just flew by. I guess it being during the summer really helped because we have been busy all the time.

Let's recap the past 12 weeks. Well, the 8-9 that I actually knew I was pregnant. Sick, tired, sick, tired, sick, tired, tired & now fat. That's pretty much how it went. Since I basically felt perfectly fine with my first pregnancy, I was tricked into thinking this one would be the same. Nope, not at all. I have every symptom possible. Haven't missed out on a single one. And I'm still waiting for it to start to go away. While it has been better the last 2 weeks, I definitely haven't been able to eat the same and I'm still waiting on the "burst of energy" to kick in.

My appointment was pretty uneventful. Got weighed (actually lost 1/2 a pound!), peed in a cup and checked my blood pressure. Everything looks good. Then we tried to hear the heartbeat. At first we had no luck and the doctor was worried I would panic I think, so she decided to try something else. I had to have an internal anyways, so after that, she must have got him/her up and moving. When she tried again, we were able to hear it right away. So everything is looking good and right on track. I don't go back for 4 more weeks. I do have to go for the glucose screening sometime soon. Not happy about that one...that drink is nasty. But since I had gestational diabetes last time, I have to test at 14 weeks and again at 26 weeks.

That's about it for now. At least on the pregnancy front. I'll post a good one with some pics of Brayden later in the week!

Big Fat Slacking Slacker...

Yep, that's me. I suck. I totally basically quit my blog for the entire summer because I'm lazy. But I'm back! Yes, I'm actually going to start up again! I feel pretty obligated to now...because I'm pregnant again! Most everyone that would read this already knows that, but I thought I'd throw it out there just in case. And since I kept a pretty decent blog during my pregnancy with Brayden, I better not start out slacking with this kid or I will never catch up. So here we go again! I know some of you will be pleased! ;)

Some Suggestions...

I wanted to provide some suggestions for those that have been asking on what to get for Brayden's birthday. These are simply suggestions and in no way requests!

He is currently wearing a size 2T and will be in that size for awhile. Most of it is still pretty roomy on him, so I expect him to be wearing it thruout the fall also. He could use some more summer clothes. He is currently in shoe size 7 and definitely could use some sandals. He only has 1 pair right now. However, he will NOT wear the flip-flop style where they go between his toes. I'm also on the lookout for some new hats, he really likes to wear them and needs them when out in the sun due to his light skin and thin hair. He also could use some new pj's in summer styles.

Brayden's favorite TV shows/characters are Blue's Clues being his #1. He also likes Little Einsteins, Elmo, Thomas or anything Choo-Choo. He's just getting started to watch Disney movies a little, but still doesn't last for the whole thing. He's also just getting into really liking to build puzzles. The type with big chunky single pieces. Coloring has also become a big hit lately and he doesn't have much of that.

Finally, Brayden is definitely very BOY-boy. His favorite things to play with now are trucks and balls. And spend as much time as possible outside. We do already have a push mower for him, but besides that, there isn't much outside for him to play with. And as you know, we don't have much of a yard, but there is room for a few things. He loves any kind of bigger tonka-style truck or digger that he can push around. He loves kicking or hitting a ball, so any sports type stuff would work also. He loves following Andy around with a screwdriver and doesn't have any sort of tool set or work bench either.

Finally, we have decided to look into getting on of those plastic climber/slide combos or a wagon to get him with any of the gift cards we receive from Toys R Us. Target is also a good place for gift cards because I buy alot of his clothes and diapers from there. Any cash we receive will go into a savings account for him. And please, if you don't mind attach the gift receipt to whatever you get. Just in case we get doubles or need to return any broken items.

I hope this helps those of you wondering and please don't feel obligated to get any of it or even anything at all! Just come out and enjoy the party and have fun!!

Toddler Times...

Let me start with I WAS NOT HOME WHEN THIS HAPPENED!!

Brayden and Daddy were hanging out at home when I went out to do some shopping. Now, I left them from lunch and they were on their way home, Brayden fell asleep in the car. When I talked to Andy almost 2 hours later, he was still asleep. Not 15 minutes after that, I get a call just as I'm pulling into the neighborhood. Can you go get some carept cleaner?? Now, my first thought was oh god, he puked. But nooooo....

