A little over a month ago I recieved a call from my doctor's office the day after I had been in for a routine papsmere. They had taken some blood work (including a test for my thyroid) and I was concerned the call was to bear some bad news. However, to my surprise, the nurse at the other end of the line was calling to tell me that I was pregnant!!
We will be welcoming the newest member of our family on February 27th, 2011! We could not be more excited! So far I have gone in for two ultrasounds and everything has looked GREAT! I am 10 (almost 11) weeks along and can't wait for February to come!
This a true miracle from above. Thank you for your much needed love and prayers through our recent time of sadness. Eventhough we are so excited about the progressing health and growth of this baby, we will never forget our first. He/she will forever be in our hearts.
I look forward to keeping you all updated throughout all of my appointments and ultrasounds!
Blair
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Prayers, please :)
I was recently in the running for a Kindergarten job at the school where I was a long term sub and did not get it. All through college I really felt like God was calling me to be a teacher to make an impact on the lives of young children. Now after being turned down for a job not once but three times now I'm slightly discouraged. I don't know now if I'm supposed to teach or if I'm supposed to teach not now but later. We never know what God has in store for our life plan and this concept can be scary and exciting all in the same moment. Please pray that I will continue to be patient with His plan and follow it. I became a Beauty Consultant with Mary Kay to help our family save up for a down payment on a home but this is something that I could potentially take on as a full time career. I don't know. I don't know if that's apart of God's plan. Please pray as well for my confusion, frustration, anxiety, and uncertainty of where He is taking me in life. God Bless!
Monday, June 14, 2010
Update on the Ballard's
Hello all! So sorry it has been so long! Jeremy and I are doing well. Loving the summer time weather (me not so much....heat=bleck!) and enjoying this time off that I have!
Just after the miscarriage, my pregnancy hormone levels were not dropping the way they were supposed to be. My doctor wasn't really sure why and threw out a couple of options of why that could be but at the same time she wasn't too alarmed. As of my last (and final, thank goodness!) round of blood work on June 1st, my level was FINALLY back down to 0. For this I am thankful because I am finally able to have that complete closure. We have been doing well concerning the loss of our child. I go through spurts of brief sadness every now and then--especially when it seems as if pregnant bellies are the new trend this summer. :) I still keep getting the famous babycenter.com e-mails eventhough I have written to them and unsubscribed from them....grr! Slight frustration...I recieved one Friday that was to mark my 13th week. It's hard to believe that it's already been 7 weeks since our child went to be with the LORD. I know that the LORD has a rhyme and reason for everything and I'm not going to question it. It definitely hurts and is sad but throughout all of this I have never once felt that God "took away" our baby or "took away" our chance of parenthood. It will come again some day and when it does I will praise Him, be filled with excitement and certainly walk on egg shells until that risky period of time has passed. :)
I ended up finishing out the school year at Alpine Crest and loved it, of course! I am loving even more this glorious perk of being a school teacher....time off in the summer! A position or two has come open at ACE and I ask that you please be praying over this situation. If the LORD desires for me to end up at ACE, then I will follow His command (and be exceptionally overjoyed in the process! ). If it's not meant to be for me to end up at ACE or anywhere for that matter then I will work hard to be patient and wait for His direction and guidance. This is where the prayer request comes in. I'm not exactly the most patient chick on the planet. Please pray that I can "let go and let God" as some say. I trust Him and His plan for my life but sometimes I have the urge to say, "Oh will you just let me drive?!" :D
Can you believe that we have been married for almost a year now?! We celebrate out 1st anniversary on the 25th of next month and can't wait! Sometime during the summer we'll be taking a trip to celebrate. I can't wait to start all the little traditions and things we'll do for each anniversary! What do you do to celebrate your wedding anniversary each year?! I don't want to copy, I just want to hear! I praise the LORD every day for Jeremy. He has been such a blessing to my life and I have NO idea what I would do with out him. Thank you Jeremy for being the best husband, sould mate and friend a girl cold have! I love you more than anything on this earth!
You know how sometimes people say that "everything" happens in the first year of marriage?! Well I never actually knew what that meant until I entered this wonderfully amazing journey with my best friend! All in the first year we have encountered:
unemployment
cockroaches
a mouse
a rust spitting dishwasher
new jobs
college graduation
birthdays
a water leak which led to part of the ceiling caving in
a move
a death in the family
an illness
our very first vacation together
a miscarriage
sadness
happiness
YOU NAME IT!
