The Ballard Bunch

...It's Another.

About a week and a half ago Tatum and Hayden both were diagnosed w/ strep throat. Not the best news ever, but manageable. We immediately had them on amoxicillin and they recovered quickly.

Then, to my surprise this past Tuesday morning, Tatum woke up with an awful rash all over her body. I let it go for a few hours to see if it would get better on it's own, but it only got worse. So, I called her doctor's office and was told to take her off the meds and to try Benadryl - in case of an allergic reaction to something. She wasn't itching or miserable, but sure looked the part.

Wednesday morning she woke up 10x worse - her entire body was covered. So, we took her in to the doctor's office and were told that it looked like it wasn't an allergic reaction, but more a side effect of the strep throat. Thankfully, today she's much, much better and the rash is close to gone. She looks in the mirror every morning now to assess her "bumps". She's very proud.

Here's her face Tuesday night. If you can imagine, it got worse before it got better. (Keep in mind how difficult it is to get her to sit still for a close-up shot of her face...she looks goofy)



Two funny Tatum stories to end the post:

Last Wednesday I had a routine doctor appointment with my OB and had to take the girls with me. While we're in the waiting room, Tatum finds it necessary to shout across the room to me, "Mom! I just tooted like daddy!" Already mortified, I tell her to say "excuse me" and she proceeds to ask why, "Daddy doesn't."

Then, at church this past Sunday I smelled something stinky and asked Tate if she'd pooed her panties. Her latest thing is - if she hasn't, she'll offer to show me and if she has, she says I can't see. This particular day - in the middle of Sacrament Meeting - she says that she didn't and then lifts her skirt, pulls down her tights and panties and moons Beau and I to show us how clean her bum is. I wanted to die. But hey, no poo.

Also, a GS update. All is going well - checking my blood 4x a day and trying to maintain the diet assigned. So far my levels are where they need to be, so I'm hoping we'll be good for another 6 weeks or so until baby arrives. But, damn, I want a chocolate soft-serve ice cream cone.

So how could a doctor instill delivery fear into a girl who has already delivered two relatively large-and-in-charge babies successfully?

Two words...Gestational Diabetes.

Yep, you read it right. I "lucked out" the third time around. He says to me, "Well, the good news is, we'll for sure be taking this baby a little early."

No crap. Remember me delivering a 10+ lb baby and having to beg you to take the second early? Remember the second coming almost two weeks early weighing in at near 9 lbs? Remember how the standing rule is that we take all of my babies early now? Jogging your memory at all? Okay, let's add on some more poundage to make the third time a charm and see how happy this girl is pushing for 2 1/2 hours again...

Is this what friends and family will see when looking through the window of the nursery to check out the newest member of our family? I'm sure it'll be a little different - our kids tend to have hair! :)



So tomorrow I meet with a dietitian to see if we can't keep this under control. Supposedly they'll be having me prick my finger daily to check on my levels, too.

Just a few more weeks. Just a few more weeks. Just a few more weeks.

As Lisa, in all her celebrity-gossip-loving-goodness, was quick to point out Hayden's wig is suspiciously like a certain bald-headed train wreck.





Let's hope the similarities stop there! :)

...you have a second, MORE accident-prone child follow in her footsteps. Literally.

While trying to follow Tate walking to the car at the Kinko's parking lot, Hayden burst into a run and quickly fell - hard - onto the pavement. The casualty? Her cute little forehead.



I apologize for the picture - she's got Neosporin on the wound and chocolate on her face (a guilty mom's "reward" for being hurt). But, as most kids do, she recovered quickly and was onto bigger and better things.

The question is, poor Hayden or poor Mom?

Only a week or so late...Christmas Pictures!

Here are just a few of our fun day with the girls. Unfortunately, we lost Beau at about noon that day - he was called out to plow. We were happy to have him for presents, though - the girls had a blast!


Here is a picture before the girls were up to "destroy" it all. Notice where my coffe table was in the middle of the floor - haha.


This is the tee-pee that we (with a lot of help from my mom) made for the girls. They LOVE playing in it, napping in it, watching movies in it - you name it. It was totally worth the effort.


Here is Tatum FINALLY receiving the coveted "Dora Mermaid" that she's been talking about for months.


And Hayden w/ her new chair. Such a ham for the camera!


I had to include a picture (this was the best I could get) of Hayden in Tatum's "Lazy Town" wig. They both look adorable in it - something about the pink bob w/ bangs and their chubby cheeks. Love it.