While Brayden was apparently "still sleeping" according to Andy, he was actually quite busy. Now what do you think he was doing?

HE WAS DUMPING OUT AND PAINTING WITH 8 BOTTLES OF NAIL POLISH!!!

IN OUR BEDROOM!!!!

Yes, that is correct. I got home to Andy holding Brayden in the hallway trying to clean him off with wipes. While Brayden was crying hysterically. I called my mom - you'd better come save your baby! He was really upset and Andy claims he didn't yell at him, just asked what the heck he did! So he got to go downstairs and get cuddled by Grandma while we cleaned up.

Andy's story is that he thought he was still in bed sleeping. He went to go upstairs and check on him and noticed his bedroom door was open. So he called his name and Brayden came running to the top of the stairs. He held his hands up and yelled MESS! So Andy went up to check it out. Somehow he managed to not get any on his clothes and very little on himself. Just a little on his legs and a stripe between his eyes. But oh my poor bedroom. The area on the carpet that is covered is about 2 feet wide by 4 feet long. My dresser and footboard on the bed had it running down. And I keep them in a shoebox in my vanity and he had taken the lid and poured them all in it. I guess I should be happy that most of it did end up in there. But I'll let the pictures tell you the rest. And yes, we called a carpet place and apparently there is not a whole lot you can do for it. So chances are, Andy will be replacing it with wood flooring sometime in the future.

Pictures!

I finally got a chance to sort thru all the pictures we took in March. There were a TON of them, I guess due to the weather finally getting nice and us spending so much time outside! Here's a link to my favorites!!

Brayden Pics!

A short update

I forgot to mention this earlier, and I know some people would be interested!

Brayden is no longer having any skin issues and isn't on medication anymore! We were on 2 different medications for the hives/dermographism for about 3 months. But when the prescriptions ran out the last time, around early March, I decided to take a break from them to see if he was still breaking out. And it has worked! Apparently, the reaction was just from a virus that was in his system and took awhile to work it's way out. He has been off the medication for over a month now, and no more bad reactions. His skin has been completely back to normal!

Also, and I really hope I'm not jinxing myself with this one, but I was calling to make an appointment for his 2 year check-up at the end of May. And I realized that the last time we had been to the doctor - besides the dermatologist for skin problems - was his 18 month check-up. That's right...we have made it pretty much entirely thru winter without a single doctor visit! He really hasn't been sick at all! No sinus infections, flu, ear infections, stomach viruses, nothing!! Yay!!

And...I booked his birthday party! It's gonna be Sunday, May 31st at around 3 in the afternoon. Invitations will be coming out as soon as I get my butt in gear working on them!

Big Boy Bed!

This weekend we made the move from the crib to Brayden's new big boy bed. It's a toddler bed that looks like a firetruck and is so super cute! However, he seems to think it's a playground and his new favorite toy. Last night was his 2nd night in the bed. And so far, it isn't going horrible. Both nights he has went straight to bed in it with no problem. The first night, he came back out once and I took him right back in and he went to sleep. Of course, he was up at 1:30am and came into our bed, but that was sorta normal with the crib too. Last night he went straight to sleep with no issues. And he lasted in his own bed until 3:45am. So overall, it's going MUCH better than I expected! Now, naptime is a totally different story. Yesterday, Brayden and I had the biggest battle ever to get him down for a nap and he never ended up in his own bed. But today, it only took about 30 minutes of playing in his room before he lay down ON HIS OWN and went to sleep! My big boy is growing up quick!!

Here's a few pictures of him and his new bed!

Avon!

Just wanted to let people who follow my blog know that I have been selling Avon products now. I have an online website that you can order from and the items will be shipped directly to your home. Here's the website www.youravon.com/christinefrost and here's a code to have your first order shipped for free! MFSWR

Let me know if you have any questions or if there is anything I can help you with!
Thanks for looking!!

Brayden Update!

It's been awhile since I've posted. Life has been a little crazy, but things are settling down. For those that know about our car issues over the past 2 months, we have FINALLY got our Hyundai back! And it's running better than it has in years! And the best part...it cost WAY less than we would have expected for the work that was done!! So if you are having any car issues, let me know and I'll give you this place's contact info. They did a great job!