But there's absolutely no one else in this entire world that I would rather tackle all of this with than my best friend.....Jeremy :)
Something else new in my life....your looking at (or reading her family blog at least!) the newest Independent Beauty Consultant with Mary Kay! If you're interested in learning more about this awesome and amazing product and or company leave a comment or shoot me an e-mail at blair.ballard725@yahoo.com. I'd love to buy you a cup of coffee or pamper you (free of charge) for 45 min. to an hour and show you all that Mary Kay has to offer. I'll give you a hint...it's a lot more than skin care and make up! :)
As always, keep your trust in the LORD, treasure those crazy hectic moments in life, and don't let the world block your view of the SON. Later!
Blair Ballard
Just after the miscarriage, my pregnancy hormone levels were not dropping the way they were supposed to be. My doctor wasn't really sure why and threw out a couple of options of why that could be but at the same time she wasn't too alarmed. As of my last (and final, thank goodness!) round of blood work on June 1st, my level was FINALLY back down to 0. For this I am thankful because I am finally able to have that complete closure. We have been doing well concerning the loss of our child. I go through spurts of brief sadness every now and then--especially when it seems as if pregnant bellies are the new trend this summer. :) I still keep getting the famous babycenter.com e-mails eventhough I have written to them and unsubscribed from them....grr! Slight frustration...I recieved one Friday that was to mark my 13th week. It's hard to believe that it's already been 7 weeks since our child went to be with the LORD. I know that the LORD has a rhyme and reason for everything and I'm not going to question it. It definitely hurts and is sad but throughout all of this I have never once felt that God "took away" our baby or "took away" our chance of parenthood. It will come again some day and when it does I will praise Him, be filled with excitement and certainly walk on egg shells until that risky period of time has passed. :)
I ended up finishing out the school year at Alpine Crest and loved it, of course! I am loving even more this glorious perk of being a school teacher....time off in the summer! A position or two has come open at ACE and I ask that you please be praying over this situation. If the LORD desires for me to end up at ACE, then I will follow His command (and be exceptionally overjoyed in the process! ). If it's not meant to be for me to end up at ACE or anywhere for that matter then I will work hard to be patient and wait for His direction and guidance. This is where the prayer request comes in. I'm not exactly the most patient chick on the planet. Please pray that I can "let go and let God" as some say. I trust Him and His plan for my life but sometimes I have the urge to say, "Oh will you just let me drive?!" :D
Can you believe that we have been married for almost a year now?! We celebrate out 1st anniversary on the 25th of next month and can't wait! Sometime during the summer we'll be taking a trip to celebrate. I can't wait to start all the little traditions and things we'll do for each anniversary! What do you do to celebrate your wedding anniversary each year?! I don't want to copy, I just want to hear! I praise the LORD every day for Jeremy. He has been such a blessing to my life and I have NO idea what I would do with out him. Thank you Jeremy for being the best husband, sould mate and friend a girl cold have! I love you more than anything on this earth!
You know how sometimes people say that "everything" happens in the first year of marriage?! Well I never actually knew what that meant until I entered this wonderfully amazing journey with my best friend! All in the first year we have encountered:
unemployment
cockroaches
a mouse
a rust spitting dishwasher
new jobs
college graduation
birthdays
a water leak which led to part of the ceiling caving in
a move
a death in the family
an illness
our very first vacation together
a miscarriage
sadness
happiness
YOU NAME IT!
But there's absolutely no one else in this entire world that I would rather tackle all of this with than my best friend.....Jeremy :)
Something else new in my life....your looking at (or reading her family blog at least!) the newest Independent Beauty Consultant with Mary Kay! If you're interested in learning more about this awesome and amazing product and or company leave a comment or shoot me an e-mail at blair.ballard725@yahoo.com. I'd love to buy you a cup of coffee or pamper you (free of charge) for 45 min. to an hour and show you all that Mary Kay has to offer. I'll give you a hint...it's a lot more than skin care and make up! :)
As always, keep your trust in the LORD, treasure those crazy hectic moments in life, and don't let the world block your view of the SON. Later!
