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(NOTE: This is the e-mail we sent to our church the day after Jack was born.) Good Morning, Ocotillo Springs! Well, here's our story: We were scheduled to go into either of two different hospitals on Wednesday, but both were totally overbooked and we ended up spending the day waiting anxiously for a phone call and trying to figure out the fine line between calling for updates and pestering a nurse. But, it seemed that Wednesday was not going to happen and that Thursday would be a question as well. So, Katherine went to sleep and I ended up staying up very, very late trying to get more things done to prepare for the baby's arrival, expecting that I will be able to sleep in. However, at 3am, we received the call that a bed and nurse were available and that we should arrive as soon as possible before that window of opportunity closed. By 4 a.m., we were here at St. Joe's and checking in. By 5:30, our own doctor was doing rounds and visited us. We discovered (from the monitors) that Katherine was already having contractions and that her body was preparing itself for birth. Her water was broken and drugs were introduced to help her body along. By 12:30, labor was progressing quite positively and Katherine was utilizing her pain management breathing with great skill. After a few hours, though, she had enough of that and with a call to the anesthesiologist, Katherine was feeling gooooood... for a while. New challenges came and our doctor came in at 5:00 with unfortunate news. Apparently, we had not made any gains between 12:30 and 5 and complications were starting to form. A quick decision was made and suddenly nurses rushed in to prepare Katherine for a Cesarean-section. Even though we knew that thousands of women go through C-sections every day, this turned out to be quite an emotional decision and process for us. The two of us entered into the operating room, and three of us came out. Little Jack was born on December 28th at 5:49pm. He was 6 pounds, 15 oz and 19-inches long. Mom took a long time to recover, but was fully functional by the middle of the night. Dad wasn't quite functional until 6:30am, but he did change a diaper around 4am. So far, Jack has had a great disposition. When he cries, it isn't for long (we're praying that this lasts for a long time)! I'm sorry that I can't yet send a photo, but I will as soon as I can. He's got dark curly hair (for right now). I think he looks a lot like his mom, but he definitely has my nose. We will be here through Sunday morning, so please keep us in your prayers when you gather for worship. Pastor Donald and Yvonne Taylor are prepared to lead worship and Brandon Spring will take care of the music on our new keyboard that Katherine has pre-played. We can't wait to soon introduce him to his church family. Thank you for all of your support, your generosity, and your love toward us through these months. In Christ's love, Anthony, Katherine, and Jack Ethanael Tang. |