‘Pantasya ng Bayan’ Joyce Jimenez is now a mother

Ang tinaguriang ‘Pantasya ng Bayan’ noon na si Joyce Jimenez is now a mom to Jorja Ely Reintegrado Egbalic. Ito ang unang text message na natanggap ng PEP (Philippine Entertainment Portal) from Joyce mom the day after na nagsilang ang dating sexy actress last October 16. Naka-base na ngayon sa San Diego, California si Joyce kasama ang kanyang Fil-Am husband na si Paul Ely Egbalic. Ikinasal sina Joyce at Paul noong August 23, 2008 sa Walnut, California. Nagpadala naman ng email with accompanying photos si Joyce sa PEP nitong Wednesday (Oct 21). Dito ay ikinuwento niya ang kanyang panganganak. Here is Joyce's email: "Sorry it took me a while to get these to you, it's hard for me to get Wi-Fi at the hospital. These are the only decent ones that I had, so I hope they will do for now. "The night prior to me getting admitted into the hospital, October 15, I was already feeling labor pains but thought they were just braxton hicks [false labor] and I tried to sleep through the contractions. When I woke up in the morning the pain was still there but bearable. I went on my day and around 4:00 p.m., the pain was too much for me to handle. It's good thing that my mom decided to stay with me until I gave birth because both her and Ely, were concerned that if I were to go into labor no one would be there to help me just in case my sisters-in-law weren't around. "Since Ely was still at work, I asked my mom to take me to the hospital because I don't think I would be able to drive through the pain. When we got to the hospital around 5:00 p.m. they immediately admitted me. I was already 3 cm dilated. I called Ely at work and told him that I was in labor, he left work right away and came to the hospital. At around 11:20 a.m. the next morning, I was finally fully dilated. Both her [Jorja] and I had some complications trying to push her out. "Thank God, all went well and she was born at 1:16 p.m. at Sharp Mary Birch Hospital in San Diego, California. She weighs 5 lbs. 13 ounces and measured 18.25 inches. One thing that stands out about her is, she has a full head of hair! (medyo manipis kasi ang buhok ni Paul Ely). "I hope everything is okay over there and that you weren't affected by the flood too much. I will definitely see you in February (2010) so you can meet also personally baby Jorja. I miss you all and hope all of you are doing great!" Muntik nang magkasabay ng birthday ang mag-ina. Last October 19 kasi ay nagdiwang si Joyce ng kanyang 31st birthday. Bago umuwi ng San Diego, California six months ago, nag-promise si Joyce na babalik siya sa Pilipinas with her child. Hindi pa niya alam noon kung baby girl o baby boy ang isisilang niya, although gusto raw ni Ely ay baby boy ang firstborn nila. Pero basta raw healthy ang baby, kahit girl, okey sa kanya. May mga business na naiwan dito sa Pilipinas si Joyce, ang kanyang Private Joyce stores at ang direct sales niya sa Ever Bilena. - Nora V. Calderon, PEP