Blair Ballard
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Updating With a Heavy Heart
Tonight I update our family blog with a heavy heart.
I want to begin by saying that I only post this because I feel like the more I say it, share it, re-tell it, the better I begin to feel and hurt less. I'm not posting to attract sympathy or attention. Please know this as I share.
Two weeks ago on Sunday (4/18), I took an at-home pregnancy test on a whim. I hadn't been feeling too great and was late and thought,"Eh, why not?!" Ten seconds and one empty bladder later my eyes grew as wide as saucers. This one actually said....pregnant. "Could it be?", I thought. "Now?! Oh my goodness...."
I walked into our bedroom slowly and kind of tossed the test on to the bed towards Jeremy and said, "Look", then walked out of the room. I guess I thought it was going to change...lol.
So needless to say this event was a welcomed surprise. :) Once we got passed the shock and awe, we were ecstatic. I began searching for furniture and bedding on-line, thinking about the new living arrangement, and quickly fell completely in love with this child, all in one week.
I had my first Dr. appointment on Wednesday (4/21). They only drew bloodwork and talked with me about pregnancy do's and don'ts. The nurse said they would contact me if there was anything negative concerning my bloodwork. I was really beginning to feel the usual nausea and mild cramps. I thought to myself, "This is for real. I am really going to be a mom!"
On Sunday (4/25), I woke up feeling cramps more than I had in the past week and a half. I also noticed that I was beginning to menstruate (not spot). I panicked and called my mom who directed me to call my Dr.'s office. The nurse on-call told me to take it easy the whole day, kick my feet up, visit the ER if any of my symptoms became severe, and to call my doctor for an appointment the next day. Throughout the day, my symptoms worsened and improved and by bed time I was beginning to feel better. Eventhough my symptoms would become worse during certain times of the day, none of my symptoms became severe or alarming enough to visit the ER.
Monday morning I woke up and immediately made an appointment with my doctor. I was to go in for an ultrasound and bloodwork at 1:15pm. During the ultrasound, the not-so-sympathetic lady kept pointing out where all my reproductive parts were at but never once pointed out where my child was at. I looked at my mom with fear and said, "Mom....I don't see anything. Is there something wrong?"
After this lady so insensitively pointed out the fact that there was obviously not a child in my womb, my mom and I were taken to a room where we waited for the nurse and doctor to come in. My nurse walked in and looked at me with a sorrow-filled heart. She informed me that I was at the end of a miscarriage.
I have to say that this is by far the worst sorrow and sadness I have ever felt. As soon as I knew that I was no longer carrying our first child I became overwhelmed with this huge feeling of emptyness. I felt like something was missing. Eventhough I was only a mere six weeks pregnant I was beginning to feel like I had known this child my whole life. I loved him/her so much already.
Eventhough I am going through one of the hardest things I will ever encounter in my life I somehow still feel so blessed. First of all, I am not going through this alone. I have the love, support, and encouragement of my sweet and wonderful godly husband, Jeremy. My LORD and Savior Jesus Christ is with me in all of this healing my heart and mending my soul. I have an amazing family who loves me and is constantly praying for me. Second, I was told that surgery was not going to be required in order to get my body past this. For this I am grateful. Lastly, I have the future hope knowing that I can get pregnant. I feel blessed to know this piece of information considering some women in our world are not able to concieve. With this hope, someday we will try to bring another child into this world. When? We don't know that. Only the LORD does.
Please pray for us in the following ways.
1) That God will continue to heal our hearts.
2) That one day God will bless us with children.
3) That we will continue to seek His will and plan through all of this.
4) That if God wants to use my experience to help women who miscarry in the future that I will accept his commandment with an open heart.
5) That my future pregnancy will be healthy, full-term, and a happy time for all.
Thank you for reading. Let us know if there is anything we can pray for reguarding you, your family, and your everyday life.
God Bless,
Jeremy and Blair Ballard
I want to begin by saying that I only post this because I feel like the more I say it, share it, re-tell it, the better I begin to feel and hurt less. I'm not posting to attract sympathy or attention. Please know this as I share.
Two weeks ago on Sunday (4/18), I took an at-home pregnancy test on a whim. I hadn't been feeling too great and was late and thought,"Eh, why not?!" Ten seconds and one empty bladder later my eyes grew as wide as saucers. This one actually said....pregnant. "Could it be?", I thought. "Now?! Oh my goodness...."
