Family Pictures 2009

I have totally lost my drive to blog these days...hopefully it will return soon.

But, in the meantime, here are our newest pictures.

Trey - almost 5 years old

Miss Gillian - 4 months old

I love these babes.

Babes that I never thought I'd have.


I am blessed.

Merry Christmas!!

The Cunninghams

Monster Trucks!

This weekend was the Monster Truck Show...a place this city girl never thought she'd find herself, and then she had a son! :) It was a good time and the looks on Trey's face were worth it!

Here are a few pictures from the day!!
















Ramunition

















Trey, Daddy & BigFoot!















SnakeBite















SnakeBite's Fangs
















The Avenger

He wore his rain boots and rain coat and enjoyed jumping in the very muddy mudpuddles. You only live once, right?

Next weekend is the Antique Tractor Show...more pictures to follow I'm sure. Actually, we are surprising him with Thomas Live on Stage on Wednesday, I almost forgot! A busy month!

Appendectomy In Pregnancy??

It's been a while since I've posted, but I think I have a pretty good reason...

April 7th I began having some belly pain that I attributed to stress or nervousness about a meeting Frank & I were going to about doing background checks on children's workers at church. We went to the meeting and it went well. Well, aside from the crazy right sided abdominal pain...

When we picked Trey up from our friend's home, the pain seemed to get worse. I thought this was odd, since the meeting was over. I had Frank press on my belly to see what he thought and he had a certain look on his face. He had me take Tylenol and we would see if it got better.

We got to our house about 30 minutes later and the pain was not any better. Frank called my OB who thought it sounded like my gall bladder and said we should probably head to the hospital. So, we left for the hospital.

An gall bladder ultrasound was ordered for in the morning (because an u/s tech isn't there overnight). They started an IV and drew labs. I got pain medicine and was feeling better, however I was feeling crampy/contraction like pain in my lower abdomen. I was hooked up to a fetal monitor and was given Brethine to stop the contractions.

I was only 22 weeks along. Scary.

Frank and Trey were going to go home and come back in the morning...that is, until the contractions started. So the poor guys stayed the night with me.

The next morning my OB came in. We discussed the contractions, which she believed to just be uterine irritability. And she also ordered a CT Scan to check my appendix and consulted surgery. This was around 9am.

I had my gall bladder u/s and they also looked at my placenta, which was all normal.

The surgeon came in around noon. I had still not had my CT Scan. He proceeded to pull his cell phone out in my room and call radiology to find out why Mrs. C hadn't had her CT Scan. He proceeded to tell them that either we do the Scan or he would have to go in laproscopically to diagnose what was happening. The Scan was clearly the better option.

Now, let me be the first to say that radiology in pregnancy is not recommended. I am fully aware of that. I am aware that there could be some effects to the baby. HOWEVER, if my appendix burst and I die, then the baby would not live either. My OB, my doctor husband, and my surgeon all agreed that this was the best course of action.

Unfortunately, the radiologist was not comfortable doing the scan and needed a little "convincing" by the surgeon. My CT was done around 4:30pm. My OB came into the Radiology Dept after my scan and told me that it was my appendix.

I was wheeled into surgery around 5:30pm, put under and had a laproscopic appendectomy, while 22 weeks pregnant.

How amazing is that!?

My OB (who I LOVE) was in the surgery and I saw her before they put me under. The relief I felt can't be described to know that she was there to watch out for my baby. And she did a great job.

The surgeon, who spoke up for me when I couldn't, was awesome. There was some pus around my appendix, which definitely confirmed the fact the this needed to be done sooner versus later. Just the fact that he did it laproscopically is amazing. The recovery time was near nothing. I only took pain meds for less than a week.

We are so thankful that God has been watching out for us. We know that all of this was in His hands. It is just amazing.

I am now 27 weeks along and the baby is kicking me like crazy. I am so grateful for every one of those kicks...such reassurance.

So, that's where we've been...hopefully I'll get a belly picture on here soon. Oh, and ultrasound pics. I'm so behind!!

Two is company, three's a crowd.

Because of the circumstances of December 2007 Trey has been permanently camped out in our bed. And let me be the one to tell you, I permanently put him there. We had tried a few times to put him in his own bed, but the anxiety I felt was unbearable.

The ironic part of all of this is that I was the first person to tell anyone that children sleeping in their parent's bed was crazy. Yes, crazy. And here I am, 15 months into having a child sleeping in my bed.


It has become so convenient in so many ways. Because, just go ahead and try to put him in his bed. Yea, good luck with that. It's not pretty. And who do we have to blame for that? Huh? Who?

Yep...me.


But, you see, one thing I swore I would not let happen, is happening. I refuse to let this circumstance be a "crutch" for him. I refuse to let the abuse define who Trey is. And I as his mother need to stop. He is 4 years-old and needs to sleep in his own bed.

