Happy Birthday & Hello World, Baby P!
TL;DR:
Baby P was born on 7/10/25 at 1:43 PM, weighing 8 lbs, 6 oz — healthy, cruising, and comfortable.
Today (7/11) we’ll find out when his surgery will be scheduled.
Mitch has been by Baby P’s bedside since birth, and Joyce has been moving between CHOC and St. Joseph’s. We’ve both managed to get some sleep and feel blessed to be by baby P’s side.
PS TL;DR:
Day 1: Mitch boldly declared St. Joseph’s Cafeteria superior to CHOC’s food.
Day 2: He realized he had only tried CHOC’s café. A more nuanced review is coming soon.
Full Update:
Baby P is already defying expectations.
He was originally slated for a septostomy (a balloon procedure to open a hole in the heart for better oxygenation). But he’s maintained solid blood oxygen levels without it, allowing the team to hold off. A breathing tube is currently helping him, but we’re hopeful it will come out today.
He’s hooked up like a Christmas tree, with lines going in every direction — which, in this context, is good news. He’s glowing bright enough to be spotted from orbit. Fittingly, our room’s curtains are space-themed, and the monitoring setup is so advanced it could rival NASA’s — it’s truly space-level monitoring in here.
Fun Facts About Baby P:
First pee: 2:12 PM
First poop: 4:00 PM
Second poop: 8:00 PM
He has long nails
Loves being swaddled
Strong, tall and “chonky” (a NICU nurse compliment).
Delivery Highlights:
Baby P knew just what to do, and his delivery went seamlessly.
Dr. Artoun, our OB at St. Joseph’s, was calm, intuitive, and guided us with care. We are so grateful.
Joyce launched into action at 3:30 AM (7/10) with fierce determination. She powered through the induction process and — according to the doctor — only pushed twice (a possible undercount, but nonetheless impressive) before Baby P arrived. Total push time: under 15 minutes.
Joyce held him first, and Mitch had the honor of cutting Baby P’s cord. After the cardiac team did their part, we got a few precious moments together before Mitch and Baby P headed to CHOC.
The transition into this next chapter has been smooth and deeply reassuring. Day 1 felt like a huge win.
As we went through the induction process, we spent time reflecting, remembering the love that surrounds us and reading our messages in a bottle. We really believe your words and prayers helped more than you know — your support has kept us all strong, calm and grounded as we got ready to meet with Baby P for the first time. The three of us are feeling all of the love and can’t thank you enough.
Co-Written by Mitch & Joyce
Bonus Food Reviews written soley by Mitch:
St. Josephs Cafeteria:
Creole Food Event on 7/10/25. I got the gumbo and jalapeno cornbread. Eating this food was a
delight. I wouldn’t tell you it was exceptional from a Michelin star perspective but it was batting
above the large scoop from a even larger tray would suggest. In fact, this food transported me
to the Blue Bayou restaurant at Disneyland just outside the Pirates of the Carribbean. It was the
kind of meal that would be served there, at home in the themed ambiance of the artificial
bayou.
CHOC Café: Got a smashburger with cheese. It was prepared onsite when ordered – much
different from the St Josphes Cafeteria – but word on the street is that many walk over from
CHOC to the St Joes Cafeteria – shaming the Café.
I understand the knee jerk reaction and lack of tolerance for the café. The layout is poor and
uninviting – maybe impacted by construction – but the menu boards also lack inspiration and
can be best described as Microsoft word art logos.
However, the burger patty itself was tremendous – seasoned nicely and grilled to perfection. It
was not a smash burger – it was a loose ground beef burger and the patty had trouble holding
together – but that was no major drawback for me. The letdown came in the fixings – the bun,
one of those extra thick potato type buns, was overly bulky and only took away from the
burger.
Since it was in between calls from the NICU team, I ate it in about 37 seconds, so it was overall
at positive experience.
I will however be joining the migration back to the St Josephs Cafeteria for my next meal.