I walked into our bedroom slowly and kind of tossed the test on to the bed towards Jeremy and said, "Look", then walked out of the room. I guess I thought it was going to change...lol.
So needless to say this event was a welcomed surprise. :) Once we got passed the shock and awe, we were ecstatic. I began searching for furniture and bedding on-line, thinking about the new living arrangement, and quickly fell completely in love with this child, all in one week.
I had my first Dr. appointment on Wednesday (4/21). They only drew bloodwork and talked with me about pregnancy do's and don'ts. The nurse said they would contact me if there was anything negative concerning my bloodwork. I was really beginning to feel the usual nausea and mild cramps. I thought to myself, "This is for real. I am really going to be a mom!"
On Sunday (4/25), I woke up feeling cramps more than I had in the past week and a half. I also noticed that I was beginning to menstruate (not spot). I panicked and called my mom who directed me to call my Dr.'s office. The nurse on-call told me to take it easy the whole day, kick my feet up, visit the ER if any of my symptoms became severe, and to call my doctor for an appointment the next day. Throughout the day, my symptoms worsened and improved and by bed time I was beginning to feel better. Eventhough my symptoms would become worse during certain times of the day, none of my symptoms became severe or alarming enough to visit the ER.
Monday morning I woke up and immediately made an appointment with my doctor. I was to go in for an ultrasound and bloodwork at 1:15pm. During the ultrasound, the not-so-sympathetic lady kept pointing out where all my reproductive parts were at but never once pointed out where my child was at. I looked at my mom with fear and said, "Mom....I don't see anything. Is there something wrong?"
After this lady so insensitively pointed out the fact that there was obviously not a child in my womb, my mom and I were taken to a room where we waited for the nurse and doctor to come in. My nurse walked in and looked at me with a sorrow-filled heart. She informed me that I was at the end of a miscarriage.
I have to say that this is by far the worst sorrow and sadness I have ever felt. As soon as I knew that I was no longer carrying our first child I became overwhelmed with this huge feeling of emptyness. I felt like something was missing. Eventhough I was only a mere six weeks pregnant I was beginning to feel like I had known this child my whole life. I loved him/her so much already.
Eventhough I am going through one of the hardest things I will ever encounter in my life I somehow still feel so blessed. First of all, I am not going through this alone. I have the love, support, and encouragement of my sweet and wonderful godly husband, Jeremy. My LORD and Savior Jesus Christ is with me in all of this healing my heart and mending my soul. I have an amazing family who loves me and is constantly praying for me. Second, I was told that surgery was not going to be required in order to get my body past this. For this I am grateful. Lastly, I have the future hope knowing that I can get pregnant. I feel blessed to know this piece of information considering some women in our world are not able to concieve. With this hope, someday we will try to bring another child into this world. When? We don't know that. Only the LORD does.
Please pray for us in the following ways.
1) That God will continue to heal our hearts.
2) That one day God will bless us with children.
3) That we will continue to seek His will and plan through all of this.
4) That if God wants to use my experience to help women who miscarry in the future that I will accept his commandment with an open heart.
5) That my future pregnancy will be healthy, full-term, and a happy time for all.
Thank you for reading. Let us know if there is anything we can pray for reguarding you, your family, and your everyday life.
God Bless,
Jeremy and Blair Ballard
Monday, April 5, 2010
Quick Update!
Since I am just now starting this blog, I have a lot to post since our marriage in July! SO, I am going to try to cram it all in to one post. So here goes....
After our wedding in July Jeremy started working for Komatsu' and I began student teaching! He is still at Komatsu' and loves it! I finished student teaching at the end of November and graduated in December.
In August, we lost a very special lady who was near and dear to our hearts. My grandmother, Carolyn Fairbanks, passed away August 23. We miss Mimi dearly and often think of how she used to make us laugh, the advice she gave us, and how grateful we are she was able to enjoy our wedding day. We love you Mimi and can't wait to see you in heaven one day!
In December, we were finally able to take our honey moon! We started in Gatlinburg, drove to Nashville, then flew to Los Angeles. In Los Angeles, we spent three days at Disneyland (not world) and went to a Laker's basketball game. Such fun! Flew home and made it just in time for Christmas Eve Dinner at Nana's.