Brayden is definitely turning 2 pretty soon. He has such an attitude lately. And he is so grown up all of a sudden. He has finally started talking alot more and repeats so many random words. His favorite word last week was "baggie" of all things. I can't get him to say things like Nibbles (our dog) or Up or On, but he walks around yelling about baggies and gets them out of the drawer now. Crazy kid! His second favorite thing to say right now is "Leah-Leah." That's his cousin, my niece. He wakes up asking if she is coming over. Everytime we go outside he asks if she is at Grandma's. If we get in the car he wants to go see her. He LOVES little Leah!

Then there are the "ewwwies." I laugh just thinking about this. Brayden is TERRIFIED of the ewwwies. What are ewwwies, you ask? Well, pretty much anything fuzzy. This could be a hunk of fur that has come off of our super-hairy cat Munchkin. Or it could be a teeny-tiny piece of lint. Or one of my hairs. Or as we discovered yesterday, a piece of that fluff that flies in the air outside that you catch and make a wish with! If he sees one of these it is a total freak-out. Screeching ewwie, ewwwie, ewwwie and pointing. If you get near him with it, he gets this panicked look on his face (not that I would ever take a gob of cat hair and tease him with it like that...haha) and runs. And the best/worst of it is in the bathtub. When he is in the tub now, he will find that teeny-tiniest piece of lint that came out of his toes or who knows where else and obsess over it. We have to scoop every little bit out as fast as possible. Or the trick I have found is that I just have to make sure I put lots of bubbles in so that it hides them. It's just the funniest thing you have ever seen.

This weekend is going to be a busy one! And i will be sure to post some pictures from playing outside lately soon. Sorry for slacking so much!!

A Sad Day...

Last weekend, we got some sad news. Brayden's Great-Grandpa (Todd's Dad) passed away. Unfortunately, we were unable to travel to Ohio for the funeral, but he will be missed dearly by everyone.

Before & After

Here are a couple of the before pictures...it was getting a little crazy!

And during the haircut...yes, he is in a pink barbie car because that's the only one that was open!

And my handsome little boy afterwards...

Fun Day Out!

Last weekend Brayden and I met up with a couple friends at the Children's Museum. We were needing to get out of the house...way too much time stuck inside with the cold weather! So we invited a few little guys that are right around Brayden's age and headed downtown. I wasn't sure if he would be old enough for most of the stuff, but I was so wrong!! We spent about 3 hours there and probably could have lasted longer! He had SO much fun! There actually wasn't much he couldn't play with or do. And i've already talked with Andy about it. For his birthday, instead of a toy or something, we are hoping to get a membership to the museum so that we can go all the time. That way whenever we have a free day off or Andy is home with him for the day, we could run down and spend an hour or two hanging out and playing!

Of course, tons of pictures were taken...hanging out in Mister Roger's Neighborhood

Playing in the sand tables...and the water room!

Andy + Christine = 10 Years!

This past weekend Andy and I celebrated our 10 Year Anniversary! Well, not wedding, but since our first date! I can not believe it has been that long! That makes us only 18 and 19 when we first met. Wow.

So we got a night out on our own. My mom kept Brayden overnight (YAY!) for us so we could get out. We went out to Dave & Buster's for dinner and some fun games. It was a great time. And of course, we used our tickets to win some toys for Brayden. One (a dinosaur) that he is absolutely terrified of...lol. But there wasn't much to pick from for his age. We actually got home pretty early and watched a movie. Then...the best part! BED! (get your mind out of the gutter...haha) We got to SLEEP! All night long! All by ourselves with no little feet kicking and no sitting up to yell Choo-Choo at 4am. No waking up at 7am wanting to "eat Eat EAT!!" It was glorious!

Here's a fun picture of us from a LONG time ago...

