Baby Lin's Mini Van

Yesterday we picked up our minivan we purchased on Friday. Mimi and I have been looking for a while, and it was pretty amazing how God led us to make this purchase and deal. A few months back we looked at the 2008 Honda Odyssey in Redwood City. At that time we we're only looking at the deals Costco was offering and they were not bad. We worked with Pam who was not a high pressured sales woman, and Mimi and I were very happy to work with her. We decided back in September to just ice the deal since we both felt that we would be able to manage with our current vehicles.



Then the economy started to tank and we heard that car dealerships were going under everywhere. Toyota and Honda coporations were also taking large hits, with their stock dropping by almost half since a year ago. With the economy in such hard times, we figured maybe this would be a good time to strike a bargain with the dealerships. So off we went on Black Friday to go find ourselves a deal.



We first went to the Toyota dealership in Palo Alto and talked to Kevin who allowed us to test drive the Sienna on our own. The test drive was good, the Sienna was a comporable ride to the Odyssee, and the one feature we liked that the Odyssey did not have was the power lift gate which would make putting things in and out of the back a lot easier, especially for Mimi. The only thing the Sienna did not have was the camera in the back so that you can see what is behind you when backing up. We had a fairly nice chat with Kevin and essentially said what was the lowest deal he could give us if we were to purchase this weekend. He said he could knock off a few hundred dollars, but in the end, he did not give us a price that we would feel comfortable with purchasing at that very moment.



So then, we left and on the way home I asked Mimi if we could stop by the Honda Redwood City dealer. She was tired and did not want to do much of the talking, but finally agreed to go. We stopped by and tried to find Pam, but she was busy with another customer. We got put with Sheila who showed us the car. Now when we got there, the interesting thing was I asked if they had any 2008 Odyssey models. She said that in fact there was one more, it was driven by the general manager to Auburn where he lives so there were roughly 3000 miles on it, and that it was the last one they had on the lot. I was actually surprised that they had any 2008 models left considering the Odyssey was one of the best selling minivans around.



We decided to definitely look at this one and if we did not like it we would look at the 2009. We test drove it and it was fine. Looking around inside it was a little dirty, but nothing a good cleaning would not take care of. We found a baby passifier in the car, so clearly some baby had used it. Overall, it was a fine looking vehicle with some minor repairs like the side mirrors not working or the remotes not being programed.



So after test driving the car and feeling that it was good, then came the time to deal. We sat with Sheila for almost three hours going back and forth. The car was invoiced at $30,092 and then there was the $3500 savings on the 2008 models. So then we were down to $26,592. I then asked how much lower she could go and she said if we were serious about buying the car tonight she might be able to take a hundred or two off the price. (Typical car salesman response.) I said that would not do it, and that if we were serious there would have to be more to offer. She came back and said if we were "really" serious, she would knock off up to $500 off the price. That would then bring the car cost down to $26,092. After looking at this number and keeping quiet, I finally told myself, "Go for the price that would make you walk out this door." So I said, I would walk out this door with that car for $25,000. Sheila looked at me and said "Do you want me to be fired". I said to her, "Hey, what do I have to loose? I've got the money to buy it but I'm also not in a desperate need for the car, so here is my offer." She took it back to her manager and came back with another offer of $25, 742. I was intrigued and complimented her on coming ever so close to what I was looking for. I also said that it was not enough. I asked her what was the price to walk out the door with that price just placed on the table, which then would include tax and title fees. She said it would be $28, 180. I said to myself, this is definitely under the invoice of most places and much less than we would pay for any other minivan out there today, especially a 2009 model. It has nearly 3000 miles on it, but that is the bargaining feature for us. Also, the Odyssey itself was something that I think Mimi and I both liked, so maybe this would be the best time to pick this car up and make the deal.



So now I can tell that Sheila is really into the bargaining and she knows the deal will be made tonight. I also knew that this was going to happen and I really felt in the groove of the "let's make a deal" game we were having. So in my last attempt to get as much as I could, I said to her, "Let's just make the out the door price a nice round number." I originally was going to ask her for $150 off the asking price, but when I saw that we were at $28, 180 I said, "Sheila, let's just make it a round number of $28,000. She went back to her manager and came back saying she wanted our trade in as well. I said what does the trade in have to do with the final offer since it was not something that I had included with the final offer. I had a puzzled look and then she stuck out her hand and she said, congratulations, you now are the owners of the 2008 Silver Honda Odyssey.

Needless to say, I was a little surprised that we had won. We got it for just a little above the price that we were looking for, and in the end, we had the minivan. I suspect that their sales had been slow and for them, making a sale would have been a very good thing that night. They also knew that we were pretty serious about buying a car, coming in with our research and all, so they worked hard to make it happen as well. We did not drive it off the lot that day, but picked it up the next after they had finished detailing the car.

