Ian's Blessing

Shark Summer!

We took Will and Ian to the Long Beach aquarium for their Shark Summer exhibit over labor day. Will LOVED IT!!! He ran around shouting out the different sea life names and putting his hands in the feeling tanks...occasionally splashing innocent bystanders. :) Ian slept the whole time and woke up just as we were walking to the car.

Happy Baby!

Ian has started smiling!! So much fun!! He almost six weeks old and so snuggly!!

Will loves to kiss him on the stomach and pat his head and always wants to know where he is...

1 Month old!

Ian is one month old today! He is gaining weight like a Harris and likes to be held and snuggled whenever possible! Will finally calls him "baby Ian" and likes to hand him his bottle and assorted toys. He still wakes up twice a night-we were spoiled with Will who slept through the night at a month!

3 weeks old!

Ian is over three weeks old!! I wish I could say it has all gone by really fast...but, it has definitely been a challenge having two little ones around the house! Ian has been getting up twice a night and likes to be held or rocked to sleep. :) Will wishes he could have the same amount of attention pre-Ian...but has enjoyed the extra cartoons and new toys...

We still can't decide who Ian looks like...his hair is blond and brown with a little red and we think he has my eyes and Blaise's mouth... but of course that could all change...

A week old!

Ian has been here over a week and we have loved every minute of it! He still sleeps a lot...more during the day and eats like a horse! Will likes to hold him and unfortunately calls him "Baby Jack."

Blaise has been such a huge help this week!!! I have been feeling pretty lousy with lack of sleep and after the surgery and Blaise has really gone the extra mile in helping me. He is even making Mushroom Risotto today for dinner!!

Big Brother!

Both a little unsure....

Ian pics

Home at Last!

Ian came home yesterday afternoon! We filmed Will and Ian's first meeting...i will post that as soon as i figure out the software to our camcorder. :) Will was a little unsure at first, but soon was showing Ian his stuffed animals and stickers and patting him "softly" on the head.

Our first night was pretty eventful. We all got ready for bed at about 10:20-Will demanded extra stories...and about 10 minutes later Ian started crying from his crib. A few moments later Will started banging on his door and yelling "Get me out!" "Get me out!" We calmed Will down and fed Ian again and determined that he wasn't hungry, no dirty diaper, burped and warm enough so we put him down again. 6 hours later he woke up!

Will woke up this morning and walked into Ian's room and said "goodnight...see you tomorrow" and shut his door. ;)

I am so glad that Ian is home and healthy. I feel surprisingly good after having a C-section and so grateful for all the wonderful doctors and nurses that helped Ian and I.

fyi-These pictures were taken with my Blackberry and I will post more soon as soon from our camera.

Ian Andrew Harris

Ian arrived on July 24th. He weighed in at 7lbs 15oz and 21 inches.

His first few days on earth have been an adventure! I went into the hospital on the 24th with a fever and chills and when they checked Ian's heart rate it was about 200 beats per minute. (Normal heart rate for infants is around 165.) They thought I was dehydrated and after 1o tries by several different nurses and doctors from all over the hospital...they finally got an IV in me to pump in fluids. They didn't want to give me water with the possibility that I could need a C-section. Anyway, his heart rate lowered to about 180 and they took my temp again and it was 102. The Dr. decided to go ahead with a c-section and he was born about an hour later.

The NICU unit from a nearby hospital rushed over and my pediatrician and the head doctor and NICU decided that even though his apgar was 9.9 and all his vitals were great, they wanted to take him for observation to make sure he did not catch the infection i had. So, I was released today from the hospital and Ian will hopefully be out middle of next week. He is doing great...they just want to monitor him for 7 days on antibiotics.

I will let you know when he gets home and post some more pictures soon.

Still Cooking...

I thought I would post an update on our impending arrival...no sign of him yet. :) I am not due until Monday and Will was a week over...so...it could still be awhile. We have been going on long walks and drinking tons of water. I am pretty sure we have finally settled on a name, but won't announce it until it is official!!

We bought a new SLR camera that should be here before the baby does so I will have some great pictures to post!


Stay tuned...

Palm Springs!!

We went to my mom's place in Palm Springs over Memorial day weekend-and had a blast! Will loved the natural desert zoo and the pool and Blaise and I enjoyed eating at Fisherman's twice!! Thanks Mom and Ray!!! You guys are the best!

Harris Hoopla!

We had a great time with Blaise's parents and sisters when they came for a visit. Will was in heaven. He loved having a whole entertainment committee and someone to play with 24/7.

Will LOVES the Santa Barbara Zoo! He especially loves the turtles and monkey's.

Ah, the life.

Will showing his true colors....

Auntie Emily reading a catalog to Will. Emily also spent several hours showing him Shark videos on her imac! Thanks Emily!!

Here Comes Peter Cottontail....

