Niah Turns Twelve

Niah celebrated her 12th birthday on February 19, 2009. It's VERY difficult for me to believe that it's been 12 years since she was born. Time flies by and lately, it seems to be speeding up!

We had her birthday pictures taken today...normally we have them done on the actual birth date, but I was still recovering from Isaiah's arrival. We had to cancel all her birthday plans and reschedule them for a later date.

Even though we had to change plans, Niah still enjoyed her birthday--TJ took the girls to play a round of glow-in-the-dark golf at the mall, and he also took them to a matinee movie. Isaiah and I stayed home for some much needed rest.

Niah, you have always been a beautiful girl...inside and out. Now you are growing up to be a very beautiful young lady. Your Daddy and I are VERY proud of you. You are very special to us, and we are VERY BLESSED to have you in our lives.

Love You,


Mom and Dad

Welcome, Baby Isaiah!

Isaiah James Harris arrived on February 9, 2009 at 2:44 PM. He weighed in at 6 lbs 8 oz with a length of 19.5 inches. Here is a little bit of his journey:

We arrived for check in at 5:30 AM. I had went to bed at 1:00 AM and had to wake up by 4:00 AM. TJ didn't sleep at all. He had a limo call and came through the door at about 3:45 AM. We were hoping to get to the hospital early and have time to rest before things got started.

We were assigned the same birthing room that we had when Kiahna was born. Not only that, but we found out that Erin would be our nurse AGAIN--she was our nurse when Kiahna was born. So far, we have the same room, same nurse, and my fabulous midwife Leanna. It couldn't get any better than that!

TJ and I were able to rest all morning. It was nice to catch a power nap before things got started. We were all ready to get started at about 1:30 PM. Leanna decided to check to see how dilated I was, and then we would go from there. When she did that, my water broke. She said I was about 5-6 dilated and ready to go. By 2:00 PM the contractions were getting very serious and not any fun. By 2:44 PM Isaiah arrived--delivered by the hands of his father. That's right...TJ got to help deliver him! I was so proud of him. He did a great job.

Once everything was stabilized, TJ left to go get the girls. I got to be there when they gave Isaiah his first bath. HE LOVED IT! Especially when Erin washed his hair in the sink.

Before long TJ arrived with the girls, and they were excited. Kiahna got to hold him first. She did a great job. We had practiced earlier in the week at our "baby school". She was more than ready to show off her big sister skills!

Aliya was anxious to have her turn. Isaiah was so comfortable that he fell asleep.

Finally it was Niah's turn to hold her baby brother. It's hard to believe that she was once so tiny.

Isaiah was born sucking his fist. He loves to chomp and have something in his mouth. I am glad that I packed a pacifier for him. It almost seems to swallow his face. It's hard to believe that in a few short months, the pacifier that seems so large now, will soon be too small.

I know that I am his mother, but I think he is pretty adorable. He's very cuddly and just all-around lovable!

A picture collection isn't complete without a shot of Daddy holding the little guy. These shots are always a future favorite!

Last but not least, we had to take a picture of the BIG SISTER SIGN that the girls made for their baby brother. Having the sign made it easier for the girls to find the baby's room. It also instantly made them famous because all the staff knew right away who they were. By the way, my postpartum room also happened to be the SAME ROOM that I had with Kiahna. When we were shown our room, we just shook our head in amazement. It was truly a miracle. We could not have asked for anything to be any better. The whole experience was just perfect...a true blessing.

We will be posting more pictures in the near future. I will also post updates on Harris Insights from off and on. In the mean time, we will have our hands full holding Isaiah and giving him lots of love and attention.

Promised Picture

Okay...so here is a preggo picture. I only have one week to go...and I've only gained a total of 2 pounds! I couldn't be more thrilled. I wasn't looking very pregnant until about 2-3 weeks ago--then I really started getting big.

We are getting very excited. As of today, I am 98% ready for the baby. The last major thing we have to do is make a BIG SISTERS sign to post on the door of the hospital room. The girls and I will be doing that tomorrow for our school craft project. After that, I'm ready. I could always do some more cleaning. Yesterday the house was in bad shape (boxes and things everywhere), but now I have all that put away and cleaned up.

I am almost done with my third blanket. I will take pictures of all 3 probably tomorrow...if I can finish it by then. I had wanted to get the fourth and final one done before the baby arrived, but that isn't going to happen. I may get it started, but it won't be finished in time. Then again, I have been known to accomplish miracles such as that!

The girls are getting REALLY excited since they can see the actual time count down on a calender. They have an activity calendar for school that only displays one month at a time, so it was hard to explain 2 or 3 weeks when it wasn't showing up yet on their calendar. Now the special day is marked, and they have a definite focal point.

We are excited! We will keep you all posted!