Happy father: First Lady Iriana (third left) accompanies her eldest son Gibran Rakabuming Raka (second left) during a media briefing on Thursday to announce the birth of Gibranâs first son at PKU Muhammadiyah Hospital in Surakarta
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President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo only smiled and waved to a group of journalists at the State Palace seeking comments on the birth of his first grandchild on Thursday.
The news had broken earlier in the morning while Jokowi was inaugurating an integrated regional logistics center in Cilincing, North Jakarta, when the President's youngest son Kaesang Pangarep posted on his Twitter account that he was now an uncle.
Cabinet Secretary Pramono Anung and presidential spokesperson Johan Budi immediately extended their best wishes to the President and the First Lady.
'We hope he will be a person who makes his parents and the nation proud,' Johan said.
In the evening, Jokowi flew to Surakarta at around 7:30 p.m. to visit his grandson and will continue on to tour at least three spots in the royal city and neighboring areas in Karanganyar regency in Central Java.
The President is scheduled to give a public lecture at Sebelas Maret University (UNS) in Surakarta on Friday morning and will visit Gondang Dam in Karanganyar later in the afternoon before returning to Jakarta on Saturday.
Jokowi's grandson ' weighing 3.09 kilograms and measuring 48.5 centimeters long ' was born at 9:28 a.m. at PKU Muhammadiyah Hospital in Surakarta through a caesarian operation.
'Thanks to God, our first grandchild has been born healthy. Mother and baby are healthy,' First Lady Iriana told a press conference at the hospital.
'Born through caesarian. Safe and healthy. That's all,' hospital director Mardiyatmo added.
The baby's father and Jokowi's first son, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, said the birthing process of his son was very fast.
Gibran, a catering businessman, said the baby was now in a recovery room under the supervision of an obstetrician.
Starting his business after graduating in 2010 from the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) Insearch, Gibran married the 2009 Miss Surkarta Selvi Ananda in June last year in the city where his father served as mayor from 2005 to 2012 prior to his victory in the Jakarta gubernatorial election.
Gibran reportedly refused to join the family's furniture business and started his own. He opened his first Markobar Martabak, a restaurant serving traditional pancakes, in Cikini, Jakarta, two months ago.
Before their marriage, the media-shy Gibran kept his relationship with Selvi private. They met at the pageant, where Gibran served as a jury member.
Jokowi's grandson has not yet been named.
But in December, during a traditional Javanese mitoni (baby shower) for his daughter-in-law, who was seven months pregnant at the time, Jokowi told reporters that the name of the baby was already in his pocket.
Dressed in traditional blue Javanese attire, President Jokowi, First Lady Iriana and their three children personally greeted guests arriving at the event. Selvi was dressed in a yellow kebaya (a traditional Javanese blouse).
Jokowi and Iriana have three children: sons Gibran and Kaesang and daughter Kahiyang Ayu. And they now have a grandson.
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