Merry Christmas

As a new Mama, I am very excited about this Christmas. Not that Greenlee will understand any of it this year. It's about spending time with the ones that you love, not the presents that you buy or receive from people. I did, however, go out and buy Lil Miss Greenlee several presents from Santa and her mama and daddy... There's not a whole lot out there for 3 month olds... So, she's getting some stuff for a little later in her sweet little life.

We've already celebrated Christmas with my Mama's side of the family. Greenlee got to meet her cousin for the first time, Audrey, who, by the way, is super stinking cute herself. Greenlee's 1st present was a sleeper and some super soft socks. This weekend we will be celebrating Christmas with Justin's family, where Greenlee will again get to meet a new cousin. Then, we are headed to my Grandpa's for my Daddy's family.

Til the next time... Merry Christmas and have a Happy New Year!

Thanksgiving

As we come upon the week of Thanksgiving, I just want to share what I am thankful for...

* My Wonderful Husband... there's not another one like him

* My Sweet Baby Girl, Greenlee... she's blessed our house a thousand times over

* My Parents... they have always been there when I've needed them

* My In-Laws... I couldn't ask for better ones

* Mine & Justin's Sisters & Brother... They are the best (even when we've had our differences)

* Our Friends... again~ we have the best friends anyone could ask for

* My Relationship with God... I can always go to Him and talk things out and he Never judges

* Our Jobs... With the way things are now, I'm thankful that we BOTH have great jobs

* The Rest of Our Families... They are one in a million

So as you go to where ever you may go for Thankdgiving, remember what and who you are thankful for... Have a Happy Thanksgiving and enjoy your families... Oh~ for those of you crazy enough to get out the day after Thanksgving and do a lil shopping, we're headed to Macon... maybe we can meet up :)!

Halloween 2010

WOW! Halloween came and went in the blink of an eye... Next thing you know Thanksgiving will fly by and then Christmas will be here... LORD! We had a very fun time celebrating Greenlee's 1st Halloween. I've even thought about her costume for next year... Here are a few pics from this past weekend...

Going to Heritage Park for Bethany Baptist's Fall Festival... We were all ghosts!

She racked up on the candy... She even got a baby Beanie Baby...

Here she is in her costume at our church Fall Festival & Trunks-of- Treats

Justin, Greenlee, Tim, & Lane

Happy Fall...

We went to our favorite "Fall" place this past weekend. While we were there, we got a few pics of Greenlee... going through the maze, with me & Justin, on pumpkins. We also picked out her 1st pumpkin for us to carve. Yes, I know she's still so little, but I can not miss any of her 1st's... Thank goodness I take the camera everywhere we go...

The entrance to Southern Belle Farms

McDonough, Georgia

Owned & Operated by The Carter Family

She wasn't too thrilled about being on the pumpkin

It's kind of like "Where's Waldo?"... Where's Greenlee... I absolutely LOVE this pic

Me & Greenlee trying to find our way out of the corn maze

Justin & Greenlee in the maze

The trip there just wore her out... Bless her bones!

We always enjoy going to Southern Belle... I even make it out there during strawberry & blackberry seasons and pick as much that will fit in my bucket... I can't wait to make this a family tradition. Justin and I have been going for the past 3 years and now we can add Greenlee to the tradition.

Pics of Greenlee...

Just a few pics taken when Greenlee was a week old... Taken by our WONDERFUL photographer~ Paige!

in the wheelbarrow~ I have one like this when I was little...

Our 1st Family picture

SWEET BABY!

A Georgia Girl already!!!

In her tutu i made

Greenlee Peyton Ballew

Well since our last posting, some things have changed... Our sweet and wonderful daughter was born into this crazy world.



On Tuesday, September 21st, I went to the doc and was scheduled to be induced the following morning at 7:30. So, since I couldn't have ANYTHING to eat after breakfast, me, Justin, my parents and his all went to the Waffle House bright and early that Wednesday morning. At 7:30, I checked into the hospital and was taken back to the Labor, Delivery, Recovery room where I would spend the remainder of the day.