Carter's Tagless Clothes Recall

I don't know if you have read about this yet or not, but I recently saw an article about it on a chat board I frequent and checked it out. Many of you know that Brayden has had issues lately with extremely sensitive skin. So I figured it was worth looking into. I sent an email to the address on the website and they sent me back a response asking me to call and 800 number. I called this morning, and they took my information and are sending me a prepaid postage sticker to send everything back. They only asked me if he had any sort of reaction and I was truthful and just explained that he has sensitive skin and I'd rather be safe than sorry. No other questions except how many articles approximately was I sending. I told them around 30, I believe and was told my sticker would be mailed later today. I will receive a FULL REFUND for all of the clothes that are returned in the form of a check. My thinking is that even if Brayden doesn't have a reaction, do I want to use these again on my future children and possibly risk it when it's too late to return them? Or even give them to someone else who would possibly have to deal with a reaction? So why not get the refund and you can alway purchase more. Especially since most of the clothes I'm sending don't even fit Brayden anymore! And we had a TON of these clothes! Here's the link to the site. http://www.carters.com/Corporate/tagless_message.aspx

Here We Go Steelers...

Here We Go!!!

Totally Unexpected!!

About a week ago, I was upstairs, putting away clothes or something and Brayden was up there with me. He was dragging around his little potty so I asked him if he wanted to pee in the potty. He immediately nodded yes, so I figure, what the heck? I strip him down and set him on the potty. What do you think...he pees!!! Probably within 2 minutes of sitting there! I thought it was a fluke. So that night, before bath, I ask him again...Do you want to pee on the potty? Again, yes and he sits down and pees!! I'm completely shocked. And truthfully, not at all prepared to put in the time and effort to start potty-training. He's only 20 months old! And he can't pull his own pants on or off...or talk for that matter...haha. But he loves to sit on the potty now! For the past week, about 3 or 4 times a day, I will ask him and up he goes. I know he has the right idea now because you can tell he's actually trying to go when he's sitting there.

So this has been an unexpected surprise! But how can I argue? Of course, I know we are a LONG way from out of diapers, but it doesn't hurt!

He's Daddy's Boy...

Daddy has him started training for sports early! And he loves it!!

Some Exciting News!

We have some exciting news in our house! No, it's not what you think...and it's probably not nearly as exciting to most of you as it is to us...haha. But if you have ever dealt with the situation, you will find it exciting too!

We are officially 1-WEEK BINKY FREE!! They are completely gone from our house and never to return to Brayden's mouth (or hands, or forehead.) He was driving me completely crazy with them. Between him chanting Binky, Binky, Binky constantly; having to have no less than 3 with him at all times, and being woken up repeatedly at night by him screaming binky while having to search under my pillow, thru the covers, etc. to find at least 2 for him (yes, he sleeps in our bed most nights, another story, another challenge.) I was way past done dealing with the binky situation.

So last Sunday morning, we woke up and left the binkys in bed. When he started asking for them (about 10 minutes after breakfast) we just told him they were all gone. He knows what all gone means, so he dropped it for awhile. Surprisingly, he hardly mentioned it again all day! He went down for his nap easily and again at bedtime. He seems to only ask the most when we get in the car, and even that has stopped. So we have made it a whole week and are so excited to finally be done with them!

Doctor Appointment Update

I just wanted to let everyone know that we were able to see the Pediatric Dermatologist yesterday and everything with Brayden looks good! He does have dermographism. But she said it's most likely that the reason for his hives/breakout/sensitivity is most likely due to a virus he had that caused it to come out. Unfortunately, we won't be able to say he won't get that virus or another one that will cause the same reaction, but it's nothing serious. Especially since he doesn't seem to be bothered by it. While his skin is still showing alot of sensitivity, it is alot better than it was last week already. And they put him on some medication that should help even more. He will be taking Zyrtec every morning and Ataraz every night for at least a month to help control it. Hopefully this will take care of everything and clear it up for good!

Just a Note...

For those of you who are following or interested, we were able to get Brayden a doctor appointment for this Friday at 2:00pm with the pediatric dermatologist. I was amazed we were able to get in that quickly. But then, it makes me wonder if we got in quickly because he might have something of concern...hmmmm. Anyways, I will update after the appointment and let you know how it goes!!

Happy Hump Day!