Frank and I need our bed back to ourselves. Yea, it's a king size bed, but not meant for 3 of us. We need a few hours in the evening to ourselves.

(The funny part of this picture is that Frank is all the way at the edge of his side of the bed. Trey is smack-dab next to him, with the entire king bed behind Trey. It really is craziness.)

So tonight is it! After some discussion and planning, Trey will be put in his bed tonight, SuperNanny style. I know it won't be easy, but it needs to be done. So, around 9 o'clock tonight, could ya say a little prayer for us. All three of us.

The Best Week Ever!

Yep! The week of December 14th.

I've been told I should have played the lottery that week. Although, I've not ever played.

Remember back when we got the offer on the house? Our house that had been sitting on the market for over a year. Our house that had a ton of traffic through it, but had not had one offer. None. That was Wednesday, December 17th.

December 17th was also the day of Frank's Christmas party for work. And most of you know what happened last year. So needless-to-say, I was a little apprehensive. Everything went well and Trey had a blast.

Also, most of you know that I suffer from infertility. We tried for 5 years before finally doing our first attempt at in-vitro. We were given Trey through that attempt. Then in February 2008 we did our second attempt, which you can read about here.

On occasion I will have Frank get me a pregnancy test to take even if I'm a day late because, well, even after almost 10 years of infertility, the hope still remains. So, I'll take a test, it's negative, and I go on with my life.

(I'm sure you see where this is going...)

Well, the night of December 17th, I took a test. I left it in the bathroom, set the timer, got something to drink and just chilled. Frank and I don't even get excited, it's just like something I have to do. Well, I walked into the bathroom and sure enough...positive test. Frank's first words were, "I'll bring home another test tomorrow".

And sure enough...that one was positive too.

I called my reproductive endocrinologist and left a message for my IVF nurse. When she called me back her words were, "I have a message here that says you had a positive pregnancy test". I told her yes and I still don't think she believed me.

Let's be honest here. The odds of me getting pregnant on our own are like....nil, nada, not a chance. We always knew that with God, nothing is impossible and He has proved it in our lives.

We don't just do in-vitro...we do in-vitro with ICSI. Which means putting sperm & egg in the same place, letting them do their "thing", won't happen. They actually inject the sperm into the egg. So, God has once again shown His hand in our lives.

I am now 15 weeks along. I have been pretty sick. Not as sick as I was with Trey, but morning sickness is well, not fun. We are moved in, but with a few boxes still hanging around.

We are praising God for what we believe to be His blessings on us for being obedient to His will. The last year has not been easy for us, but we have earnestly sought out what HE wants us to do and how HE wanted us to handle everything. And He has poured out the blessing.

While I've been gone...

Well, today is the first day I actually have internet access at home. The little bit I've been online has been from my families homes. So, I thought you like to see what I've been up to while I've been out...

My front bumper

Passenger side front bumper (excuse the green glove in the corner)

Passenger side front fender

Passenger side rear bumper/fender

Yep, you guessed. Trey and I went for a little "ride". We were on our way to my sister's house and hit a patch of snow. We hit a guard rail on the passenger's side first and then landed the driver's side in the ditch.

Praise God we are and were just fine. Trey wanted his Daddy (and I did too). A nice guy with a 4x4 Chevy pulled us out of the ditch and the State Highway Patrolman was really good to us.

Now we'll be taking it in for a little cosmetic work.

It's good to be back!!

Merry Christmas From My Family To Yours!

Merry Christmas to all!

Our prayer is that you all experience the

season for what is really to be celebrated!

God sent his son Jesus as the ultimate present.

God bless you and your family.

One Year Ago Today...

Was the day someone we trusted hurt our child.

It's weird to think that a year has gone by...doctor's appointments, child protective services, meetings with the prosecutor, and the trial.

One year ago since, in essence, I lost the relationship with my best friend of 10 years.

Our second in-vitro attempt and then miscarriage...

All of this and yet, I can say that God is good. He has been there everyday. Has it always been easy? Absolutely not. But, He has blessed us. We have learned so much about Him and grown so much closer to Him.

Trey is happy and healthy. We just sold our house after a year of it being on the market. God is blessing us.

The last few days we have been in Cincinnati for Frank to have some training. You see, a few months ago, a letter came across his desk stating that the Child Abuse Physician at the hospital he works for is no longer there and they are seeking a replacement. They were wondering if any physicians in Frank's group were interested.

Frank really felt that it was something he should check into. We believe that God is using our situation with Trey to help others. Frank agreed to take the job. It's only 2 half days a month at this point.

What greater person to see patients who are victims of abuse than a father whose son was abused? Just another way we are seeing God work in this otherwise terrible situation.

