She's here!

I have to make this short so I'll just copy & paste a couple of things. First and foremost - Bini has arrived! M's version:

From: Mike Plas
Sent: Thursday, April 03, 2008 3:11 PM
To: 'Joy Plas'
Subject: Siena Pics!

Hi Everyone!

For those of whom we haven’t spoken to just yet, Siena Francesca Soriano Plas was born this morning at 6:09am! She’s 19” long and weighs 5 pounds, 14 ounces. The delivery was a breeze for Joy and Siena. We left our home around 2am, arrived at Cedars Sinai around 2:30, checked into our first pre-natal room and hooked Joy up to an IV. We were barely there for 15 minutes when we were moved into a beautiful delivery room with a night-time view of the Hollywood Hills.

After Joy was administered an epidural, she and I both napped for about 90 minutes (well, me more than her!). We awoke around 5:50am to the delivery nurse telling us that Joy was just about ready to give birth. Our doctor arrived and prepared Joy for delivery. I was crying so hard I could barely see but with one push by Joy, Siena was born and rushed into her mother’s arms! It was the MOST beautiful thing I’ve ever witnessed in my 42 years. Simply amazing.

After about 45 minutes, Siena and I went to the nursery for her shots and a check up by the pediatrician. The doc gave her a “10 out of 10” for health! She cried briefly as she was being bathed, but every time I touched her hand, she stopped crying. I spent the next two hours and forty minutes holding her in my arms, as our post-partum room was being prepared. I don’t think I’ve ever been more content and happy in my whole life but one thing was definitely missing: Mommy!

We finally got a room at about 9:30am and after a quick stop for a “Baby Lo-Jack”, Siena and I were reunited with her beautiful mother. I placed Siena on Joy’s chest, where she’s been for the past five-plus hours. This is most definitely the happiest day of my life and I could not be any more fortunate to have such a beautiful daughter to go along with my absolutely beautiful and wonderful wife.

Thank you all so very much for the outpouring of love, support, phone calls, emails, text-messages, poochies-sitting offers and tears of joy. We look so forward to Siena sharing her life with all of us and we can’t wait for everyone to meet her!

Much love to all!

Mike, Joy & Siena

My version in bullets:

• 1:50a: Water broke while I was asleep. I remember feeling and hearing a balloon pop inside and all this fluid leaking out and it wouldn't stop so I just grabbed a towel for the car ride and hoped that that would be enough to stop the massive flow
• 2:05a: Mike making jokes about the timing (37-weeks) and my getting annoyed that we weren't in the car yet
• 2:15a: Finally in the car and M not being able to time the contractions worth sh*t. Curse words involved.
• 2:20a: Our friend Angelique calling and talking to Mike while my contractions became "true" contractions and were no longer the easy-going Braxton Hicks.
  
• 2:30a: Arrival at Cedars-Sinai; M still making jokes and the nurse who wheeled me in telling Mike that "Now is probably not the time to be funny."
• 2:40a: 90% effaced, 5 cm, 0 station; My legs would NOT stop shaking from nervousness.
  
• 2:50a: Moved from Room 16 pre-delivery room to Room 4 Labor Room overlooking Hollywood Hills (and Beverly Center)
• 3:25a: Dr. Yoshi arrives to give epidural. He's fascinated by the curvature of my scoliosis, telling the nurse to come take a look at my spine. Just give me the damn epi, damn it! I remember looking at the window and seeing the reflection of Dr. Y and then looking down so I wouldn't see the needle - holding M's hands the entire time.
• 4:00a: No longer in true pain, but I could feel the pressure of the contractions once in a while (running every 2 minutes). Nurse tells us to get some sleep. Of course M falls asleep immediately on the couch while I monitor the monitor.
  
• 4:30a: 100% effaced, 8 cm, +1 station - Nurse calls doc with this update and he says he'll be at the hospital within the next hour
• 5:30a: 9.5 cm, +2 station
• 5:45a: Doc arrives and says "You're having a baby in the next 15 minutes". My legs begin trembling again.
• 6:00a: Everyone assumes position. M on my left holding my leg, Doc at the hoo-hah, nurse right beside him and my legs in the stirrup.
• 6:05a: Doc tells me to start pushing and then tells me to stop (head crowning) and says "you're having this baby in one push!" He then says OK, continue with the push and by 6:09a we saw Siena born - slimy baby with powerful lungs and all. I can't express the awe and love I/we felt at that second but it ranks as the most amazing moment of my life.

Full gallery of photos at: http://flickr.com/photos/djoyus1/collections/72157604418102073/

Some favorites:

minutes old


first family shot


still puffy, but washed


first nap with momma


1-day old






<3




going home


with Grandma & Grandpa




our precious


Will write more about post-partum weepies later but other than that, we're doing well. She developed a tad of jaundice this morning so I gotta get her out in the sun tomorrow and up the feeding. Mike & I are exhausted from her 1a-5a fussy period, but wouldn't trade it for the world.