It Could Be Worse

Today we went to the pediatrician for a check-up on a problem I have been noticing with Brayden. A few weeks ago he started breaking out in hives. We saw then doctor then, and it was decided it was a reaction to a virus he had. Well, the hives haven't exactly gone away. While he isn't getting the full-blown hives he was having for a couple of days, he is still having some skin issues. Lately, it seems like whenever and wherever we touch him, he gets a red spot. It only lasts for about 10-15 minutes, but it didn't seem right to me. I'm not talking a small red spot, like a scratch. I mean if I wipe his nose with a tissue, it looks like I slapped him across the face. And after a bath at night, he looks like he was beat up. My mom came over the other day and asked where he got the black eye. Nope, just from where he rubbed his face. And it wasn't going away. Sometimes they look like welts it's so bad.

So today it was back to the pediatrician for the third time in a month. We go in and are waiting for the doctor. I explain to the nurse what's going on. She's looking like she has no idea what I mean, but she says, "We'll just note this as a skin condition." Then the doctor comes in. She looks him over. I take a wipe out and wipe his nose and face. He turns all shades of bright red, but is happy as can be, running around the room. She leaves the room and we wait. And wait. Finally she comes back with a huge book. Now, when your kid has an ear infection or virus, they don't bring a big book in for you to look thru. So I'm worried. Plus, this is the same doctor we had at our very first appointment. The one where I was told he had a thyroid issue by saying he could grow up mentally ill. Yeah, that doctor...so I'm already on edge.

Apparently, he could possibly have something called dermographism. She wasn't entirely sure, because from what I understand, it is pretty rare. Also, we aren't sure if it is something that is short term or long term. But we have the number for a pediatric dermatologist that I will be calling tomorrow to make an appointment with.

The bottom line is, while it isn't pretty, it also doesn't seem to be hurting him. He's not itching the spots or even noticing them. So we'll just hope that this is more on the short term side and hopefully gone soon. But if not, it could be alot worse...

Thinking of Friends...

We have had a few occurances happen with our friends/family that I think are worth mentioning...

First, my cousin, Mike (Kelly's brother) became a Daddy again to twin baby girls on 12/23/08! While they were born very early (around 28 weeks) and only weigh about 2 pounds each, from what I have heard, they are all doing great and as soon as I get some new pictures, I will be sure to post them!

Second, I want to send some prayers out to our great friend Tammy and her family. Her sister recently lost her full-term baby girl and I can't imagine how very horrible that must be. So if you could, take a second to say a prayer and support to her and her family during this very difficult time.

Happy New Year!!

I told you, I'm still working backwards...lol

Our new year's eve was one of the best ones I have had. We had a great time hanging out with our closest friends at home. We ordered in some wings, got some pizzas, had some yummy desserts and lots of wine and champagne! There were about 10 of us (can you believe it? a small group with Andy around...haha) and we watched a boring super exciting movie, watched the ball drop and played some Taboo! Overall, a really fun night!

Brayden hung out at my mom's and they both fell asleep before midnight...boooo....

Let's Back it Up a Little

Ok, I've been slacking again. So we're gonna go back a little ways and catch up. So pretend this post is from 12/25/08!

Merry Christmas! lol

We had an absolutely wonderful Christmas. Brayden woke up diarrea and hive free that day and we started the day at home, opening presents. I got a really nice and warm black wool dressy coat and Andy got a nice, dressy bracelet. And Brayden got toys...lots and lots of toys. My mom came over to take the pictures while we opened. After we finished presents at home and took a little time to get ready for the day, we headed over to my Mom's (2 doors down) to visit with my Grandma, brother, sister-in-law and niece. We had a yummy brunch and opened more presents. At this point, Brayden was done and he went down for a nap while the rest of us got to spend some time together.

Then it was off to Andy's parents for the rest of the day. We had a nice, relaxing dinner with his whole family and then spent the rest of the evening opening gifts.

We were all so spoiled! We got lots of gift cards...we could probably eat out for months! And Brayden got so many toys. We haven't even opened them all! I have put away at least 5 of the big ones for him for later when he starts to get tired of these ones. So far, his favorites seem to be the kitchen he got from my mom and the Fold-N-Go Train that we got him.

Overall, it was just a wonderful, happy day spent with family and friends. We are so very blessed.