Meet our little girl!
Lydia Joy Lin was born promptly on her due date: Friday, September 4th at 6:08pm. She is 7lbs, 15oz, 21 3/4 inches, with a 83 percentile head courtesy of Alvin 🙂 Her Chinese name is 林蒂雅喜樂, Lin Di Ya Xie Le- Lin is our family name (which in Chinese names always comes first), Di means “firm foundation” and Ya means “graceful,” and Xie Le is her middle name, meaning “joyful.” We pray that she will always have firm gracefulness and joyfulness in the face of whatever life brings, spreading that joy to all around her.
God was with us every step of her labor and delivery, and we saw answered prayer after answered prayer through it all. My mom got to come and be a part of stage 1 of labor with me at home which meant the world to me since she wasn’t allowed into the hospital due to COVID restrictions. Our nurses were amazing, and the ones we weren’t completely vibing with were quickly rotated out to help others, being replaced with even better nurses (the nurse with us when Lydia came was actually half Asian, and really excited to meet Lydia!). My doc came on call just in time, and was able to deliver Lydia like we hoped. I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to push well with an epidural, but Lydia came after pushing just short of an hour! Our overall labor was long, but God carried us through, giving us peace at every turn, and at the end we got to meet our little girl!
As the week has gone on, we’ve found ourselves falling more and more in love with our little Lydia. She loves sleeping with her hands near her face, blowing out her diaper, sucking her thumb, and just being cute. She had a tongue tie, and this week we got it clipped- she was a champ through the appointment and will hopefully nurse better because of it. Two nights ago she gifted us with a 5 hour straight sleep stretch, and we were so grateful!
And Alvin? He’s been an amazing partner through it all. He was 100% with me in the ups and downs of labor, supporting each decision, and literally supporting my legs as I pushed. Since then, he’s run countless errands between our bedroom and the kitchen for late night snacks, ice packs, and all the things- taking care of Lydia and I as I heal and recover. He’s the best. He’s mastering the diapering game, cooing over her constantly, and taking so many photos and videos of her (he never took photos before- always leaving that to me, but now he’s taking them constantly and proudly sharing her with the world). She’s totally wrapped around his finger.
Thank you for sharing our joy and celebrating this sweet little girl with us! We have been so touched by all the comments, calls, and care you’ve shown! It takes a village, and ours is a particularly special one. Enjoy our self-timer photos from the hospital!
Love,
Sarah
