Ryan's new calling

I am not even sure if I ever wrote about the first calling Ryan had.  He was called to be in the High Council about 6 months ago, and then right before we had Max they called him to be the second counselor in the bishopric.  I am not sure I like the idea of being alone on Sunday's with five kids.  But when I made that comment to our Stake Pres.  he told me that he was afraid I was going to be a lone a lot.  (meaning Ryan will be in a lot more callings that will make it that way) 
I am grateful to have a husband that is willing to serve and willing to take a calling no matter how hard it is.  He is amazing to me and such a great example for our family. 
The other crazy part about him being put in the bishopric,  they completely changed the wards around.  So our ward we are in now has a lot of people we don't know and we lost more than half of our original ward.  So they dissolved everything and are starting over on all the callings.  He has been gone a lot working hard to get all the callings filled so we can get the ward up and running again. 
I know that because I have such an amazing husband that is willing to work so hard that we will be blessed.  I am so blessed to have him as my husband and my best friend.  I am so lucky, and so in love!!!!

three weeks old

It is so crazy to me that three weeks have gone by so fast, and yet at night... not so fast.  This little boy is such a sweetheart, and I am loving him to pieces.  He has been a bad sleeper at night and likes to wake up to eat all the time. The longest he sleeps is 2 hours and for the first two weeks he pooped ALL THE TIME!  I would just get him changed and start feeding him and then he would fill his pants.  Get that changed and then he would want to eat again... so we would be up for a hour or two every time he would wake up.  But this last week has been much better.  He is still only sleeping for a hour or two at a time, but he isn't pooping all the time and he will eat and then go right back to bed.  That makes a huge difference.  I have been trying to nurse him and the first week was going well, but the longer I nursed the less milk I was getting.  So we had to give him a bottle after I would nurse and so feeding him was also taking a very long time.  I don't know if he is a little  pig but it feels like he eats all the time, and he eats a lot for how little he is.  I have given up on nursing now... I am so mad that my body is being so weird and won't produce any milk at all now.  I always had more than enough with the first girls so it makes no sense to me. 

I have to say that Ryan's dad has been a life saver to me.  Ryan was put in as the second counselor of the bishopric and so he has been gone a lot.  Tuesdays are a really hard night for me and it is just crazy.  Ryan's dad has come and helped me the past three weeks and I wouldn't have made it through the night without going a little crazy.  Alexis has a basketball game that night, and then she always has a bunch of homework along with the other two girls.  Then Max is a little fussy at night so it is so hard to take care of them all.  Then putting them to bed is also a little crazy with a baby that wants to be held or fed at the same time.   So Thank you Denton, you are such a great help!

Chris and Cindy made a trip to see Max and bring the girls back to us. 

Elizabeth really wanted to stay home and not go to IF.  But I knew that she would have so much fun playing with her cousins.  When she got home she was so excited to hold him and she missed him and me a lot I think. 

He is getting better about getting him naked and changing his bum.  At first he would freak out if you would ever take his diaper off.  I wondered if it was because he was still sore from his little boy surgery........ But with how much he was going poop we had to take them off a lot.  I figured out that in the first two weeks we went through 150 diapers..... That has slowed down and now I hope they will last longer.

This is what he does when you put him down most of the time.... He LOVES to be held.  He is a little spoiled

This was his first bath.   It looks like he liked it, but he was a little scared.  He was only in it for about five minutes and then he was done. 

The day that I was thinking about going and getting pictures of him he scratched his face so bad.... so we decided to wait until it went away.

I don't know if you can see his belly button very well, but it is a major outy.  The doctor said it is a umbilical hernia and it could go in in a few years or we may have to do surgery if it bothers him.  I am really hoping that once he gets a little fat on his belly it will suck it in.  

Maximus Ryan Harris

this picture was taken just before we had Max!  We were so excited to meet our little man!
It is so crazy that our little boy is already here.  I never knew I could love a little boy as much as I do.  I have lots of little nephews and I love them, but I could never really see myself as a mom to a boy.  But he is just the cutest little baby boy I have ever held in my arms.  It always surprises me how much I can be in love with a baby so instantly.  I am so excited to have a change of clothes and switch to the boy ways of life.
Max was born on Thursday, the 9th at 11:58.  I went in that morning a little after 6 to be induced.  After they got me all hooked up to everything I was already have little contractions on my own.  After they started me on the pit they started to come a lot faster and a lot stronger.  It didn't take long before I was really uncomfortable and was worried about missing a chance for a epidural.  It was about 10 when they cam in and got the epidural going and after that I felt great.  This was my very favorite epidural I have had because it was just a half of one.  I could still move, and feel things, but it took of the sharp pain that makes you want to die.  I was a 10 at 11:30 and started to push soon after.  I could feel each contraction and could feel where you were.  I think it is the coolest feeling to feel the baby moving out of your belly, and then it is such a relief and all over.  It is crazy how I felt so much better in that instant.  My mom and Annette were able to come and be with Ryan and I and it was so nice to have support.  Max was 8 pounds and 1 ounce, 21 inches long and his head was 14 inches.
It is still so amazing to me that a perfect little healthy baby can grow inside my belly.  I keep looking him over and he is just so beautiful and perfect.
The one thing I will say about having a baby at the age of 32 is that it is not at all the same as when I was younger.  I felt like I had been run over by a bus a few times for the first two weeks after I had him.  I do not have energy to wake up all night and then function during the day like it never happened.  I am feeling so old and hoping and praying that I will get back to normal and be able to get the things done that I need to do.   I have been so blessed to have so many people help me with my kids and dinners and other things.  It is always so amazing to me to see the people that care about you help you after you have a baby.  I have to say that has made me feel so loved and cared for.
I am so grateful for the people in my lives and my family.  I really do have the best parents, family and friends I could ever ask for.