We had a great Easter!! Will went on a fabulous Easter Egg hunt at Grandma Christy's and had a lot of fun pilfering through his Easter Basket...which included some Easter Sharks. :)

Will and Grandma Christy! Thanks grandma for the darling Easter outfit!

Will and Gigi (great grandma;))

Will Update

Santa Barbara ZOO....

Reading Madeline with Dad.....

Running along the Bridge at his favorite park.

It has been forever since I have posted, I know. Will changes and grows daily and I thought I would give an update on how our "Muffy" is doing to those dear family and friends who don't get to see him often or hear me or Blaise brag about him. :) The picture on top was taken at the Santa Barbara Zoo last weekend. Will, instead of calmly walking from each caged animal to the next, ran like a banshee screaming "Look at that!" or "I see it (turtle, giraffe, sting ray..)" His enthusiasm was so contagious that a fellow zoo goer exclaimed "That kid should have his own show!" We had so much fun we ended up buying a year pass....

*Severe Parent Bragging Warning*

Will can now count from 1-10, he knows several colors, he can sing many songs-twinkle twinkle, itsy-bitsy spider, familes can be together forever, once there was a snowman, i am a child of God, popcorn popping...and more.

He is obsessed with all things aquatic and can point out and tell you what a mola mola, Gobi fish, damsel fish, hammerhead shark, GREAT WHITE shark, anemone, sting ray and squid is and many more (thanks to Grandma Christy who has been a great feeder to his Shark Frenzy).

Some of his favorite expressions are..."What on Earth" "Touchdown" "Target (the store) Hooray!" "Get in the hole!! (golf channel)" "I can do it" and "I love you so much!"

We try to keep his interests varied as we can only stand talking and reading about Sharks and Whales so much. He enjoys kicking and throwing the ball around at the park, watching football, golf and soccer on TV. Will also reads books and makes eels and sharks out of play dough.

Favorite foods are Pizza, oatmeal, cookies, apples and blackberries.

Will is very affectionate and loves to give hugs and kisses as well has high fives and knuckles.

Will even helps Mom keep her eye on the road. About a week ago I was driving down the street and looked down at my Blackberry that was on my lap (a BIG NO NO) and as I was looking back up, Will exclaimed "Scary, Watch Out!" and a mail truck pulled in front of us! Needless to say, i no longer touch my Blackberry while out on the road and Will got a cookie when we got home. :)

We have told Will about our new addition coming this summer and he seems luke warm to the idea. Maybe if we name the new baby "Shark" ?

IT'S A......

BOY!

Blaise is thrilled and I am relieved that everything looks healthy and great for a delivery of July 26th!

CUTIE!!

We had a a family photo and a few individual photos taken of Will by the same photographer that did our wedding. It was a lot of fun and Will was a good sport...kind of. :)

Cousins!

Katherine came to visit from Las Vegas and Will was on cloud 9. They toured several parks, went to the beach, on a hike and shared several memorable meals. We celebrated Kat's 3rd birthday while she was here and Will was very anxious to give kat her very first My Little Pony.

Chocolate! Fine Chocolate!

I thought it would be funny to post a picture of all of Blaise's choc0late bars he got for his birthday. We each had a square of Valrhona Araguani 72% (French chocolate made with beans from Venezuela) today after our lunch and my oh my was it tasty. You can pick up your garden variety Valrhona from Trader Joe's, but the really good Valrhona you have to order from chocosphere.com or head over to France. Blaise, reading over my shoulder, thinks that I should stress that the taste difference between Valrhona or any chocolate you buy at the grocery store is not even in the same ballpark as the single origin French/Italian chocolates. I guess you could equate it to American cheese that is packaged in plastic to Parmesan Reggiano(the real deal).

When we were in France earlier this year we stopped by the Michel Cluizel chocolate shop in Paris (top photo), but they were closed. Blaise was heartbroken, but was thrilled that the grocery stores in Paris carried Valrhona Araguani and others.

Happy Birthday Blaise!!

In honor of Blaise's 37th Birthday, I thought I would list 37 great, original and or extra special things about the best guy I know (that's over 2 years old :) ).

1) Blaise is very PASSIONATE about travel. The picture above is, I believe, on top of the Duomo in Florence, Italy and as you can tell from the smile on his face, he is very excited to be there.

2) Blaise is the BEST dad to Will. I think we established from the beginning, that I would be the "nurturer" and Blaise would be the "fun" parent. Blaise loves to teach Will funny phrases, songs and how to tackle and hit a baseball (still working on that one). But, he also loves to give tons of hugs and kisses and it melts my heart!

3) Blaise keeps himself in excellent physical condition. He works out religiously at least four times a week either running or spinning.

4) Blaise has a great relationship with his mom.

