Spring has Sprung!

Since I am tired of blogging about sickness, colds, wheezing and surgeries- I am putting out happy vibes for Spring! Despite Reece's illnesses and eye issues, life has been plugging along and not one to miss out on the action- Reece has been right in the mix! We have gotten to spend tons of time outside, playing with friends, hanging with family, and just enjoying so many fun things around us.

Reece seems most interested in playing outside, playing with other kids, and taking baths and when any of those activities are taken from him- HE CREATES A SCENE! Getting him into the house every day has become a task because he wants to ride in his little car and play with his ball. Reece is a total prune by the time I drag him crying out of the tub.

And playdates are filled with many hugs and open mouth kisses from Reece! Reece has proved to be an "all seasons" kid, loving all that each has to offer so far. But, there has been something lately with this spring weather that really has RDF excited. Last night he ran around on the deck like a crazy man while Jeromy and I shivered chasing after him so he didn't fall through the slats! Enjoy some of these pics and please check out the Mac Gallery link on the page. Hopefully soon we will post some pictures of Reece's newest pets... 2 tiny turtles! For a mom that doesn't like animals- my house sure is a zoo!

Reece will have a sleepover on Thursday night with his Grampy, Grammy and Uncle Josh- I'm sure their knees will be sore from playing the tunnel game!!

Successful Surgery

Thank you all for thinking of Reece as he underwent his first (and hopefully last) surgery. Reece was the first surgery scheduled on Friday so we had to be at the hospital at 6 AM! Early morning, but nice since Reece wasn't allowed to eat or drink anything after dinnertime the night before. Reece was such a champ- he let the nurses and doctors poke and prod him and never made a peep. Probably the cutest part of the process was the baby scrubs that Reece had to wear! I can't say enough about Central Dupage Hospital and all of the doctors and nurses- so wonderful!

The Woes of Ear Infections and Wheezing!

Reece Dean Franks thrived as a 5 week early, 5 lb. newborn coming home from the hospital 2 days after he was born. He has not however been as lucky as a toddler. Reece is prone to frequent colds, which to most children is not that big of a deal. Reece however has a couple obstacles against him.

1. He has clogged tear ducts in both eyes. We kept a close watch on this and have recently scheduled surgery to remove the blockages on March 20. We feel very good about our pediatric opthamologist and know that Reece will benefit greatly from this surgery. Our poor little guy has constant watery eyes and whenever he gets a cold, his eyes gunk up since they can't drain. While I am very nervous about the anesthesia, I think this will be a good thing.

2. Reece's minor colds result in ear infections and wheezing. Reece has never indicated that his ears are bothering him, but 3 times that we have taken him to the doctor to check his cough, they discovered ear infections! Couple this with the fact that he's allergic to amoxicillin and you have great fun! Most concerning to the doctors is that he develops wheezing. We have finally gotten a handle on that as well and are using a nebulizer twice a day. Initially, he was using a rescue nebulizer 3 times a day and a preventative nebulizer 2 times a day. Now thankfully, we are just using the preventative nebulizer twice a day and frankly, Reece has never been healthier! He responded very well to the most recent treatments and we are very happy with our decision to switch pediatricians as we finally feel like we have a handle on everything.

So Reece will continue with the breathing treatments for a couple weeks to get us through cold season and then we should have a healthy little man! No more watery eyes, ear infections or wheezing! Keep your fingers crossed. Despite these little battles, Reece has remained happy and mostly unaffected. Doctors marvel at how well behaved he is. He lets them poke and prod him all they want.

Friday's with GG

Jeromy and I are incredibly fortunate and lucky that my mom watches Reece on Friday's. Reece and his GG have been sharing Friday's since Reece was 4 months old. As many of you know, GG has worked in the field of early childhood education her entire life and is very esteemed in the field. So how lucky are we that not only does Reece get his GG every week- but also a child development specialist!

GG is always conducting informal developmental checks making sure our little man is progressing properly! GG has a deep love for nature and science and through her love, she has introduced Reece to a whole new world! GG often arrives on Friday mornings with "equipment". Sometimes this is plumbing tubing so Reece can explore how objects fit and roll through. Other times this is a basting brush so Reece can "paint" the deck. Often the exploration includes water play. Tubs of water on the kitchen floor, splashing in sinks and bathtubs- and the favorite- bringing snow inside during the winter! Reece and GG spend time sorting and classifying- another great developmental skill to achieve! This has been our new activity as GG arrived with 100 different color balls last week! Reece Franks + 100 balls = perfection!

Probably the best part for Reece and GG is their shared love of nature. Although truthfully, Reece probably loves nature because of his GG. They spend time looking out of windows, playing outside, and soon they plan to be regulars at the arboretum.

Reece and his GG share a very special bond. I often have to get on her for babying him too much, but Reece loves her very much- and so do we! I know GG enjoys Reece at 17 months but her biggest excitement is yet to come- when they can go golfing together! Enjoying nature on the golf course is GG's style!

The Franks are bloggers!

Welcome to Franks 'n' Beans! This is my first attempt at blogging and am hopeful that it's a great way to share all of the new and exciting happenings in our lives- especially for all of the people who we don't get to see very often! So please check the blog often, and I promise to keep the updates and pictures coming. Also, soon I will include a link to our Mac Gallery so you can see TONS of pics!

The Franks (of Franks 'n' Beans) live in Wheaton, IL. Jeromy and I welcomed our first child, Reece, in October of 2007. Since then life has been filled with so much excitement and a million firsts! Reece is a fun-loving child who loves people, animals, balls, and sleeping! At 17 months of age, he's starting to amaze us with new words and abilities. His favorite words currently are "mama", "dada", "mom", "dad", "turtle", "deer", "geese", "ball", and "snack". Reece has also recently discovered that he loves running and climbing up and down stairs.

As a family, our days are filled (well other than with work) with trips to the zoo (GG works there!), the children's museum, the library, visits with friends and family, shopping, eating in restaurants (Reece's and my fav!), reading books, throwing balls, and exploring nature! As the weather warms up, you will often find either Jeromy or myself running the streets and paths of Wheaton with Reece in the BOB!

So now you have been brought up to speed on us! Since the blog is new- I'll be sure to include a lot more blogs quickly! As I get more familiar with this blog site I hope to "pretty up" the page and include tons of pictures!