At 8:30, my midwife came in, did what she needed to do and the process started. Contractions came and went... Not as bad as I was thinking they would be. If I wanted to have the epidural (because I am a wuss), I needed to have it in before the pain got too unbearable... So once I had dilated to 6 cm, I decided it was time. At 12:30, the epidural was placed~ not as painful either... Of course it could be because I was having contractions the while time and a malfunctioning BP cuff that kept on inflating and deflating every 5 seconds. The next thing I knew, my midwife came in and said that it was time to start puhing... So, at 3:30 we began pushing... Justin on my left and my Mama on my right... I pushed for 45 minutes... took a 45 minute break because some sweet little baby wasn't wanting to come down... pushed for another hour and 15 minutes or so and all of a sudden she was here... Greatest experience of my life...



I really didn't get to see her immediately after she was born. While I was pushing sweet baby Greenlee had pooped on herself and once she was in this world, she was taken away to be cleaned up and monitored. When I did finally get to see her, I saw the most beautiful baby girl ever!!!



Here he is...Miss Greenlee Peyton Ballew... Wednesday, September 22, 2010 born at 6:04 pm weighing 7lb 7 oz and 19 inches long

Nope~ No Greenlee, yet!

Greenlee's due date has come and gone... she's still hanging out in the comfort of my belly!!! But the good news is that by the end of next week, she WILL be here~ either from her own decision or with the help of Pitocin... But we don't care which way, just as long as she is healthy. We can not wait to meet our little angel.

Yesterday we went to the doc, again. Things were done, again! All I can say is WOW~ if that hurt as bad as it did, I can only imagine what giving birth is going to feel like. But I know that the pain will all go away once that precious little girl is placed in my arms. After the "exam", the doc gave us our options... There is still a good chance that she can come on her own, but if not, we go in Tuesday for a Non-Stress Test to make sure everything is OK since I'm overdue now. From there we schedule to be induced. And this is how we know that our little girl will be here next week.

One thing that I can't wait to do is have her pictures made. Remember my friend & photographer from an earlier post? Well, she is going to be at the hospital to take some pictures after she's born and within that first hour of her being born... the 1st "bath", getting weighed, those tests they do, our 1st hour with her. etc... These are going to be so great... some that most people never think about taking professionally. I can't wait to share these with y'all.

It's That Time of Year!!!

This is the time of year that most Georgians look forward to...It's Labor Day weekend (yeah- OK~ we get a few days off), it's opening day of Dove Season (not really impressed by that~ haven't been dove hunting in 7 years)... It's time for some Bulldog Football~ THIS is what I'm talking about. Hopefully with the coming of the season this year, it will bring cooler weather- Lord knows we need it. This has been the hottest summer I can remember in a LONG time; and I'm not just saying that because I'm 38 weeks pregnant!

As many of our family & friends know, we are HUGE Dawg (that's how real fans say it...) fans. When I met Justin, I was amazed at his "home office"... It is painted UGA red and was just about full of all kinds of Georgia stuff... Once we got married, I added all of my Georgia Stuff... Now it's full and there are some things that we have 2 or 3 or 4 of. We're always looking at new stuff to add to our collection... That's why I love the Cotton Pickin' Fair in Gay, GA (1st weekend in May & Oct~ hopefully I'll make it this year) and the Geranium Festival in McDonough, GA (ususally 2nd or 3rd Sat in May). I usually come home with something to add to the room... Even our (new 9 foot) Christmas tree is decorated in Red & Black & UGA ornaments... It sits in an old wash tub that has been wrapped & sealed in UGA fabric instead of a boring old tree skirt...

Just to show how much we like the Dawgs, we named our black lab Munson... Our OB doc is just about as big a fan as we are- he has his office decorated from floor to ceiling with all kinds of UGA stuff... Greenlee already has MANY Bulldog outfits to wear, plus I'm in the process if making her UGA tutu to wear with her UGA onesie...I have a Georgia "G" cake pan... I could just go on & on about all this, but the purpose of this post is to say what great friends we have...

Usually during the football season, we have get togethers at each other's houses to "watch" the game... 2 seasons ago, we pretty much just went to 1 couple's house every weekend & everyone brought food... Last year we mixed it up at different houses, but we all still brought food... This year is kinda sad because for the 1st time in the past 3 1/2 years, none of us are getting together on opening day... Like I said earlier, it's opening day of Dove Season~ that's where most of our friends will be I'm sure, but we will be at the Ballew Family get together. The rest of the season, who knows where we will all be gathering...

