Tay-oo (known to those in the US as 'Bluey') with Miyoung's brother Namil and his girlfriend Dahye
Miyoung's oldest sister Eunhwa (rhyme's with geunhwa), her husband, and their baby Min-gi (rhyme's with thin-bee)
Min-gi being inquisitive
Miyoung at around 7:30 on Sunday, January 25th. Her water had broken at around 5:30, but her contractions didn't start until doctors induced them around 9:00
Miyoung was scared, but she was so brave. I was amazed at how well she put up with the pain and the uncertainty. Actually, knowing Miyoung, it should have come as no surprise. She's always been amazingly strong.
This expression barely left my face all day. Actually, until the contractions starting coming hard and fast I was so nervous that I kept leaving the room to go to the bathroom, and then coming back and drinking bottle after bottle of water. I probably went to the bathroom 12 times before Miyoung went into full labor.
Miyoung gave birth in the hospital's 'family delivery room', which means that there's a sofa and a curtain in the room. When the doctor and nurses have to do something particularly frightening or complicated they sent me behind this curtain, and this is what I saw. Imagine the sound of plastic gloves crinkling, metal on metal, and whispering, and you're not far from where I was when I took this picture.
Me, Miyoung's mother and sister waiting. There was a time when the doctor wasn't sure about whether Miyoung would be able to give birth naturally because Pauline hadn't descended. The look on Miyoung's sister's face is pure fear. She's a nurse in the very hospital where this picture was taken and she's had two kids, so I thought her presence would calm my nerves, but instead it had the opposite effect.
The doctor called me back from behind the curtain for the final push. I put my arm under Miyoung's back and physically pushed her forward while a nurse standing on a stool pushed down on her stomach. After two big pushes the doctor pulled Pauline out with a giant suction cup. I saw her head. I recommend that if you are having a baby and the doctor decides to pull him or her out with a suction cup that you not look at that particular portion of the delivery.
As ridiculous as it sounds given the amount of 3D sonogram evidence I'd received of their existence, but the first thing I did, before reaching for my camera, was confirm that Pauline has ten fingers and ten toes. On a side note, throughout the entire delivery my mind was with Miyoung, and that meant that as long as I was by her side I was not pulling out my camera. The only reason these photos exist is because I was hustled away from Miyoung and told to follow Pauline as soon as the cord was cut.
I must say I had no idea a baby's belly button was so long to begin with.
Pauline's first public showing, about 30 minutes after being born.
Let me set the scene for you. When the curtain opened and they showed us Pauline, everyone in the hall gathered round to get a look. While everyone in the hall said 'she looks just like her father', my mother-in-law thought she looked just like Miyoung. Within ten minutes she had made four phone calls like this: 'Yeah, Miyoung had her baby . . . No, it looks like her. Bye.'
Miyoung's first time holding Pauline.
I can't wait to get my hands on her.
Pauline's hair is dark and shiny and wavy, and was matted down as if with mousse all day.
Miyoung's parents and Miyoung's family.
That's my baby!
This was the first time we heard Pauline cry. I held her and talked to her and she stopped and just looked at me.
The nurse there cracked me up with the fact that in Korean a swaddled baby is called a caterpillar (애벌레)
Pauline's first trip to the well. Not a success.
Miyoung's good friend Yonju came to visit the very first day. It was so nice of her too, because Sunday was the traditional day to prepare for the huge New Year's feast. Miyoung's mother-in-law, for example, lost precious hours to the delivery and ended up staying up until 3am to finish preparations. Not only that, but she has a baby of her own and a four year old to take care of, but she made the time for Miyoung.
Pauline's got mIyoung's lips and my chin. Miyoung thinks she looks like my dad, but I'm reserving judgment.
Check out this spacious room we got for three days. The hospital only has one family delivery room, and we got it mostly because Chinese New Year is not a popular time to give birth
I even got my own sofa to sleep on, with a breastfeeding pillow for a headresting pillow. Plus they even made me meals. And they immediately gave me the humidifier I asked for. Plus it's a catholic hospital, so we didn't have to worry about them feeding our baby any non-consecrated water.
Pauline's second shot at the breast. Call it a dry run.
At this point Pauline's features are starting to be a bit more clear.
Miyoung looks at pictures of Pauline on the iPod Touch. Some day Pauline will see this picture and laugh at the primitive technology of the early twenty-first century
Pauline was vomiting at night and the nurses told us she may have to be admitted, but they ended up letting her go home with us on time. I couldn't stop laughing at the nurse, because for those of you who don't know, Koreans like to throw out a lot of technical jargon in English, so the nurse came in and this sign was on Pauline's cage, and she starts in [in Korean] with 'The baby was vomiting in the night, and if the baby continues her [suddenly switches to English] 'regurgitation' [back to Korean] then we won't be able to let her leave the hospital until she stops [back into English] 'vomiting'. It's too bad Korea doesn't have air quotes. Anyway, long story short, Pauline is stil vomiting, but now whe's vomiting at home.
Miyoung's still not representing in the milk department, so I've taken it upon myself to be the milk man, so to speak. Pauline's not complaining
Pauline's left eyelid is a little bit different from her right eyelid, making one eye look a little bit bigger than the other. Miyoung's eye's are actually exactly the same. Koreans say that men with this trait tend to be 'playas', so to speak. I'm not sure if this applies to newborn baby girls as well.
How cute is that?
This is the first time that Pauline and her three cousins were in the same room together. Jeff, our four year old nephew, was there too, but there's nothing particukarly noteworthy about that, is there? Now three babies, that's something!
Filmed by my nephew Jeff. Incidentally, he doesn't know what a closeup is, it was just a coincidence that he did one after I told him to.