The funny thing is that when we went to pick up the car the next day, Mimi and I got into a car we thought was ours and started checking all the things that were wrong with it like the mirrors not moving. We tried the air conditioning, the radio, power doors. I mean, this car looked exactly like the one we were going to get, from the color outside and inside to the floor mats. Then Mimi, who was in the driver's seat, looked at the console and said, "Hey, there is a button for the rear power tailgait". I was a little surprised because I knew that our 2008 Odyssey did not come with that, but the 2009 models did. Mimi pressed the button, and I looked back and realized that if the hatch opened all the way, it would hit the wall. I quickly said, "Hit the button again, its gonna hit the wall"! She did and it stopped and then we were seriously puzzled. We stopped the car, got out, looked around, and said to each other, "Is this our car?" Then Mimi said to turn on the ignition and look at the miles on the car. Sure enough, the car only had 13 miles, which then told us that we had the wrong car. We were pretty excited that maybe, just maybe, we got the car with the rear power tailgait lift. That would have been awesome. We eventually found our car, which they brought out later after detailing it. In the end, we got our new ride and she was pretty as can be.

And that is our new car story.... for new baby Lin.

First Entry

Today is Sunday May 4th and Mimi is 6 weeks and 2 days pregnant. This is my chronicle of the prenatal period.

To give some background, we were pregnant back in November 2007. I remember it clearly. She got up in the middle of the night to pee, and I suggested she do a pregnancy test. She was having symptoms consistent with pregnancy. When I got up in the morning, she had left the stick on the edge of the sink and I saw that there were two lines, indicating pregnancy. I was so estatic and overjoyed. I woke her up and had to ask her just to make sure that what I was reading was right, we were pregnant.

To make a long story short, we went in for our first ultrasound on December 4 and we found out the baby was non-viable. There was no heart beat. The feeling I had was just terrible. I felt surreal, almost outside of my body when the ultrasound tech was telling me that there was no heart beat. Mimi actually handled it better than I did at that moment, keeping herself very cool and controlled. I guess this was one moment when I could not stuff my feelings of sadness, grief, and anger.

Two days later we had the D&C which was a painful procedure for Mimi, both physically and emotionally. It is something that any couple wanting children should never have to experience. It was just horrible.

So bringing us now to present day, we were able to successfully get pregnant and she is not just over 6 weeks pregnant. This is the early stages and a renewed sense of joy comes over both of us. At the same time, there is a sense of fear. Fear of loosing another baby. Fear of having another miscarriage. Fear of having to undergo another D&C. Fear of going through the process of grief and loss.

As I think about the fears, I'm told by many that there is very little we can do. Of course there are the normal things any pregnany mother should do. Avoid certain foods. Take all the prenatal vitamines required. Exercise when possible. Stay healthy. Take lots of rest when she can. However, in the end, what is the one factor that will make this baby healthy and eventually mature into a loving child of ours. That answer is simply, God.

Ever since we knew Mimi was pregnant, we have been praying daily for a healthy baby. This is our one request to God and I pray that He will grant us this prayer. I try to understand that the last baby did not make it might have been a blessing for us because maybe the baby would not have been healthy and God did not find it to be our time. Maybe God wanted to continue to prepare us to be Godly parents and in the process helped us understand how precious life is as well as how frail. In any case, I am convinced that the small life we had growing inside of Mimi before is now with God in heaven.

We are now looking forward to this new life given by God. I guess one might say that I have a lot of fears, and I admit that I do. In the same regard, this challenges my faith in God all the more, and I will continue to look to Him for strength.

As for my wife, she is all the more beutiful when she is pregnant. This morning, I sit with a cup of coffee in hand thinking of her over the past week. This has been one of the most difficult weeks I have seen her go through. This is the woman who faced medical school and residency, sucking it up when she had to be up for nearly 36 hours straight. This is the girl who can seem as tough as nails and independent to the core.

Being pregnant is quite different for her. She has felt so sick that even I have never seen her this sick before. She constantly felt nausious, vomiting in the evening, particularly when brushing her teeth. She has had little to no energy for anything. To take a 15 minute walk was a lot for her. Her one week off between hospital duties was spent resting on the bed or the sofa with a little plastic cup by her side for when she vomits.

For both of us, the fear of the health of this new baby weighed heavily on our minds. Last Friday, May 2, was our first ultrasound. We both were nervous, but when they did it, we could see the little blob that was our baby. The most amazing thing was seeing something the size of a pea on the ultrasound machine as it moved in a constant rhythm. That was out little baby's heart beating. I was sitting next to Mimi and this took place, and she reached over to hold my hand. She layed there and I sat with her in awe of being able to see our healthy baby building itself into a fully grown baby. It was just amazing. Simply amazing. Our first thoughts when she ultrasound tech walked out of the room was "Praise God"! We were so happy and Mimi even said later that she wanted to cry when she saw the baby's heart beating.

I guess to close out this first entry, I just want to say that we are blessed by God. This baby is one that we would like to honor God with, as godly parents, and we continue to lift this baby into God's hands. I know that one day, baby Lin may read this and I hope you do. I also hope that you can understand how much we love you and hope that you will understand how much God loves you. Baby Lin, stay healthy and we're looking forward to seeing you come into this world on your expected due date, December 25, 2008.