Just about 3 weeks old

Landon and sweet Sofie - never intimidating to kids, just likes to lay next to them

Hudson and daddy

picture a) Mommy and Landon . Does he look like Hudson?

picture b) mommy and Hudson in 2009

Landon, drinking more than mommy's boobies can provide, hence the bottle and formula

Full with milk...and out!

Sandi Purinton is a photographer who took our Christmas 2011 pictures, and came back to take Landon's new born pictures. Here are some of them (sunshineandsmilesphotography.blogspot.com)

Hi everyone!

Well, the excuse I'm using for not writing frequently is this: having 2 kids is much busier than having 1!

Having said that, we're doing well and hanging in there. A big reason we're surviving is because of my mom and Nicole's mom. My mom is staying with us for a few weeks, and I always feel bad at first because I feel like she's doing all the work for us - cooking, cleaning, getting up at 4am to feed Landon to let us sleep, watching the kids so we can "getaway" for a meal or a break. Eventually I realize, this is exactly her point - to do these things for us to make it easier for us! We are truly grateful. In the meantime, Barbara, who lives down the street from us, and who has been watching Hudson every day from 4pm until we get home from work, is always dropping by with things we need from the store, or to introduce a friend of hers who made us food (and we barely knew them!), or to put in a load of laundry. So we're very lucky, quite spoiled, and glad we have you guys!

Speaking of being spoiled, we have had just an outpouring of friends who have made food for us since Landon has been born. Which is perfect timing, because prior to Landon, I was working so hard I was skipping meals and getting really skinny. Now my pot belly has come back! I want to send a shout out to all of you who sent meals. Get a load of this spread:

Carmen and Arun (our neighbors, and Arun went to med school with me): a potato soup and homemade cookies

Ben and Jen (one of my groomsmen): sandwich spread from Candler Park Market

Nataly and Denis (our neighbors): fresh pasta with homemade meatballs and sauce, homemade chocolate cake, salad, and a bottle of wine

Jeannie and Katie (Nicole's aunt and cousin): 5 lasagnas!

Stephanie (Nicole's friend in PA school): key lime pie...but in return likes to get her Hudson fix =)

Barbara and Dow (Nic's mom and boyfriend): risotto with veggies and salad with homemade dressing

Jamie (Nic's friend from work): 1) lots of snacks on the day of delivery, 2) chicken pasta and salad

Josh and Amy (cardiology co-fellow and wife): breakfast from Flying Biscuit

Mary (Barbara's church friend, we may have met her once?!): homemade BBQ chicken, potatoes, and green beans

Jessica and Mike (our neighbors, and pediatricians, so we mooch off of them!): Lasagna and salad

Kristy (Nic's friend from work, and our neighbor): Fellini's pizza and salad

Can you say leftovers!! Thanks to all of you!

And thank you to so many others who have stopped by, gave so many gifts, and just spreading the love to Landon and Hudson.

Landon's last checkup was at 2 1/2 weeks old, and he weighs 9lb 1/2oz - everything is about 50th percentile. I'm thinking his star sport will be tennis...

Hudson has picked up a new hobby- riding Marta (the Atlanta transit system). Only $2.50 gives him loads of fun riding the city bus and the subway!

Write more soon,

Alan

Linsanity

Look what arrived in the mail for me! I definitely came down with a big case of Linsanity when Jeremy Lin was red hot. Nicole special ordered this shirt for me...unfortunately, now that it has arrived, Lin and the knicks are ice cold.

I was a Tebow fan, mainly because he played and won on sheer willpower...no talent at all. However Lin is actually talented, and Asian American, so I'm still bonkers over him. I continue to check his stats and cheer on the Knicks just because I want to see him succeed.

Now several people have already commented on how big Landon's hands are. Perhaps he will be the next Asian-American superstar athlete! I'm thinking soccer, or tennis, or baseball.

I will begin sporting my Linsanity t-shirt proudly!

3 days old

Landon is 3 days old now and such a cutie. We think he's handsome. We've had Jeannie and Katie in town, helping us with baby stuff and household chores. My sister Jenny and her kids Tyler and Kaelyn just arrived and will be around this weekend. And of course Barbara and Dow have been around and helping out. Its nice to have help.

One thing proving to be similar with our newborn experiences is breast feeding. Yes, the all natural way to feed your child just doesn't come easy with us. Landon has done a lot better - he actually latches and sucks, whereas Hudson just never did. However, Nicole's milk supply, we think, seems to be less than what we commonly hear about breast feeding moms. This also happened with Hudson's time. It may be early, but this process sure can be frustrating and discouraging. However, if breast feeding is the only trouble Landon has as a child, then I guess we'll take it. Hudson has been fantastic, yet never breast fed, and if Landon ends up following in his footsteps than I'll still be a very happy dad.

