Graduation!

Ok so it snuck up on us but Kevin had his graduation yesterday! His school only has a ceremony in December and June so Kevin was able to walk yesterday. It was a little weird because we knew he has one more quarter but it was still very exciting. I was definitely proud to see him in the Doctorite attire! He will be Dr. Lin in no time...officially! The ceremony was very nice and Ayda did great through the whole thing. Like I have said before...she is such a trooper. Mom got her to go to sleep right before it started and she slept the whole time, which meant I was able to enjoy everything and take some photos!

The turning of the hood (I guess that is what it is called...it's what I named it!)

Receiving the diploma from the President of Life

A family picture! Kevin looked good!

Santa!!

Ayda went to see santa today! I didn't want to take her to the mall Santa...too many germs this time of year for a two week old. So a friend of mine invited us to her office where Santa would be visiting this morning. He and Mrs. Clause were more than willing to take a picture with her. I couldn't get Santa to stop looking at her and get him to look at the camera! So cute! And she did great.

And Ayda also got to enjoy her "Spa" tonight for bathtime. My mom bought her a Soothing Spa and Shower bath tub. And Ayda seemed to really like it. We started bathing her in the tub monday night after Dr. Long said she could have a real bath but we didn't have batteries to put in the thing to make the waves. Kevin stopped tonight and got some and we were set. It was the first bath Ayda did not completely scream through. And GrandPam was here to see her in her tub enjoying herself! Kevin and I may be in trouble if we have a Spa girl!! Although if I can go too I don't mind!!!

Pics as promised!

Well today has been a MUCH better day so far! I am feeling tons better and Ayda is being her cute little self. We went to Dr. Patrick again today and we are all still running clear, meaning no adjustments. Ayda gets quite a lot of attention at the office. Dr. Patrick proudly tells everyone she is his youngest patient! Here are some pics as promised! I took one yesterday and one today!

Sleeping on her boppy pillow! Her very favorite if not being held!

Chilling out in mommy and daddy's bed. She loves being there but we have transitioned her to her bassinet a few nights ago. She still wakes up around 5 or 6 and wants in the bed with us and then she will sleep till the next feeding. Totally SIDS inappropriate but we love it! She is definitely a snuggle bug!

A day of Firsts...

Well today has been interesting to say the least. Ayda and I started out by going back to the pediatrician. Her bilirubin was 17 when we went last thursday so we had to get it rechecked. I was dreading her having to get stuck again but to my joy Dr. Long said her coloring was much better and he did not feel it was needed to draw blood. YAY!!!! Then they weighed Ayda and she is 8 pounds 6 ounces. They told me to feed her over the weekend to help with her bili and so that is what i did! And 7 ounces later we are getting quite chunky. So we left there and headed home for a quiet afternoon. She slept great today and I was able to get some things done. Also her Aunt Lauren came and stayed with her so I could go to the store. So that is the first of the firsts...she was left without mommy or daddy (although daddy got home soon after I left). We also hit quite a road block with the breastfeeding. Ayda's latch is apparently not good on one side which has lead to (without being too detailed) some serious cracking issues on me. It got to the point that I cried before and during feeds that required that side. So I called a dear friend, the lactation consultant from work, and our midwife Debbie and compiled a plan. Against my wishes I pumped a feed and gave her her FIRST bottle. Ayda Grace didn't mind that one bit...as long as she is getting fed. It was harder on mommy than her. We also started using a nipple shield and again my little trooper didn't bat an eye. And that brought me so much more comfort during the feed. So the feeding situation was pretty stressful for me but I feel like we are on the right track to getting me healed. Susan a good friend is going to help me on wednesday with her latch on that side once it has healed a little bit. Say a prayer this all gets worked out!
And the last of the firsts was Ayda got to take her first "real" bath. We were signed of at the pediatrician that she can ditch the sponge baths and get in the water!!! Her cord fell off at 5 days but there was a little nub that was oozing so we had to let that clear up some. Ayda was pretty tired during bath time today but overall I think she enjoyed being in the water.
So it was quite a day in the Lin house and I am exhausted! And while all this was going on Kevin had three finals, saw patients, went to target for me, and hit the store for our small group Christmas dinner tomorrow night!
Ayda is already tucked into her bed and sacked out and that is where I am heading next! No pics today...no time! I promise to post some tomorrow or wednesday! She is getting cuter each day!