I hope all of the DAWG fans enjoy their opening day festivities! We will miss all of our friends today as the Dawgs open their season against the other Bulldogs... Hopefully we will all be watching "in spirit" together... GO DAWGS!!!!

Early, On Time, or Late???

For some reason, I have a feeling that this sweet little girl is going to come early... why?, I don't know. I officially have 26 days until her due date. Justin seems to be calling September 9th as her arrival date... I say September 6th (Labor Day~hahaha!)... Everyone asks me how I'm feeling, I just say "ready". I can tell she has "dropped" and is getting in position and lots of people tell me that they can tell too. I have loved every minute of being pregnant up until this past week. I was MISERABLE! I had the worst heartburn ever, I was HOT all the time, and slept maybe 3 hours a night. I was very uncomfortable. I could hardly breathe. And so far, this week has been the same. I see sleeping in the recliner as a possibilty. But on a positive note, we are packed and ready to go~ diaper bag(s) packed, car seat installed, our bag packed, and several other necessities are ready and waiting. Just keep on thinking positive thoughts and sending them our way... maybe she will get the hint and come on!

this post isn't about Greenlee or being pregnant or anything like that.

So if you read the post about Justin and his mysterious illness, you know that we've had all kinds of tests ran and all with the same results~ NORMAL! So, now he's on an "I'm losing weight, working out, & eating healthy" frenzy... 25 pounds down and guess what- yep- no pain! I just hope that he can help me get this baby weight off when the time comes. I don't mind the eating healthy part~ it's good for all of us. He walks 3 miles everyday! If I walk out the door I swell (feet, toes, fingers) and am miserable for the rest of the day. I can't workout like he is because he's doing that "Insanity" workout DVD with his brother. I am so proud of him!!! I absolutely have the BEST HUSBAND IN THE WORLD!

And on another post~ I mentioned that one of my best childhood friends is pregnant... Well, on her birthday (August 4th) she went and had a 3D ultrasound and found out that she's having a girl... I can't wait. Now our little girls can play together just like we did when we were little. I've been joking around with her about picking out a name, cause when we were little we had our favorites~ Amy, Haley, Jessica, etc (these are SO not our favorite names anymore)... But instead she has decided to name her little girl Gracie Lynn. Gracie is after her MawMaw that has past several years ago and Lynn is her own middle name. CONGRATS Steph, Scott, & Peyton! We can't wait to meet her in January (maybe the 29th??? I don't mind sharing my birthday)

Counting Down...

The showers are over... All these presents are put away somewhere~ nursery, bathroom, spare bedroom... You name it, I think Greenlee got it.

Now that we have entered the August, I have officially started a countdown... we have 6 1/2 weeks left until our "Little Green Pea's" official due date. I don't know who's more ready for her to be here, me or Justin. It will be kind of strange not being pregnant, but I will get to see a precious gift from God. I just can't wait to see who she looks like the most~ me or Justin or a combination of both. Justin is so ready to hold her it is hilarious... He says it's his turn since I've been holding her this whole time. He did finally get to see her doing her gymnastics in my belly the other night and I think he got a little teary eyed (which is fine... this is his daughter). I'm sure that's not the last time I see him teary-eyed when it comes to Greenlee. One thing that I will NOT miss is the heartburn~ it's getting a little out of hand...

Stay tuned... not sure when I'll be back to give updates... the next one may be when Greenlee gets here and I can show her off...

Great Photographer!

Here lately, I've wanted to capture every moment of being pregnant. This has been an experience like no other... the lack of morning sickness (never did get sick), the exhaustion, the HEARTBURN, the kicks & flips, etc.. So we decided to call on our friend and photographer, Paige, to take some maternity pictures. So the question was, where to take them? We used Heritage Park in McDonough for engagement pictures 2 years ago, so that was out. Paige didn't want me on the rocks at Indian Springs~ they were a little slippery. At High Falls, we would have to walk a good ways to get to the perfect place. So, after seeing a friend of ours have family pictures taken at Dausett Trails, we picked there. This place has a little bit of every setting you would want~ nature, rustic, water, etc.. She did an amazing job. We've posted several on our Facebook page (under photos). There were tons taken, but the ones of my bare belly didn't make the public viewing cut... They are here at our house and for us to see... If you are ever in need of a great photographer, get in touch with me and I can get you in touch with Paige.