Here are some more pictures of Landon:

Landon Robbie Cheng

Welcome to the world Landon Robbie Cheng

Born March 12, 2012 at 2:51pm

8lbs 6oz

21 inches long

Didn't make a peep coming out, just with open eyes and curiosity!

My wife is my hero!!! 3 pushes and out!

2:30pm

10 cm!!!! Head is visible!!!

After the epidural, we were just bee-bopping along. Just in the last 5 minutes, Nicole told me that it feels different, like she has some increasing pressure. But she's just sitting there, smiling and talking. So the nurse checks her, and she says..."well, I feel the head!"

Here is what Nicole looks like at 10cm:

We're gonna be pushing soon - wish us luck!!!

1:30pm

Well, Nicole's contractions got A LOT stronger with the pitocin at 12mU/min and her water broken. They were coming every 1.5-2 minutes and pretty intense. Around 12:30, we gave in and called for the epidural. She went from incredible pain to smiling and happy within 10 minutes.

She's 4.5 cm now, and we're just hanging out...comfortably! She's about to take a nap actually. This epidural stuff is incredible!

9:30am

So we are moving along...Dr. Roberts says, lets go ahead and break your water!

Water broken, "feels like warm water running from a faucet into a puddle under my butt"

Pitocin off temporarily to see what happens.

Nicole, eyebrows raised.

Lets get the show on the road

Well, no real labor over the weekend, so we're in the hospital now...going to get induced today!


Nicole's feeling well, still with some mild irregular contractions and pressure. I had the feeling baby Cheng #2 would be stubborn and wait until we made him come out!


We are at Piedmont Hospital, the hospital where Nicole works, so we're in familiar territory. I've got my computer and music, Nicole's got her People magazine, so we're ready! Here she is, getting an IV, all smiles.





I think Hudson will be a good big brother. Last night I was laying with him...my last night with just 1 son. I was asking him if he was ready. I think he is. He says "I am going to hold him. I am going to read to him and help give him his nai-nai (milk). I'm a big brother!" And then he head-butted me, and it didn't hurt him but it hurt me, and he started rubbing my head and said "It will get better daddy."

Pitocin stated around 8:30 am, started at 8 milliunits (mu)/min, now 12 mu, which has kicked in some minor contractions. Will keep you updated!

=)

Not much action

4:22pm Saturday

Seems like contractions come and go every 6 to 8 minutes, but aren't too intense. No baby yet! On Thursday Nicole was dilated 3cm and had her membranes stripped...the doctor said she'd have that baby by 10pm...but its Saturday now. He'll probably be stubborn like his brother Hudson, who waited until 41 weeks, and then waited for 10 hours on pitocin before starting to move.

It's so funny how the second time around we are much more non-chalant. We waited forever to get baby's room ready, and we just packed a bag Thursday. We haven't cleaned any bottles yet, and the crib is set up but still acting as "storage". We haven't read a single page of a book to prepare ourselves...unlike the many books we read before Hudson. I heard the second kid is like a second-class citizen sometimes!

Well, to update you on other tidbits in our lives, Nicole is officially on maternity leave from her job as a liver surgery and liver transplant physician assistant at Piedmont Hospital. She takes care of transplant patients! How cool! I'll be finished with my second year of cardiology fellowship and will start my third and FINAL year of training (all together, 11 years of medical training). I just found out I will be one of 2 chief fellows at Emory cardiology - what an honor! Hudson is doing really well - I think he is excited about being a big brother...when we talk about it he seems to like the idea...although we'll see if he walks the walk. He's getting so big - he'll be 3 in June, and will be starting preschool in the fall. Barbara is doing fantastic...we believe she's cancer free and living life fully and loves being Hudson's "Baba", right down the street!

Aarish is getting married soon...his bachelor party is in Vegas! By the way, for any wives or girlfriends out there, would you let your husband/sig other go to Vegas for a bachelor party??? =)

More updates soon...

2 years later

Well hello again. I can't believe its been over 2 years since my last post. A lot has happened. Why am I writing now? Well, because we're expecting another child. In fact, Nicole is already over 3 cm dilated, 50% effaced, and had her membranes stripped yesterday.

Our next baby boy (name to be announced when he's born) is supposed to be due March 15th. We are scheduled to be induced March 12th, if we make it that far. We are all doing well, and I think Hudson wants to be a good big brother, so we'll see how it goes.

I will use this blog to keep you updated of the pregnancy and delivery! Its funny to read the comments from the last one (06/2009).

Here are some recent pictures of Hudson:

At the "mountain house" for Thanksgiving in Clayton, GA

Centennial Park, Christmas 2011

My new bike from Pop Pop for Christmas

Starting early

I'm a nerd

Love, Nicole and Alan