LEAH LYNN

Get ready for picture overload, people! Since I’m having trouble formulating sentences on little sleep, I figured pictures could tell this story better than I could right now. Our little Leah Lynn finally decided to make her debut three days after her due date. I started having mild, regular contractions around midnight on the 27th. We had just gone to bed and I think I was in a state of disbelief/ denial, not wanting to jinx it if labor wasn’t really happening. But we took some deep breaths, gathered our bags, and were at the hospital by 2 AM. I had an epidural and they later broke my water. After that, it was game time. The midwife said I could basically laugh and the baby would pop out. So that’s what I did. Ok, not really. But with just a few pushes, Derek was scrubbed up and ready to catch our second daughter, Leah Lynn…

Sunday, December 27th
10:17 AM
8 lbs 12 oz
19 3/4 in

Familyof4

How I felt after getting the epidural…

epidural

Derek leading Mya into the delivery room to meet baby sister for the first time. These two together make my heart melt…

hallway

firstsight

dadadaughters

Mya was immediately smitten with Leah. She wants to constantly hold and kiss on her and touch her face. “I love my baby sister so much” and “She’s so precious” and “I want to say ‘hi’ to baby Leah” and “I want to keep her forever” are regular Mya moments this past week.

aerialfam

proudsis

And the grandparents were able to get some of the first snuggles too.

gg

nanapapa

On December 28th, we had the first icy snow, which meant we had a quiet day tucked away in the hospital without any visitors. So we obviously spent the day staring at our little masterpiece…

snow

sleepy

bloom2-ps

parents-ps

Since Leah weighed on the heavier side with 8 lbs 12 oz at birth, her glucose needed to be tested. The nurses poked her little heels to draw blood throughout a 24 hr period, but everything turned out to be fine.

feet

Mya had picked out Leah’s going home onesie a couple weeks ago…

hearts

We bundled her up and were ready for the short drive home…

carseatLL

And here we are three years ago(!) with Mya on our way out of the hospital…

carseatMM

When we got home, Mya gave Leah the pink “Bee” (blankie) that she had picked out for her. And even shared her own “Bee” with Leah, which is a huge deal!…

sistershome

sisterhands

sistersblankets-ps

smitten

One of the most frequent questions I’ve been getting from everyone is “Does Leah look like Mya?” We definitely see the resemblance, but to me, they’re totally different. Leah sleeps a lot more than Mya ever did. Mya weighed more than a pound less at birth at 7 lbs 10 oz. Mya had high bilirubin levels. Leah has even bigger cheeks than Mya did. But they both sneeze in twos. 😉

comparison

When Mya was born, I literally did not leave the house for four weeks. But we all knew that wasn’t going to fly this time around. Since coming home with Leah a week ago, Mya has been keeping us just as active as before. She wants the “whole family” to do everything together. One parent running errands with Mya is unacceptable. So on the first full day back home, we took our first family outing to Target (where else, amiright?!) The trip ended with a push pop getting stuck in Mya’s hair.

wholefamily

We’ve also swam at the gym, visited a friend also with a newborn, rode the carousel at the mall, had Leah’s first checkup at the pediatrician, and tried to stay sane being cooped up inside the rest of the time.

As a side note: at Leah’s first checkup at the pediatrician, she gained 10 oz in the two days post discharge. Our doc said he had never seen a baby gain that much weight so fast and that I won the prize of greatest milk supply. I translated that as winning the prize of most engorged breasts. Ouch. I didn’t receive a trophy, but I guess we have one healthy, chubby baby!

Derek goes back to work on Monday and I’m not quite sure how us three girls are going to survive without his calm and collected demeanor. But we’re taking it one day at a time and soaking up the love of our new family of four.

fabfour

You Might Also Like

13 Comments

  • Reply
    Great nana
    January 7, 2016 at 4:02 PM

    So beautiful. You four make the perfect family. Thank you for sharing the sweet story of Leah on arriving in your lives and ours. The pictures were a double bonus. Happy and healthy lives to your family. Love you😍

    • Reply
      Ashley
      January 9, 2016 at 1:08 PM

      Thanks, Gram. Life with two kids is pretty sweet… but challenging! Not sure how you juggled four!

  • Reply
    Carol
    January 7, 2016 at 4:38 PM

    I loved your story with pictures! What a wonderful family. Thank you so much for sharing!

  • Reply
    Dad
    January 7, 2016 at 5:07 PM

    Who are you why do I keep getting these annoying posts? Dad.

    • Reply
      Ashley
      January 9, 2016 at 1:06 PM

      Oh, don’t be silly, Daddio… you’ll never get out of receiving my annoying emails! ;P

  • Reply
    Jo Ann
    January 7, 2016 at 5:28 PM

    It meant a lot to see the pictures….what a super family!

    • Reply
      Ashley
      January 9, 2016 at 1:03 PM

      Hope baby Leah gets to meet you soon!

  • Reply
    Bre
    January 8, 2016 at 9:07 AM

    So much cuteness! Congratulations on another beautiful baby girl!

    • Reply
      Ashley
      January 9, 2016 at 1:02 PM

      Thanks, Bre!

  • Reply
    Sara
    January 26, 2016 at 9:43 PM

    Hi Mya and baby Leah!! It’s so great to see pictures of your new family of four! We’ve been talking about you and wishing the weather was warmer. We miss seeing you all on evening strolls. Let us know when you’re ready for guests to stop by. Your neighbors, Lilly, Sara & Jeff

    • Reply
      Ashley
      January 30, 2016 at 7:19 PM

      We would love for you to stop by! I will text you to line something up soon. 🙂

  • Reply
    Bonnie Barclay
    February 1, 2016 at 11:21 PM

    Congratulations, you have a beautiful family.

    • Reply
      Ashley
      February 4, 2016 at 10:36 PM

      Thank you, Bonnie! Hope you’re coming back to visit soon. We miss you!

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.