Just hanging out...

Things are going great with Ayda Grace! She is such a good baby. I have been most pleased with breastfeeding. The girl loves to eat which has made my job really easy. She eats every 2-3 hours during the day and usually about 3-3.5 at night. I was so miserable the last two weeks of pregnancy and unable to sleep so now when i get 3 hours in a row I feel like a new woman! Kevin has had a crazy couple of days with school. His last HUGE paper is due today and he has finals this week and next. So any free minute he has is with his baby girl. We are both looking forward to another quarter being over. And while he is busy with school stuff, I am just getting adjusted to mommyhood which is definitely the best thing ever! We went to the Chiropractor yesterday and we are both still clear. I am amazed that I am but so happy! No one needed an adjustment! So things at the Lin house are going great! Kevin's mom leaves tomorrow morning. It has been wonderful having her here. My mom stayed till Sunday. Having both of them made the transition so much easier for Kevin and I. We are ready though to be a family of three and I am very much looking forward to resuming life outside our home! I really have forgotten it is Christmas so Ayda is in a Christmas outfit today to get us back in the spirit!!!


Merry Christmas!!!!


Having some snuggle time with Daddy and quite content!

Why a Home Birth?!?

This is pretty long but I would love for you to read on...several people have asked about Kevin and I deciding to have our baby at home. So I'll post it here for time's sake. When we got married we had already talked about home birth vs hospital. We decided that we would have the first baby in the hospital since it would be the first and we wouldn't really know what to expect. However when we got pregant earlier this year the conversation came up and we decided we wanted to look into home birth with this baby too. So we began researching the pros and cons to both. We also feel God put another couple in our lives at just the right time who were planning to have their second baby at home in the spring. We quickly decided we wanted our baby to be born at home. And thus began a rather unconventional pregnancy. Our friends recommended a doctor and midwife to us and I immediately called. We saw Dr. Dott at 7 weeks and talked to him for a long time about us having a home birth. As a medical advisor he definitely stated the risks of doing such but also was completely ok with us planning for that if I stayed low risk the entire pregnancy. He then recommended a midwife that he has worked indirectly with and said he would follow my prenatal care if we used her. So I called her and we started our prenatal care with her at the beginning of the second trimester. We saw Debbie the most but I would go to Dr. Dott here and there so he would know things were still progressing well. It was amazing for me to see the different even in the prenatal visits with Debbie and Dr. Dott. Don't get me wrong...I loved Dr. Dott. He was so open to our decisions and encouraging that things will be fine. But to go to the office I felt like another number. At Debbie's I felt like I was a something important and that my baby was the best thing in the world.
The pregnancy went extremely well. I stayed low risk and my only complaints were those that are perfectly normal for pregnancy. At 37 weeks I had to have our house ready to go for the birth. Debbie and her two apprentices, Christie and Tia, came to the house and checked everything out. We were officially ready at that point.
And now that we have had the birth at home I can honestly say I would never do it any other way. There were plenty of skeptics that I talked to and told our reasons. Working in the NICU I was definitely given plenty of "Are you crazy?" looks. It was like people thought I should know better. My outlook though was I know too much. I have seen births in the hospital and that was not what I wanted for my baby. Not to say hospitals are bad or to have a baby in the hospital is bad. Every person has different priorities. Kevin and I wanted very certain things with our birth. We wanted our baby to come into the world in a very dim, warm room. We wanted to have the freedom for me to move around and do whatever I wanted during the labor. We wanted the baby to be born into my arms and not leave until I was ready. We didn't want the cord to be cut until it was done pulsating. And the list goes on. Sure I know several of those can be accomplished in the hospital but there is an urgency there to assess the baby on the warmer, clean the baby, etc. Not to get too graphic but our birth went exactly how I wanted it to. Our midwife was planning to let me "catch" the baby but Ayda came a little too fast so she caught her and immediately handed her to me. I also didn't have to have her on my back with my legs up and people screaming push at me. Once she was in my arms Christie checked her heart rate real quick and then left us alone. Ayda came out screaming so we knew the lungs were fine. I then moved to the bed and waited for the cord to stop pulsating. Once it did, Kevin let my mom cut the cord. Then I was able to let Ayda go straight to the breast which she did great. I was with my baby skin to skin for about an hour before they even suggested doing an exam. They were in no hurry since she was bright red/pink, breathing fine, and eating. Kevin was able to do skin to skin as well for a little while until the exam. Then I got up and took a quick shower and Christie helped Kevin get Ayda dressed and when I got back to bed she came straight back to me. And from there we were left to rest as a family. The three of us slept for about an hour but were alone for three. No one checking me, no one coming to ask questions. It was so peaceful. And since it has been wonderful to be home as I recover and Ayda gets used to the world. Breastfeeding is going so wonderful and we got a great night of sleep last night.
I know about complications that can occur but I felt the whole pregnancy and labor that Debbie had so much experience she was watching for everything. I never once worried about what if something goes wrong. We were truly blessed to have a wonderful labor (though extremely painful...I won't deny that) and delivery. So to sum it all up, the whole experience was driven by Kevin and me, not the doctors and nurses. We made decisions as we felt were needed and what was best for me and our baby at that time. We let it be a truly natural process instead of a medical procedure!
Sorry this is so long but in order to fully explain the journey we just took I can't leave out these details. I will gladly tell more as I chat with you but I thought I would put this up to share our experience. I will never forget the moment my precious daughter was born into our room with candles lit and soft music playing. The song playing when she was born was "A Household of Faith" sung by my music minister at the church I grew up in. And as we got situated in bed "Mighty to Save" by Hillsong came on. God was truly in that room as we were introduced to our baby. I would not trade that for anything, especially the fear of "what if" something goes wrong. Our family was well taken care of and I am so thankful!
Those of you who were praying for us we greatly appreciate every one lifted up. The prayers were certainly answered!!!