You can check out the first parts of Trey's story here and I am working on finishing up the rest of the posts soon.

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas

Things are crazy around here these days. But, I wanted to post a few pics of whats been happening around here.

Trey and I made a construction paper chain to count down the days until Christmas.

Trey + Scissors = Mess.

Trey and his Daddy at our friend Linn's house. Trey cheeesing, of course.

We got our family pictures taken on Monday. They came out soo good. Hope to get them posted soon.

Have a great rest of the week!!

More of the story... (Part 3)

We went over to Frank's partner's neighbor's home, where she so graciously offered us to stay, while she was visiting her daughter out of town. Before we went to bed, I changed Trey's diaper and noticed some red marks and bruises. I called Frank to look at it and he said it was probably from sliding down the stairs. I didn't feel great about that. But I will tell you that I am totally an over-reactor and Frank is an under-reactor. We tend to meet in the middle and we agreed to wait until the a.m.

(Side bar) I know what you're thinking... What in the world??? Why didn't you take him somewhere? Call someone? --- We were told a story...we had no reason to think that this was anything more than what we were told. These were people we knew and trusted. The story seemed consistent at the time. Hind sight is 20/20 and what I would do to know then what I know now. (End of side bar)

Well, after a terrible night of sleep...we got up and headed to Frank's office. I didn't even take a shower. I went and showed the physician's assistant Trey's butt as soon as we got there. It was worse that morning than it had been the night before. She confirmed our feelings that it was more than an accident from sliding down the stairs.

An x-ray of Trey's right forearm revealed 2 fractures. His radius and his ulna were BOTH broken. I will never forget the look of that x-ray in my life. We were sent to an orthopedist who told us that Trey would have to have surgery to complete the break of his ulna so it would heal properly. We returned to Frank's office to wait until it was time for the surgery.

Frank's partner showed up at the office. He also happens to be the county coroner. He & his wife took pictures of all the marks/bruises on Trey. It was the most horrifying thing to experience. After he was done photographing Trey, he showed me on Trey's butt where a handprint could be seen. I thought I was going to throw up.

At 2pm on December 19th, Trey underwent surgery. Child protective services (CPS) was called. They took pictures again of Trey's injuries. The police department was called to file a report. CPS instructed us to take Trey to a Children's Hospital to be checked out from head-to-toe.

He had labs drawn to make sure he didn't have a clotting disorder and that his platelets were normal. Everything came back stone-cold normal. He was x-rayed from the top of his head to his toes. They were all normal. The child mal-treatment specialist was consulted. We were to follow up with CPS in our home county. We also followed up with the child mal-treatment specialist.

That night when we got home from Children's ER, we snuggled in our bed with Trey. I asked Trey what happened to him and he proceeded to tell me... "I fell on the dog, ...spanked my butt, he got loud, because I was crying...I wanted you, he threw me on the couch." (my paraphrase) Once again, ready to vomit.



(More soon...I know, long story. Tell me about it, I lived it.)

Church Hunting

Ok, overall I really dislike church hunting. We were perfectly satisfied with this guy's church. But, an hour is a little long to drive to church. :)



But, I will say the #1 reason to like church hunting is....

Yep, friendship bread. I wish I could say the loaf still looked like this. Trey and I have chowed down. God bless the little old lady who delivered this to my dear hubby while he was under the car changing the oil.

The Beginning of the Story... (Part 2)

December 18, 2007 - My husband's Christmas party for his new job.

Not us, but you get the point.

We needed a sitter for Trey and of course, the likely people, would be our friend's parents. They loved Trey like their grandchild. Well, they were out of town, but my friend told me she thought her sister and brother-in-law would be willing to watch him. We worked it out.

We drove the hour drive with Frank that morning and dropped him off at work. Trey and I went to Frank's new partner's house and hung out with his wife for the day. It was a good time to get to know each other better. Such sweet people.

When Frank was finished at work, Trey and I picked him up and left to take Trey to the sitters. Plans had somewhat changed in that my friend's sister would not be there when we dropped him off, she had their teenage son at a doctor's appointment.

Trey was a little cranky when we left him...he had fallen asleep on the way, since he didn't get a nap during the day. We told our friend's brother-in-law to call if he needed anyting.

I called to check on Trey when we arrived at the party about an hour after we dropped him off. I was told he fell over their chocolate lab and was crying. I told the brother-in-law to call me if he didn't settle down. We never heard another word.

We rode with Frank's partner and his wife to the party and so they took us to pick up Trey. This was around 10 o'clock. I went in to get Trey and when he saw me, he immediately started crying and came to me. He told me his arm hurt.

Almost immediately, my friend's brother-in-law asked me if Trey liked to slide down the stairs on his butt. I thought this was odd and told him he only does it at our house to get from one floor to another and we live in a tri-level, so there's only 6 stairs at a time. He then told me that Trey must have slid down their stairs a million times. He also said that he and their teenage son had slid down the stairs too. Weird, for a 35 year-old man, for sure.

