Going Home

There is nothing like "home." As great as our stay was at Brookwood, we were anxious to get home to our other two children and start this new journey. 

One last hospital picture in front of our absolutely adorable door hanger. This was made by our friend, Jessica Bordas who is oh so talented and crafty...we love it!

 Kai all snugged into her carseat that looks like it is about to swallow her up.

 At home we found big brother and big sister playing with their "babies". Haha. So funny. 

Visitors

We felt completely loved by the amount of people who came to meet Kai at the hospital and at our home within the first few days. We even were able to see some of our good friend's that live out of town, which was such a treat.

The Bordas'

Part of our Small Group...

The Bean's

The Scott's

The Pittman's live in Louisville, but were in Bham for a basketball game the weekend after Kai was born. Perfect timing!?! I think YES! 

The King's lived with us overseas in Jordan and are now in Louisiana. They were in town for a conference so it was so great catching up with them and meeting their newest son, Andrew.

                           

Estella and her beautiful girl, Isabella, were in Bham for her husband's work for a few days. Estella and I went to college together and were in the same sorority. I hadn't seen Estella since I graduated in 2006. 

The Whitaker's (Linds and I swapped babies for the pic)

Meeting Baby Sister

We couldn't wait to get Micah and Jordan up to the hospital to meet their newest sister. Micah definitely knew what was going on, but I think Jordan was clueless as to the big change about to take place in our family. Even though we'd talked and talked about baby Kai, nothing can quite prepare their little minds for reality :) 

They were excited to meet her, but I'd say Jordan was more excited to see her Mommy. Ha. There were some really sweet moments of them together and then a bit of jealousy took place as Jordan tried to push Kai out of a few pictures. Uh oh... 

It's now been a few weeks since Kai's birth, and I have to say Kai has the two BEST big siblings she could ask for. They are loving, helpful, playful, and fun. We are doing great.

Family of FIVE. 

Opening their gifts from "Kai" :)

A new baby doll and bath tub for Jordan...

...and a Star Wars figurine and light saber for Micah. 

I couldn't pass up posting these sweet pictures.

Welcome, Kai Elizabeth Akin

On February 16, 2012 we welcomed our precious little girl, Kai, into the world. After having lots and I mean LOTS of false contractions for a few weeks, we decided to go ahead and let me be induced a few days early. The contractions would be about 10 minutes apart for 9 hours and then just STOP. Seriously!?! Some were painful, some weren't. The worst part is that most of them started in the evening and then would keep me up alllllll night. I'm getting more sleep now with a new born then I did the last few weeks of pregnancy. Ha. This also allowed my parents to arrive beforehand and be with me during my delivery, which was such a blessing.

I was a bit worried about an induction, but let me tell ya, it was the easiest labor yet. Maybe because of all the annoying "helpful" contractions, or maybe just because it's the 3rd child and the other two did all the work ;) We arrived at the hospital at 6:30am. My doctor came and broke my water at 7:20 and then the nurse started my pitocin. After receiving my epidural around 10:45am I felt loopy so the nurse encouraged me to get some rest while I could. Right when I got comfortable, the nurse kept telling me to change positions from one side to the other about every two minutes. NOT RESTFUL! She then told me that she needed to check me because the monitor was showing some variability and head compression. Well, when she checked me she could see Kai's head...so no wonder there was "head compression" showing. Haha. We patiently waited for my doctor to arrive and at 11:34am Kai made her debut. So yes, I'll take four hours of labor anytime! 

Here is my last fully belly pic...

My "pushing" gift from my sweet Momma and Daddy. "Kai" lotion, candle, and perfume. Oh, so perfect! If you haven't tried this "Kai" scent before, you definitely should. It's one of my favs!

No better way to keep your mind off contractions then straightening your Mom's hair. Right? Ha. Once her hair was finished I opted for my epidural ;)

Epidural in and it's game time. 

She's here!!! Kai Elizabeth Akin born at 11:34am, 6lbs 8oz, and 20 1/2 inches.

Proud Poppi and GiGi.

A huge thanks to the Bordas' for watching our other two children so my parents could be there with me! Ya'll are the best.

Baby Shower and...

...a much needed girls night :) This past Wednesday our other Small Group through me a wonderful baby shower. I hadn't seen these girls in awhile, and they are precious to me. I've missed them! 

The night was perfect. First we met at a restaurant in Homewood called Jackson's and enjoyed catching up. The place was packed downstairs, but thankfully we had the entire upstairs to ourselves, which made it easy to have real conversations.

Then we headed over to one of the girl's houses for gifts and desserts. They spoiled me and everything was so girly and fun. The decorations were too cute and one of my friend's made these absolutely delicious strawberry and cream cheese cupcakes. They were bite size, so I didn't feel so bad eating a few ;) I received some baby essentials and some new adorable outfits--which is always so fun!

I'm beyond thankful for these women as they all point me closer to our Lord and Savior. I left feeling so encouraged, loved, and refreshed. Thank you girls, I love each of you!

False Alarm

Last Monday I woke up at 5am to contractions which pretty much lasted throughout the entire day. They never really hurt though and eventually just stopped at 11pm that night. My sweet parents decided to come in town just in case and they even left sunny Florida for this false alarm. Oops. To say I felt horrible is an understatement!! We had a great couple days together and they were a huge help getting final things ready for the baby. Extra hands are always needed and so appreciated too. Since then, I've had some much less consistent contractions throughout the week. I know my body is just preparing for the real thing and I'm doing my best to trust in God's perfect timing as well as soak up these last moments as a family of four. 

Surprise Baby Shower

This past week our Small Group completely surprised us with a baby shower for our little girl. We had a wonderful evening of snacks and delicious cake, followed by gifts, and then our normal Bible study. They even thought of Micah and Jordan and bought them "big bro" and "big sis" shirts--which we can't wait to see them in soon. It was such an encouraging night and we so appreciate their excitement as we wait for our girl to be born. They are such a blessing and we are so thankful the Lord has brought us all together. 

37 weeks