Pictures!!!

As Promised!!!

Introducing...

Ayda Grace Lin!!!! I'll start first by apologizing for no photos quite yet! I will do my best to get them downloaded tomorrow and up on the website. However I want to let you know our little miracle arrived this morning at 815!!! She weighs 8pounds4ounces and is 21 inches long. A bit bigger than I expected but she is stinking cute! And as I wished the entire pregnancy she has a head full of black hair!!! So far she has shown us quite a personality. Not much warning when she wants something so we quickly try to figure out what it is she wants. She is super cuddly as she is snuggled with Daddy right now. The labor went beautifully and Kevin and I were shown so much about our Lord, community, and each other. I could not have gone through that without him or the Lord. And the prayers of our community meant the world to us and we felt them. So now we have the amazing opportunity to rest in the comforts of our home and recover from a long night. We truly value everyone's support, encouragement, prayers, etc. We can't wait for everyone to meet our little girl! And pics will come soon I promise!!!

An update on...waiting...

Ok so it has been awhile since I last posted. Perhaps because I was hoping there would be a little one to introduce you to. But the little one has decided my uterus is a perfectly fine home and is staying put. I hit the 39 week mark yesterday so really I have one more week to go before officially being able to complain. BUT the 38th week proved to be quite uncomfortable and the 39th has not been any better. I am just praying the baby comes before the due date for my sanity but I am losing hope with each passing day.
So on a different note, Kevin and I enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving here in Altanta. My brother's family came into town and it was so nice to have so much time with them. Usually our time with them and the kids is a quick day trip to Biringham or they come here for a visit and kevin and I are busy with previous obligations and can grab dinner. This weekend we had two full days with them. My youngest niece even let us play with her which was such a treat (she is usually glued to my sister-in-law's hip)! We followed tradition on Friday and mom, allison and I hit the mall at 5AM for some Black Friday festivities. Yes, at 39 weeks pregnant and no sleep I let the tradition live on. There was some hidden motivation that maybe all the walking would send me into labor, but instead I was completely exhausted and had swollen ankles at the end of the day!!! We had fun regardless! Then Saturday Kevin whipped up another one of his famous Turkeys!!! It was so yummy! So overall the weekend was wonderful and we are truly thankful for so much this year! Hopefully soon I will have pictures of our latest addition to the family!