I told Trey that his Daddy would look at his arm when we returned to Frank's partner's house. He really fussed about it. The brother-in-law walked me out to the car and while I put Trey in the car he asked Frank about the stairs and a few other odd questions. Trey refused to hug him goodbye or even give him high-5.

When we returned to Frank's partner's house, we took off Trey's sweatshirt for his arm to be looked at. We all noticed some red marks on his shoulder/neck. Frank and his partner both checked out Trey's arm and said there was swelling. Their thoughts were maybe he sprained it while playing and we also attributed the red marks to playing. If his arm was not better after motrin and a nights sleep we would x-ray it in the morning.

(to be continued...)


Click here for Part 3.

How did we get here?? (Part 1)

A few blog readers have asked about the story to which I allude to surrounding my son's abuse. Because of the trial and other things, I have waited until now to tell the story. No names will be given. This is only meant to tell Trey's story...

Frank & I have been married for 11 years. Most of those years have been lived in a larger, metropolitan area, where Frank attended medical school and completed his residency in Family Practice. Let me tell you...I am ALL about the city.


We had opened our own family practice and that lasted for about 2 and a half years. We opened it 2 weeks after Trey was born. Yikes! It was actually a great time in our lives. We didn't have many patients at the beginning, and so we all three got to spend lots of newborn time together.

And here, he thinks he runs the place. :)

Well, after 2 and a half years of living paycheck to paycheck and not seeing the practice growing as we expected, and Frank was moonlighting at an Urgent Care to make ends meet, we decided to close in November of 2007.


We wanted to be open to where God wanted us to go and assumed there was something in this metropolitan area for Frank. However, the places that were sent our way were at least 45 minutes away to about 2 and a half hours away in a neighboring state.


One of the places, which we found out through my friend's father, was about an hour north of this metropolitan area. Farm country, town of about 9500 people...not my cup of tea. After interviewing, we both really felt the Lord was leading us there.

And, as you can see, Trey fits right in here in farmland!

Well, my friend was from this new area we were moving to. We have been friends for about 10 years. Frank and I felt such a peace about this move, especially knowing that our friend's parents/family lived within 15 minutes of our new location. How awesome God is. These people were like family to us.


We were unsure as to when we would be able to move up north. We had (and still have) a home for sale in our old stomping grounds.

Anyone need to buy a house???


Frank started part-time November 30th and then full-time as of January 2, 2008. He drove the hour commute during this time.

And this is where the story begins...

Click here for Part 2.

On a lighter note...

Two Saturdays a month Lowes has a kids clinic.

You can take your child and they create something with a hammer, nails, wood and even stickers sometimes. The kids get a Lowes apron, nametag, protective eye wear and patches for each project they complete. And it's all FREE!!

Trey has made a photo frame, spider, tape measure, fire engine, GMC truck...just to name a few. He loves it! And to be honest, Frank does too.

Daddy & Trey workin' hard.

Team Work!

The finished product...a firetruck! And two happy guys!

They love doing it and I love watching them. It's great father and son time. However, I have seen quite a few girls and mommies building stuff too!!

This coming Saturday, October 11th is the next one here at our Lowes.

It's a skeleton...

Pretty cool, huh?

Have any of you made anything at Lowes???

Go Buckeyes!

No, I'm not talking about the "real" nut buckeye...although seeing these make me hungry thinking of chocolate and peanut butter buckeyes.

Frank & I went to the Ohio State football game this weekend. You know that if you're born in Ohio you are born a Buckeye. :)

We went with Richard & Jennifer, friends of ours from our previous church. It was good to spend some time with them...I've been missing close friends these days. No kids, either, just us 4 adults. I can't tell you the last time that's happened.

I'm sure some of you have seen this picture. They say it's proof that Jesus is a Buckeye fan. I'm not too sure about that...



"Jesus" is located in Monroe, Ohio, between Dayton and Cincinnati. A million dollars or so I hear...but don't get me started on that.

Just being at the "shoe" is an experience in itself. It's an awesome stadium. And we had been given an alumni's season tickets, so our seats were great! No nosebleed for us.



Being in a stadium with 102,000 other Buckeye fans was so cool. There is a little-bitty spot of maybe 100 seats for the opposing team, but I can't imagine sitting in THAT spot. It's not even like going to an NFL game. The city of Cincinnati isn't full of Bengals fans, that's for sure.



Here's the picture of us, sweating to death. We had a really good time. We walked forever to get to the stadium and got to spend time talking without interruption. It was good to spend time with my hubby...we need to do it more often.

Thanks for the tickets and good time, Rich & Jennifer.