Upon returning home, I have started working at Alpine Crest Elementary in an interim position. A second grade teacher broke her ankle and is still out recovering! I was told the other day that I would be kept on staff for the remainder of the year....BIG praise! However, please pray that I will find somewhere to teach next year and that Ms. Aslinger does recover. I know she must REALLY miss her students and the staff at Alpine...they are all amazing!
Ever heard of that saying, "If it's not one thing, it's another!"? Well that seems to be my mantra these days! About two and a half weeks ago Jeremy started complaining of pain in his elbow. Two days and one ER visit later, we were told that somehow he had breathed in a nasty germ that caused the bursar sac in his elbow to become infected and inflamed....yikes! Poor baby...he was in such pain! Just when we thought we had the infection uderwraps, he began to break out in a rash from head to toe due to an allergic reaction to the antibiotic he was taking...for the infection! So back to ER we go.....my mother in law said we might end up with a personalized mug like Tim the Tool Man Taylor if we go back anymore...."uuugghh?!" Let's not try for it...Big praise that the infection is gone! However, please pray that Jeremy's reaction continues to calm down and goes away.
Easter Sunday was yesterday...besides spending part of it in the ER (due to the reaction) it was a pretty joyful day! I thought things would be sad and gloomy due to the absence of one special family member but all in all it was pretty normal! While it's hard and sad, yet a little strange feeling, I think these things are only going to get better with time. Every birthday, Christmas, and every other family celebration will be more about remembering her and what she would be saying or doing instead of crying and grieving at the thought of her absence. I thank God everyday for the 22 years I was allowed to know and love her. Now it's His turn with her...she has gone home to her Father and we will see her again one day.
WHEW! I think I covered just about everything! So long til' next time!
Blair Ballard
After our wedding in July Jeremy started working for Komatsu' and I began student teaching! He is still at Komatsu' and loves it! I finished student teaching at the end of November and graduated in December.
In August, we lost a very special lady who was near and dear to our hearts. My grandmother, Carolyn Fairbanks, passed away August 23. We miss Mimi dearly and often think of how she used to make us laugh, the advice she gave us, and how grateful we are she was able to enjoy our wedding day. We love you Mimi and can't wait to see you in heaven one day!
In December, we were finally able to take our honey moon! We started in Gatlinburg, drove to Nashville, then flew to Los Angeles. In Los Angeles, we spent three days at Disneyland (not world) and went to a Laker's basketball game. Such fun! Flew home and made it just in time for Christmas Eve Dinner at Nana's.
Upon returning home, I have started working at Alpine Crest Elementary in an interim position. A second grade teacher broke her ankle and is still out recovering! I was told the other day that I would be kept on staff for the remainder of the year....BIG praise! However, please pray that I will find somewhere to teach next year and that Ms. Aslinger does recover. I know she must REALLY miss her students and the staff at Alpine...they are all amazing!
Ever heard of that saying, "If it's not one thing, it's another!"? Well that seems to be my mantra these days! About two and a half weeks ago Jeremy started complaining of pain in his elbow. Two days and one ER visit later, we were told that somehow he had breathed in a nasty germ that caused the bursar sac in his elbow to become infected and inflamed....yikes! Poor baby...he was in such pain! Just when we thought we had the infection uderwraps, he began to break out in a rash from head to toe due to an allergic reaction to the antibiotic he was taking...for the infection! So back to ER we go.....my mother in law said we might end up with a personalized mug like Tim the Tool Man Taylor if we go back anymore...."uuugghh?!" Let's not try for it...Big praise that the infection is gone! However, please pray that Jeremy's reaction continues to calm down and goes away.
Easter Sunday was yesterday...besides spending part of it in the ER (due to the reaction) it was a pretty joyful day! I thought things would be sad and gloomy due to the absence of one special family member but all in all it was pretty normal! While it's hard and sad, yet a little strange feeling, I think these things are only going to get better with time. Every birthday, Christmas, and every other family celebration will be more about remembering her and what she would be saying or doing instead of crying and grieving at the thought of her absence. I thank God everyday for the 22 years I was allowed to know and love her. Now it's His turn with her...she has gone home to her Father and we will see her again one day.
WHEW! I think I covered just about everything! So long til' next time!
Blair Ballard
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