The Baby is Here!!!

OK, a little late as usual, but better late than never. Our little Jin-Su Rhys Woo was born on Wednesday, January 11, 2012 at 9:07am. He was 7 lb 2.5 oz and 20.75 inches long. I did about 3 hours of hard labor (the kind that feels like a knife is being twisted inside you - sorry, it's the only way to describe it) and pushed for 7 minutes and he was out. :) And he's PERFECT!!! I got my wish, he is an exact replica of his daddy, so sweet. I'm so in love with our little boy, and I can't even begin to describe how much deeper my love for Woo is. He has given me the most amazing gift I've ever been given, our beautiful son.

My Mom got in that very night from Hawaii, so she missed the actual birth but was right on time to be the first family member to welcome our little Jin-Su to the world.

So, the birth story, if you're interested...

I started feeling contractions Tuesday night, the 10th, at 11:33pm. They were roughly 30 minutes apart and a little inconsistent so I slept for a bit but wasn't able to sleep through them by around 1am. Woo was still at work and I didn't want to panic him so I labored at home for that time, showered and breathed, trying to remember all my relaxation techniques. By the time he got home around 3:30am, my contractions were about 2 or 3 minutes apart and lasting about a minute each. We left for the hospital and got there roughly around 4, which is when they confirmed that I was about 7 cm dilated, about 80% effaced, and water still in tact. I went as long as I could without an epidural or pain killers but by around 6am and 8 cm dilated, I was finding it difficult to stand and not pass out from the pain. The nurse set me up with an IV drip with Stadol, which took the edge off (significantly less sharpness to the pain) but I still felt every contraction. I took an epidural about half an hour into the IV drip because the drip would last for an hour and I would only be allowed one more dose of Stadol if I wanted to go that route. By this point I was exhausted. After the epidural was in I passed out and slept until around 8, which is when our doctor was supposed to be there. The nurse had me do a "practice" push while we waited for the doctor but she saw the top of Jin's head even with that practice push so she had me stop. The doctor ended up getting there right before 9 and I dozed on and off for that last hour. I started pushing at 9 and Jin was out by 9:07. Our Doctor, Dr. Tamanaha (which we love, by the way, and who happens to be from Hawaii) had Jon pull Jin out and lay him on my stomach, and Jon cut the cord, of course. :)

Jin wasn't on my stomach for very long when the nurse whisked him away to the back of the room with another nurse and they started working over him feverishly. Dr. T tried to reassure us and let us know that baby had some blockage in his airways and that when babies come out that quickly, sometimes it doesn't allow for the birth canal to naturally express the fluids in their mouth and lungs and they can be a little shocked and have trouble breathing. Jin was turning blue quickly and the nurses actually paged the head nurse with a "code" something or other. I was trying not to panic and I could see Woo's face drop. Even now as I type I'm tearing up at how scared I realize that I was, but in those moments I fought with everything in me to stay calm and be strong for Woo, as I'm sure he was also doing for me. When Jin finally coughed and started to cry, I felt like a physical weight had been lifted off my chest and I remember closing my eyes and saying "Thank you God". They got him cleaned up and brought him to me naked to lay against my bare chest. I can't even begin to describe how amazing that felt. I realized at that moment that I was born for this very moment in my own life, to be the mother to this most amazing little being that has forever stolen my heart. To see Woo hold him later after everyone had cleared out and left our new little family to the quietness of that room was so fulfilling and beautiful. I have never been more proud and more touched. Thank you God for my greatest gifts.

So here's our new little family: the only man who knows what my heart feels like from the inside, and the only man who knows my heart. I love these two with all that I am.

Long Overdue Update :)

Wow, where to even begin. Since my last post, we've had our baby shower; we got through the holidays; I almost lost my Mom to heart failure and she had open heart surgery as a result (she's doing much better now...more to come); I flew to Hawaii to be with my Mom for all that; we moved; AND I'm still pregnant! It's been crazy.

First things first - the baby! Today's my second due date (two different doctors, one said the 4th, one said the 10th) and still no real signs of labor. We saw the doctor yesterday and he "swept my cervix" which was really painful and resulted in a minor cramp last night that got me all excited and then was gone. Too funny. I guess Jin will come on his own time, and this is good practice in patience as new parents. I just want to see his face and be able to finally hold him. And I want him off my pelvic bones and bladder.

Woo has been Woo - you know, AMAZING. He's been working hard to set up the nursery. In fact, we'd been tossing around the idea of buying a decal/mural thingy to put on the wall and today while I was at work, he decided to just paint one. Check it out:



I was floored at how great it turned out. Woo is so phenomenally talented, and it's exactly what I had envisioned. He painted the walls the other day, and has been working on a ceiling piece with greens and whites and blues made of paper lanterns. I really haven't had to do anything. I got home from work last week Wednesday and he'd done about 90% of moving us out of our apartment and into the house we moved into. I am in awe of him, he's good to me in a way that I just didn't understand any one person could be to another.

My Mom has been doing really, really, really well, which is another huge thing I'm so thankful for. On just this past Thanksgiving day, her heart stopped twice and she had to be resuscitated and brought back to life both times. I'd never felt so helpless. Woo saw that and rushed to help me make arrangements to get to Hawaii (where she was) the very next day, and when I arrived she was still in surgery to repair the ruptured artery that was causing internal bleeding, and thus causing her heart to stop. Three days after that surgery, she underwent open-heart surgery to perform the double-bypass that was causing the blockage that caused the ruptured artery in the first place. It was the scariest thing I've ever been through, but she was so strong and her courage was contagious. Her faith never faltered and because of it, I was reminded of the kind of legacy that my Mother has passed to me as an individual. She's one of the bravest people I know; in fact, she comforted us more than we did her.

So the greatest news is that she is healing really well, and that her doctor cleared her last week to travel, so she arrives here tomorrow night! I'm excited to see her, and so abundantly thankful that my little Jin will get to know his Grandma Fono. I don't know how I would have been able to bring my first child into this world without my Mom still in it, so I'm thanking God that I'm not being asked to do that. Here's a photo from the night before her bypass, and one from her first walk, the day right after surgery. She never stopped being cheerful and encouraging, and her doctors were amazed at how quick her recovery process was. I'm so proud of her!

When I got home after 9 days in Hawaii (during which my Mom was already discharged from the hospital), I arrived right in time for our baby shower on December 4th which our great friends Shannon, Kiernan, G, Cody, Pat, Rachael and Duane threw for us. I had such a good time, and I couldn't believe how much stuff we got! We got a million diapers, a ton of books, and everything on our registry that a baby could possibly need to get through it's first years of life. It was so touching. Here's a photo that I ended up using in our first-ever Christmas card:

Then we also got some pregnancy photos done. Here's one of our favorites, which also ended up on the Christmas card:

Isn't it sweet? Jin is going to love his Daddy, he's got the best one in the world. :)

Ok, I've got a ton more updates to come (and hopefully one about a baby having been born between this post and the next one). Love you all, family and friends...night-night!