My sister Annette was taking pictures for me and this was the very first picture of Max as he was coming out... I had to laugh hard when I saw this picture because all you can see is his little hand saying "hey"

first time I got to hold my little boy and look at him.   He was so funny and kept raising his eyebrows up and down.   I was a little worried because he was a little blue so I didn't get to hold him for long. 

Dad was so excited to meet his son

The girls could not be happier to meet their little brother. 

first family picture together... all but Alexis.  She was at basketball practice.

Alexis was the only one of the girls who stayed home for the weekend while the other girls went to Annettes house and grandma and grandpas house.  She was so excited to get to stay with her baby brother.

Ryan and holding Max like a football.

I am so in love with this little boy.  He is so cute!

I just want to say Thank you so much to my family and friends that has helped me out so much after I have had Max.  I am so lucky to have so many people who love me and are willing to do such amazing things for me.  After having Max I have felt so loved and cared for by the kind things that everyone has done for me and my family.  So thank you so much, it means so much to me.  

Adison

Now that we have a new baby in the home it is crazy how much it has made Adison so grown up.  She is such a funny little girl and is such a little princess.  I have to write down a few funny things about her before I forget.
So Adison is ALWAYS playing with dolls.  She is so in love with dressing them up.  She talks with them and it is so cute.  So the other day she was playing with a little set of dolls that we have that is a whole family.  (Grandparents, parents, kids and baby)  so she had the two Grandparents and the kids and says, "Grandma Grandpa, Grandma Grandpa, I need you….. Kinley's dead…… OH my gosh."  We all laughed so hard.  The way she said it was the best part, she is so dramatic and has the cutest voice.
Another funny thing that happened this past week was on Sunday all the girls were getting ready for church and Adison didn't want to miss it and was asking if she could go and I kept telling her that she needed to stay home with the baby and me.  She didn't really like that idea so she ended up getting ready on her own and when the ride came to pick the girls up she just started to go.  I said no, but then Alexis said she would take care of her….. so I let her go.  When they got to church I guess the lady that gave them a ride picked her up from out of the car and discovered that she had no underwear on….. Ryan sent me a text and told me that I had sent her to church "commando"  I guess someone had a diaper that was big enough for her and they put it on her…. but that was a little embarrassing.
Another story about Adison that is sad and cute at the same time.  She is so in love with her baby brother and is so sweet with him.  I was a little worried at first how she would be with him, but she has been great so far.  The other day Ryan and I were up in the playroom and Ryan had laid Max on the floor.  Adison didn't see him on the floor under Ryan and she ran and went to climb on Ryan's lap and accidentally stepped on Max.  It didn't hurt him… he didn't even wake up, but she felt so horrible.  She backed up and put her hands up over her mouth and said, "I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry!" and then ran to her room and just balled.   It broke my heart, but at the same time made me feel so glad that she loves her baby brother that much already.  She is such a sweetheart, and so much fun.
Adison has also started to love to dress up.  She has to wear a cardigan over her clothes no matter what she is wearing and just has her own style.  It is cute most day's but when you are going somewhere and actuarially have to be dressed…. it is a little crazy trying to get her to wear what you want her to wear.
Another thing about Adi, is she is so smart.  She has been able to say her ABC's for a while now and can count to 15 most days.  She knows her colors and can point to some letters and tell you what they are.  She loves to read stores and her favorite one right now is the three little pigs and the bad wolf.  she also loves to sing twinkle twinkle little star, I am a child of God, little moneys, and a lot of others. 
Brytlee went into her room and locked the door and Adison went to the door and knocked and sang, "Brytlee..... do you want to build a snowman"  It was so cute. 
One more thing I just remembered, the other day we were saying we were going to spank Brytlee and she was so upset and said, "no, she's my friend."  So cute
I just love the fun little stages the girls go through and love to watch them grow.  It feels like it is going way to fast.  But the then the next stage is just as fun.

Adison and her barbie.  She is playing ring around the rosie with it.

Adi and her barbie again

Adison has been such a little poser.  When she feels pretty she tells me to take her picture and then she wants 100 different pictures of herself.