David Edward and Jennifer Valene

are proud to announce the birth of

Simon Michael Gray
born on Sunday, April 2nd, 2006
at 3:15 p.m.
weighing 10 lb. 2 oz.
and being 21 in. long.

I'm afraid all did not go smoothly with Simon's birth.  We'd gone in on Saturday, April 1st, to try and induce labor, but were sent home about 9 a.m. on Sunday morning and told we'd "try again in two or three days."

At about 1:30 Jenni called the Labor and Delivery people, saying she'd been having contractions for over an hour, every three to five minutes, and that it took us an hour to get to the hospital.  They said "wait another hour, to see what happens."  Fourty-five minutes later, with contractions still continuing in frequency, we said "heck with that" and headed out to the hospital.

Jenni felt Simon crowning while we were driving (speeding really, but if felt quite appropriate) down Magnolia Avenue in Riverside, on our way to the Kaiser facility there.  I pulled into the parking at the Emergency Room there, ran around the car (had to think to remember how to unlock her car door) and saw something that is going to stay with me for quite a while...

There was a head-shaped lump in the crotch of Jenni's pants...  and it turned towards me while I was watching.

Down with the pants, and Simon was born...  right through the leg hole of Jenni's panties.

What else could I do, but catch him, pat him on the back and rump gently until I heard a cry (he was SO purple, I wanted to know he was breathing) and then put him on Jenni's belly while I went and looked for some medical folks to help us out.

Due to the short duration of the labor process (total was less than three hours, really) Jenni was virtually undamaged.

Simon, on the other hand, had experienced a somewhat common side effect of a "precipitous birth".  Simon had a hole in his lung, which vented air into his thorax.

He was put on oxygen, x-rays taken, and they determined they would need to put a tube between his left ribs to release the air from his chest cavity.  (Apparently due to the imbalance of pressure, his heart migrated into the right of his chest and partially collapsed his upper right lung too, but the didn't tell us about that until after it started migrating back on its own.)

The tube was inserted, the air was released, and soon they'll pop out that tube.  When Simon's breathing is fully stabilized, we'll finally be able to hold him, and Jenni can begin feeding him.  (He's on a glucose IV drip for now...)

Welcome to Simon Gray is in order!

Of course, the saga is truly not done yet.  All are home, doing well, and happy:

And the brothers even spend time together...

Now, if I can only get Simon's Birth Certificate processed.  (But, that's another story...)
NOTE (08/25/2007):  As of now, still Simon's Birth is not registered with Riverside County.  Paperwork is proceeding for the court system...