The Ballard Bunch

Six years, people, that flew by.

On this very day in 2005,

we welcomed

{after an expired due date

and an unexpectedly intense/long labor & delivery}

2.5 hours of pushing and without

the help of much epidural power {that's another story},

the room was silent.

I was panicked - something had to be wrong.

She didn't cry, no one spoke to me, shock filled the room.

Something wrong?

Please say something isn't wrong.

Not now.

And then a cry and laughter

and lots of 'I'm so sorry's from the doctor.

Had he known she was going to be 10 lbs 4 ounces,

he never would have made me push that long.

She was chunky and sweet and beautiful.

We survived and in the end brought home

{on Easter Sunday} a wonderful prize,

She has been a joy and a blessing in our lives

and continues to surprise us every day.

She is ridiculously smart and funny,

a little on the sassy side {sometimes too much},

kind and tough and eager.

She's got these gorgeous blue eyes

that sparkle when she's happy

and could cut through you if she's mad.

She is a great big sister

{I find her 'teaching' the other kids

what she's learned in kindergarten all the time}.

She loves her dad and I often find her

calling him on my cell phone

that she's found laying around , just to say 'hi'.

I can't tell you how many times a day

she says 'I love you, mom'

without any reason other than just because.

And although we have our trials

{we're very much alike and butt heads often},

I know that as we grow together, we'll only grow closer.

***UPDATED***

After a too-late night last night finishing these babies,

I'm really REALLY happy with how they turned out!

As part of our Easter Craft Exchange,

I made a bunch of three for each of the ladies participating.

And they were super easy!

Buy some orange fabric, cut it into a tall skinny triangle

(mine were about 18 inches tall and about 7 inches wide on the flat top of the fabric)

Sew a small casing at the flat top of the fabric

(wide enough for a thin piece of ribbon to close after stuffing)

by folding about 3/4 of an inch of the top

of the fabric over and sewing a straight line across.

This will leave room or a casing

for you to thread your ribbon through

to cinch the top of the carrot later. 

Now fold longest part of the fabric in half

from top to bottom (right side in),

sew a straight line down the side

(being careful to leave the top casing open sides open;

start straight seam underneath open casings)

and turn right side out

Now all you have to do is stuff your carrot with pillow filler,

cinch the top with your ribbon,

cut off excess and hot glue in some greenery

(found mine in the floral section at Joann on sale)

You could mix it up with different patterned fabrics,

add embellishments (like my fabric strips),

hang them on your front door,

lay bunches around your house with your Easter decor

...there are so many options!

Three years ago I was given a gift;

He didn't have a name for the first three days

of his life because Beau and I couldn't agree.

Dad had names & mom had names, but neither would budge.

So after a friendly 'intervention' {thanks Auntie Karnen},

we sat down together and found some common ground.

9 lbs 12 ounces and hooked up to machines.

To that date, leaving him at the hospital

while we drove home with an empty car seat

was the hardest thing I'd ever had to do.

But he was a rock star - the biggest baby

{by several pounds and inches}

to grace the NICU in some time.

He had visitors and love and prayers and blessings

and pages and pages colored from his sisters at home.

He came home, he was healthy and he was ours.

And boy was he smothered by those girls {still is}.

And then, the real hardest thing I ever had to go through.

He was covered in the most severe rashes most of us had ever seen.

We tried every cream, ointment and medication we were asked to.

We went to specialists, dermatologists, hospitals.

We were told that he might die.

Biopsies taken and we waited a long week for results.

Family prayers, fasting, support and

love that I'd never experienced in my entire life

occurred that week.

And a miracle.

Negative results.

It went away.

Completely.

Without medical explanation.

And now, three years later the most beautiful

{really, he is} and special boy is with our family,

enjoying life with his sisters,

Thomas the Train, Toy Story 3 and corn dogs.

A mama's boy who loves to play and pretend

and snuggle and sleep with best friend Emmitt {our dog}.