Lalaki (It's a boy!)

Knock, knock, knock... "Whit, are you up? Mimay is in labor." :) I have been waiting for this wake up call! I throw some clothes on, stumble downstairs, and run out the door to find sweet Mimay draping over a couch going through contractions. With coffee in hand, woman contracting every 1.5 minutes, and about 7 people, we head to the birthing center on a motorella (not to mention the fact that we are bottoming out on the bumping roads and are holding our coffee out the back so it doesn't spill on us, while the whole town waves us goodbye and good luck).

We get to the birthing center (it is illegal to birth in the house here because of some practices that midwives were using that were harmful to the babies being born) with Miss Patti trying to get someone to help us. No help. Miss Patti talks a man into letting us have a private room where we set up and all help Mimay through some more contractions. Still no help from anyone in the center... Miss Patti starts getting ready to catch the baby herself. Mimay is doing amazing- looking beautiful as ever [she's such a beautiful filipino]. Finally they come in to take her to the delivery room... where I actually get to follow!!! I won't go into details [although it was one of the most exhilarating experiences of my life], but she delivered only a minute or so after we got into the delivery room. Miss Patti grabbed the baby and started checking for breathing and whatnot while I take a nice look over the baby. A week before we had gone in for an ultrasound and found out the baby was a girl. Mimay already has two girls and was hoping for a son, but she was still so pleased! Mimay and her husband (Joseph) decided to name the little girl Whitney after me!!!! Isn't that just so sweet that they would even consider it?! I was flabbergasted! BUT as I look over the baby, I see something that should not be on a baby girl. So I said to Miss Patti "It's a boy, right?" (I was thoroughly confused because I thought ultrasounds are pretty reliable). Miss Patti didn't hear me the first few times as she was checking for breathing, but she heard me finally and her eyes got huge! She turned to Mimay and said, "lalaki! (it's a boy)." Mimay lit up, grabbed Miss patti and kissed her cheek, then turned to me and smiled huge and pulled me in for a huge hug!!!! She was soooo delighted!!! I (being the occasional emotional mess ;)) teared up and just kept looking from baby boy to Mimay with a huge smile and holding Mimay's hand. It was amazing!!!! And this is a big boy too. 8lbs 7 oz which is BIG for a filipino baby!

Making it through a contraction

Beautiful baby boy!

checking some vitals

Praise the Lord, what a morning!!!