Dan, Christine, Jackson, and William: WILLIAM WYATT UMINA IS HERE!

Hey everyone! Will is here! YAY! We are so very happy he has arrived.

So here's the scoop:

Wednesday I had an appointment with Dr. Ibay who was pretty shocked to discover I was 4cm dilated. The week before nothing had really happened and we were preparing to go the full 40 weeks. Dr. Ibay jokingly remarked that he may see me over the weekend and not wait until the following Wednesday. After the appointment I felt icky and started having contractions, but when I went to bed that night I felt better. I figured they were just the "practice" contractions --aka Braxton Hicks.

I went to work on Thursday morning so I could make sure my seniors were all taken care of. I wanted to make sure they were ready for finals-- just in case. Yes, that's dedication for you...lol. After second period (the end of my senior classes thank goodness) I felt REALLY weird and decided I'd better go to the hospital to make sure everything was fine. I called Dan to let him know I was on my way and not to worry, I'd call after I was monitored for awhile to see what was going on. Two hours later I sent him a text message that just said: Come to the hospital now, please.

The nurses told me I was now 5cm and were admitting me. I felt pretty good until I hit 6cm. The contractions had been getting worse, but when I got to six they were very strong. Ironically, they didn't hurt as badly as having my water broken by the nurse! Apparently, they need to check your freakin' tonsils via your most sensitive areas and I thought I was going to die! While they were in there they put on two internal monitors to measure Will's heart rate and the other to monitor my contractions. Dan kept his eyes above the waistline and held my hand the entire time. I made him cry a few times because I guess I looked like I was in serious pain (which I was). He was very strong and helped me get through it. Without him I would have started to panic and that wouldn't have helped anything.

During the contractions Dan stayed strong and helped me breathe. He was supportive and focused and helped remind me that our son was on his way. I finally gave into the idea of an epidural at 7cm. The nurses were surprised that I waited that long since most people get them at 4cm. One nurse commented on my high tolerance for pain :) The epidural was another interesting endeavor. I don't remember the one from Jack because I was in so much pain and things were happening so fast. The weirdest thing was when the catheter hit a nerve and my entire right side jumped like I had been shocked. Funky! After that things were much better.

Apparently, I was given a big dose of medication so they turned off the little pump that administers the drugs so I could push. I couldn't even move my toes and they were worried I wouldn't be able to tell when it was time to do the hard work! I was so numb that when the nurses rolled me from side to side to get Will to descend more, my whole body literally felt like a dead tree. It was very strange and I don't like the feeling of not having control over my limbs. I concentrated hard on my toes and still couldn't move them which actually made me mad! But, after only 20-30 minutes of pushing he arrived! Dan got really excited when Will's head crowned and was really encouraging me to push hard....lol.

Will had a death grip on the umbilical cord which Dr. Ibay said he's never seen before. During the delivery Will's heart rate kept changing so I got worried, but when we saw the cord we understood why! He looked like he was playing tug'o war. He didn't want to leave his warm cozy home for the last 9 months I guess :) It made everyone laugh pretty hard so maybe Will is going to be a little jokester!

He scored a perfect 10 on the Apgar test (which means VERY healthy) and when Will grabbed Dan's fingers, he lost it. I could tell he was trying hard not to cry too much, but it was a very tender moment and I started crying pretty hard too. Dan said he was also crying because the nurse had to poke Will and Dan felt a little helpless for awhile. I tested positive for Strep B which everyone has in their bodies, but can harm babies so he had to have an extra pin prick or two.

Anyway, the recovery room was pretty swanky and I had a nice private place to relax (yeah...relax. Try, "up all night staring at a new baby"!). Dan says I should be napping right now and catch up on some sleep so I'd better sign off for now. Here are some pictures for everyone! Believe me, there are lots more to post!

Love,

Christine, Dan, Jack and Will

P.S. Thanks mom Umina for the flowers and the little blue elephant!