So Proud of Myself

I've always wanted to make a window pane painting. My mama's had a few of these in a storage building for years and I just decided one day with the help of my friend, Jodi, to do one of Greenlee's room (everything now days is all about Greenlee~ and that's OK). So I went and bought a bumble bee stencil, paint, and traced out how I wanted it to look. Then, we got a better idea... use fabric to back it and put her pictures in it as she grows~ kinda like a big picture frame...

Here is the old distressed window...

We were going to paint it, but once seeing it in Greenlee's room, we decided to leave it alone.

This is the fabric I chose... It has the colors of her nursery, but a different pattern...

I bought a vinyl monogram from a great store in Griffin, Serendipity... I have the Cricut that will do this, but I'm too chicken to try it right now...

And here is the finished product... Under her mongram will be all of her birth info (date, time, weight, length) and in each of the empty panes will be her newborn, 3 mo., 6 mo., 9 mo., and 12 mo. pictures.

It's going to be hung by picture hangers to make it steady, but it will really look like ribbon that I will attach is holding it up...

I must say that I am very proud of myself these days, getting to be so crafty and domestic... I've always had a crafty streak running through me, but it wasn't until I found out that I am going to be a Mama that I've really started to use it... Hopefully there will be more to come!

Simply Southern

OK, So, like most Southern Women, I absolutely love getting my Southern Living magazine in the mail every month... Well actually, it goes to my Mama's house and I get it a few weeks later after she has read through it (but I don't mind). With it being Summer and all the fruits & vegetables are ripe for the pickin', I couldn't resist making this recipe that was in this month's magazine (along with several others)
BLUEBERRY SALSA


Start off with 2 cups coarsely chopped blueberries & 1 cup fresh whole blueberries...

Add 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice, 3 TBSP chopped fresh cilantro, and seeded and minced jalapeno peppers (be careful~ your hands will start burning)...

Add in 1/3 cup red bell pepper and 1/2 tsp kosher salt...

And here's your finished product... You can either serve immediately or chill for 8 hours or more. I put mine in these decorative jars... Trust me, the longer it sits the better it tastes. I served mine with baked flour tortilla chips (we are trying to watch what we eat since one of us can't gain but another 8 - 18 pounds until September)

I hope you take the time to try this...

This was one receipe that my sister-in-law wanted me to try to make, so I did... I figured that if it looked good enough, I'd share it with people... It's not a copy cat of anything else... there's nothing else like it!

So for those of you that have seen any of our status updates on Facebook over the past few months, you know that Justin is undergoing some medical "mystery" that no one can seem to diagnose... He says that the pain that he's been having has been going on for about a year & a half. In April, he had had enough... He went to the doctor where she proceeded to do blood work, an EKG, & a chest x-ray... Results were all normal. Nothing was found. Two weeks later he was still hurting... an ultrasound of his gallbladder was ordered; and guess what? It was normal too... One hot Sunday afternoon, he gets extremely sick and I meet him at the doctor's office, where they seem to be able to narrow it down to 3 conditions- gallbladder, hernia, or an ulcer... So up to this point, he has seen a gastroenterologist for the HIDA scan to check gallbladder function (NORMAL) and has had a endoscopy to check for an ulcer (NORMAL~ just a little gastritis)... So, this Friday after our 31 week OB visit, we get to head back to Southern Regional for a CT scan... Hopefully this will rule out anything else or at least tell us what's wrong... The only thing not ruled out as of yet is a hernia... Not as serious as the gallbladder, but a longer recovery. We just need all the thoughts and prayers sent our way that we can get... After this scan, there's pretty much nothing else to do...