5) Blaise can be a salesman when he wants to. When we were first married, after I found out all the things his mom did for him growing up...cooking, cleaning, administrative assistant stuff etc, I told him how spoiled he was. Blaise responded..."I am more spoiled with you!" He has a way of getting me to do all the things he can't stand. Except cleaning toilets. :)

6) Blaise has an incredible sports memory. Early on in our relationship Blaise was talking to a friend about a Super Bowl from the 90's and he mentioned the score from the game. Shocked that he remembered it, I pulled out the World Almanac and started testing him...he remembered who played who, coaches and scores to games back to the 70's....and he can remember ALL games in the BCS college football championships. Scary.

7) He is very affectionate.

8) He is very successful at Alliant. He has been promoted twice in the last two years and is now Assistant Vice President.

9) Blaise is a quality time person. He loves to spend "time" with me and his family and friends.

10) He loves chocolate. Fine chocolate. Blaise asked for chocolate for his birthday this year and even though that sounds like an easy task, it's not. Most people would think that spending 12.00 for a bar of chocolate (Amedi Toscano Black) is certifiable, and while it is a little coo coo...it is not wasted on Blaise. If you should be so lucky to receive a square from his sacred chocolate drawer, he will tell you where the beans originated, where the bar originates and even how to eat it...there is a proper method.

11) He is a gift person.

12) He takes his church attendance very seriously. No matter where he is, or often, no matter how he feels, Blaise goes to church. We have been to different wards all over the world because as a family, we never miss.

13) He LOVES and I mean LOVES Alabama Football.

14) Blaise has mellowed in his old age. :) When we first married he had 7 tickets in 7 different states on his driving record...3 plus years later he is down to 1.

15) He hates to do yard work.

16) He won't eat ANYTHING with corn syrup in it.

17) He goes through 2 gallons of skim milk a week.

18) He has a peanut butter sandwich almost every morning for breakfast-and a square of chocolate.

19) Blaise appreciates a beautiful view. We went to the Pompadu in Paris ONLY to see the beautiful view at the top and we climbed a VERY sketchy tower in Bologna to see yet another view.

20) He has a very strong testimony.

21) Blaise researches award winning Olive Oils and we always have several on hand.

22) Blaise is very loyal to his friends. He makes every effort to see his three best friends as often as he can and has a BYU forum of over 20 guys that he emails every week.

23) He won't eat anything sweet after 5pm.

24) He cleans toilets. :)

25) He is just as interested as me in cooking and helps me decide what to cook and critiques and compliments when necessary.

26) Blaise is an avid reader. He read over 15 major novels last year and is on a quest to becoming the most well read individual in the house. I'm the English major!!!

27) He doesn't watch TV on Sundays. Not even Football or Golf. Thank goodness for TiVo.

28) Blaise has a great memory for the Book of Mormon. If you open the book to any page and start reading, he can tell you the book and chapter.....and sometimes verse.

29) He has a great relationship with his dad. They talk after every Alabama or Chargers victory and often after Tiger has a great game.

30) He considers himself a "foodie" and researches ratings and reviews on restaurants before trying a new place.

31) He picked me as his wife!!!

32) He trusts my judgement on men's clothing. :)

33) Blaise is a morning person.

34) He loves old movies-spaghetti westerns.

35) He is very competitive in playing games-especially scrabble.

36) He has a great relationship with his sisters.

37) Blaise is very humble. :)


Happy Birthday Blaise!!!

Christmas Southern Style!

We had our second annual Christmas in Alabama with Blaise's family this year and it was even better than last year!!! Will was great on the 5 hour flight, thanks to the mini DVD player and when we touched down on the tarmac at LAX at the end of our week Will said "again"!!! We played tons of games, ate VERY well, spent time seeing the extended Harris family and and thoroughly enjoyed spending Christmas with the Harris'. Will had his own personal Christmas tree with ornaments he could remove and a nativity set he could play with. He opened several really great presents from Grandma Susie, Grandfather James, Auntie April and Auntie Emie. Blaise and I were also very happy with Santa this year!!

Will and Auntie Emie. Will has one of his Alabama shirts on that santa gave him. Roll Tide!! (yes, that is Blaise flossing in the background)

Grandma Susie decided to put Will to work while he was there. ;)

Will with Auntie April playing on the pink "water". Auntie April was very attentive to Will and taught him tons of new songs and even let him take her favorite fish stuffed animal home to California!!!

Will could hardly believe all that Santa got him. After looking through his stocking... that had to be covered with a towel as the contents would not fit in the stocking...he was beside himself with excitement. He loved the big truck that stored all his cars and his new playmat to play cars and trucks on and mom loved all his new clothes...Southern Santa really out did himself!

Happy Birthday Will!!

Will turned 2 on Sunday and we had some friends and family over to celebrate! Mommy made the cake and Will ate about two bites...excuse the dark shadows...lense issues.:)

He loved the candles ( i added a few extra for good measure) but could not believe it was ok to blow them out?

Will didnt want to wear the crown until the next morning and rode around in his plasma car wearing it!