Our Last Get-Away

At 28 weeks, we went our last getaway before Greenlee gets here... On the advice of my OB/GYN~ don't go anywhere more than 2 hours away from the hospital, so Helen, Georgia here we come... We rented the cabin from family friends (same one we stayed in on our honeymoon in April 2008). This time we had lots of people with us~ Justin's parents, His brother & wife, & 2 nieces... We all had a blast. I always enjoy going to Helen. But not because it's cooler, it wasn't~ it's quieter! You can't here anything from the top of a mountain. We walked around town on Thursday, Friday~ the guys took Anslie & Carlie tubing down the Chattahochee, while us Big Girls went to Dawsonville to the outlet mall... After all that, we all went putt-putting... We all had lots of fun! I can't wait until Miss Greenlee will be here so that she can enjoy stuff like this!

26 weeks

So, we've made it to 26 weeks... I've experienced so many kicks and flutters, it's not even funny! Justin finally got to feel Greenlee kick. It's not what he was expecting. He was thinking it would be a definite kick, but it's not... it's more like he could feel my insides move when she kicked. On Saturday, June 12th, we went for another 3D ultrasound at the greatest place ever~ Baby's First Images, in Buckhead. Greenlee was very active and moving around a lot. She also kept her hands and feet in front of her face the entire time... It was all we could do to get a picture of her without her face covered. There's one picture where one of her eyes are open (it kinda freaked me out)! Justin really likes that picture. From the first session to this session, she has changed so much! We still can't figure out who she looks like the most... I guess we have to wait and see once she's born! Hope you enjoy the one that I posted... This one is my favorite I think. There are more pictures posted on our Facebook page...

Being Pregnant

I absolutely love everything about being pregnant: the flutters in my stomach, getting things ready, doctor visits, etc. There's just 1 thing about being pregnant that is a downfall... the internal furnace. I have the luxury of being pregnant all throughout the summer (being as Greenlee's due date is September 17th). Now I am naturally hot natured, but this is crazy. I have to sleep out from under the covers with 3 (yes 3) fans blowing (ceiling fan, box fan in front of the air vent, & one on my night stand). Poor Justin, he freezes, all bundled up under the covers. Today had to be one of the worst days yet. Sitting in our office looking up addresses for my baby shower invitations, I broke out into a sweat. Now I'm a traditional southern girl- we don't sweat, we glisten! But today was not the case... I had to turn on our air and stand in front of another fan and have it blowing on me as fast as possible.
Another part of being pregnant that I really don't understand is the "Baby Brain". There are some days that I can't remember my name and other days I'm fine. Now that I'm out on Summer/ Semester Break, it's not so bad. But when I was working during the week there were 2 things I could never remember if I did or not; 1) unplug my hair straightener; 2) shut the garage door. I could unplug the straightener, walk into the kitchen, and turn around and walk back into the bathroom to double check. There were several times that I would either leave the house, get down the road, and turn around to come home to check the garage door or I would get Justin to call his brother to get him to look and see if I did shut it or not.
To all those that are pregnant, I understand everything that you're going through. And to those that are trying or anticipating getting pregnant, look what you have to look forward to.

Great News!!!

So my best friend growing up just found out today "officially" that she is going to have baby #2... I can't wait. Now Miss Greenlee can grow up with him/her as a friend, just like I did with his/her mama. My friend already has a boy in the 3rd grade (which makes me feel really old) and he is the sweetest kid you will ever meet. Hopefully around January 6th, we will get to meet new Baby Bonner :)

Our 1st Babies... the 4- legged kind

Here are our 4-legged babies that deserve to be mentioned...

Maggie- She is my horse- my VERY OWN... For those of you who know me, know that I have been on the back of a horse ever since I could sit up on my own. That being said, I never really had a horse that was mine; either they were handed down from my Mama or I shared with my dad. When I found out that she was for sale, I begged Justin for her. So, for our 3 month wedding anniversary, he got her for me. I absolutely love to ride, but for now that is all on hold. Actually, it's been on hold since July of last year, due to the miscarriage and then it being so cold. She is a very loving horse; one that will come to you without any problems and just stand around and let you rub all over her. After Greenlee is born, I can't wait to get back on Maggie. One day when Greenlee is old enough, I will pass her on to her and let her enjoy all there is about riding horses.

And now onto my real big baby... His name is Pato (Spanish for Duck). Don't ask how he got his name, it's a long story. He is a 5 year old yellow lab and thinks he is still a puppy. He was a birthday gift in 2005. At the time I got him, he was 12 weeks old and a lil' butterball. Now at 5 years old, he is still a butterball. We (me, Mama & Pato) went through obedience school and that is a time I will never forget. He absolutely l-o-v-e-s the water. He even has his own pool in the back yard that he lays around in during the summer. Don't go outside with the intentions of relaxing because as soon as you do, here he comes with his flat soccer ball wanting you to kick it so he can play fetch. This will go on for hours. I have to say that as a puppy he was a lil' spoiled; he WAS an only child until February 2008 (will get to that one later). There's not a sweeter dog around and he's so mild mannered. He knows when I'm sick or upset. During this past winter when it was so cold, Pato slept in the bed in between Justin & me~ thank goodness we have a king bed.

Here's the newest family member... His name is Munson. He's a 2 year old black lab that still acts like a puppy. We think he has a lil' bit of cat in him because all he likes to do is pounce around- kinda like a panther... All we can say is that he's a mess. Justin got him for me as a birthday/ valentine's present in February 2008~ he was 16 weeks old. When he arrived, he was big- that's all I can say. Now Munson is the exact opposite of Pato~ loud, crazy, doesn't mind... He is the black lab version of Marley (if you have ever seen Marley & Me you will know exactly what I am talking about). Pato can't play fetch with you anymore because Munson takes the ball and runs with it in the opposite direction~ that's his game. We haven't figured out if he likes the water or not because he hasn't really been around it. I do know that he doesn't get in the doggy pool in the back yard. He will stand in it or walk through it. We do know that he like so dig~ A LOT! Be careful when walking around our backyard, you just might fall into one of his "projects". But like Pato, this past cold winter, he was also in our bed with us. At times it got crowded- very crowded!

In My Spare Time

Working at a University, I get the luxury of having Semester breaks. During my Summer break, I've got to get caught up on my favorite hobby, scrapbooking. I'm only a few years behind (I haven't finished our wedding showers or the wedding)... But I WILL get it done before Miss Greenlee arrives. Over the past month or so, I've decided to get a lil' more crafty. I've seen things at a few arts & crafts festivals that I absolutely loved, but couldn't bring myself to pay what the vendors wanted. What's the next best thing?- Make it myself. Here are a few little things that I recently completed...

We are going to hang this on the front door when
Miss Greenlee arrives...

One of the tutus I made with a onesie

The tutu by itself....

Greenlee's Room...

Shiftrobe I used when I was little...

Her Bed and a GREAT monogram from Serendipity in Griffin

Her bedding...

Well ever since Justin & I started dating, we have been painting the house... I think all the rooms (except 1) have been repainted. After doing all that, Justin said that he wasn't going to paint anymore... I decided to paint the 2 empty bedrooms myself... It just so happens that I picked colors perfect for a nursery... LUCKY HIM! Now the hard part was deciding what to decorate in... Everyone knows that we are HUGE UGA fans and I think our house represents that. So, when it came to picking Bumble Bees the thought of Tech came into mind. Justin reassured me that they were ugly ole' Yellow Jackets & not cute lil bumble bees... Greenlee is using 1 piece of old family furniture that has been in my family for 4 generations. It's all coming together... The only thing missing now is our sweet baby girl...

Well Here Goes

This is all new for us... But since we are expectng a new Baby Girl in September, it will give me a chance to share my experiences with family that aren't here with me.

Ever since last July, I've had a hole missing in my heart. I lost a baby and never thought that our chance would come again. That all changed in January of this year. Yep, that's right... we are pregnant again (21 weeks right now). This time I didn't stress out when i found out...

Back at the beginning of April, we found out... IT'S A GIRL!!! We immediately had her named... Miss Greenlee Peyton Ballew... Her official "due" date is September 17th. Her 1st name is from a soap opera I used to watch when I was little with my Grandmother... Her middle name is in memory of my little niece, Peyton Noel Lester, that is forever an angel watching over us all.

Updates coming soon...