CC's First Week!

CC's first week with us was more than I could have imagined.  I can't stop staring at her beautiful eyes. Her little crooked nose has become something that we adore.  It's what makes her special - makes her different.  Of course, we hope her breathing eases a bit as it appears to be labored sometimes - but she's stills so stinkin' cute...  We gently push it to the middle sometimes to see what she will look like if/when it straightens up.  We barely recognize the girl with the straight nose.  Ha!  Either way, we just love her to pieces!

She's discovered her hands - they are all over the place!  In her face, folded together, holding on to mommy's finger.  Her long fingers are just beautiful.  We think she has hand model potential in her future.  She has long fingernail beds - I'm looking forward to watching Lily paint them for her!  They are quite the canvas for the pretty paint colors Lily will add.  

And her feet & toes...  Oh my...  Sleepers with footies are not in the future for this girl.  Her perfect little feet are already the size of my palm.  And her toes are so long, she curls them.  I love to watch her in her swing when she props her long legs up on the edge of the seat already.  The more I look at her, the more I see another Lily in our future.  I couldn't ask for anything more.

Her first week brought on two doctor's appointments.  One with our personal pediatrician.  Dr. Kathryn Ginocchi. She is this petite little thing who is so gentle with Caelyn.  We were very happy with this initial appointment and Caelyn handled it well too.  She didn't like to be weighed but everything was great!

We took her to her pediatrician on Monday morning, 5/13.  CC is back up to her birth weight already - she had two weeks to get there and she did it in under a week!  Girl is eating like a champ!  Her pediatrician didn't feel the same issues with her skull that the pediatrician at the hospital felt right after she was born, so we were feeling a bit more confident going into Tuesday's appointment that she may not have the skull issues we were originally concerned about.

We then took Caelyn to Nationwide Children's Hospital yesterday morning to their Craniofacial Center.  We met with Dr. Gregory Pearson, who is the center director.  He and two other Drs looked at CC's head, nose and palate.  They quickly determined that her skull looks to be forming fine - so much so that they didn't even think images were necessary. We were so relieved!  Ken was pretty confident going in that this would be the case - he's always the calm, collected one...  I am the typical new mom and was living with a lump in my throat every time I thought about it...

They looked at her palate as well.  It is not open, so they ruled out a cleft palate.  They said there is a potential that she has a submucus cleft palate, which means the roof of her mouth is covered by a mucus membrane.  This is usually identified by a cleft uvula (the tissue that hangs down at the back of your mouth/throat).  She does not have a cleft uvula, so they believe the submucus cleft palate is unlikely as well.  But in a week old child, it was difficult for them to determine 100%.  We will keep an eye on this.

And, for her nose, she definitely has a deviated septum.  This could have occurred in utero, or during the birth process.  Considering she was born sunny side up, we believe the birth process is more likely.  But, it doesn't really matter, right?  Her right nostril is completely closed at this point, so she is breathing through her left nostril.  It doesn't seem to be affecting her too much though.  Her breathing is a little louder than other babies, but she is able to get plenty of oxygen.  There is no real treatment for her at this point since she is so young.  

Her nose continues to move and bounce back more and more every day.  If you saw her on her birth day - she looks much more comfortable.  The swelling has gone down at the bridge of her nose, as well.

We have a follow up appointment on August 27th to look at her nose again.

Introducing Caelyn Celeste Hoffman

She's here!  She's here!!



We waited 41 weeks to meet the most precious thing I've ever laid eyes on.  And it was all worth it.  While we thought she would make her arrival on her own, and well before 41 weeks - Caelyn had other ideas.

A scheduled induction was needed to get things moving for Caelyn's arrival.  We were scheduled at Dublin Methodist Hospital on Monday, May 6 at 8pm.  I was pretty nervous for the process to start.  I wasn't sure what I was in for, but I knew that within 24 hours, we would be holding our daughter.

Ken, Lily, my mom and I arrived at the hospital and went directly to Labor & Delivery.  Our plan was to have Lily in the room for CC's birth, but unfortunately, we found out as we walked to my room that visitors have to be 16 or over to be in L&D.  We were so disappointed.  It was a big moment for Lily - she was becoming a big sister.  But, in the end, it all worked out.  The nurses were awesome and understanding of this big moment for Lily.



We started pitocin around 8:30pm and soon contractions were starting.  Around 2am, we moved forward with an epidural and soon after, the nurse broke my water.  Things seemed to be going as planned, until the real contractions started after my water broke.  Yowzers!  We thought it wouldn't be a problem, but the epidural didn't take on my right side.  The pain was unbearable.  Contractions were about 2 to 3 minutes apart, so they felt pretty constant.  It felt like my side was going to burst with every contraction.

I was scared that there wouldn't be anything we could do and a half natural birth would be necessary.  Ken held my hand and helped wipe away tears.  I remember telling him I wasn't sure if I could do this, but he was there by my side - encouraging and supporting me.  I know he didn't think he was helping me, but just having him beside me made a world of difference.  I didn't feel alone with him by my side.

Around 5am (yes, 3 hrs later), we removed the first epidural and started a second.  This time, I felt the "zing" down my legs.  Whew!!  So much better!  I literally felt like a whole new person!  I could relax and actually rest during the contractions.  We checked my progress around 6am and I was at 10 cm's!  The time was here!  I was excited and nervous - but mostly exhausted.  The contractions without the epidural drained my energy and made it difficult think about labor.

Ken and I called our moms to make the trip to the hospital.  We also called Kama, our photographer.  She captured the birth in the most beautiful pictures.  I can't thank her enough for being there with us.  These are images that are so precious and meaningful.  It was the greatest moment in our lives and we can relive it forever.

Because of my exhaustion, we decided it would be best if I got some rest before we started pushing.  I slept for about an hour and half, which made all the difference in the world.  Finally, around 8:45, it really was time for Caelyn to start her trek into the world.

9:36 am.  May 7, 2013.  Welcome Miss Caelyn Celeste Hoffman!!  I continue to ask myself (and Ken) how it is possible to love and adore this little being.  She is an amazing addition to our family.  Her eyes speak to us in ways words cannot describe.  She came out of the womb "sunny side up", which surprised the midwife and everyone else in the room.  Her wide eyes soaked in her new life and everything surrounding her.



We immediately saw a mini-Ken had entered the world.  Not only does she look exactly like him, but her long arms, fingers, legs and feet were definitely parts of him!  We're yet to see what she inherited from me - maybe her eyes eventually?



The transition to motherhood has been very natural.  It's something I've always wanted and there's nothing better than telling my baby "Momma's here..."  The 41 weeks seemed to take forever, but now I can't imagine our world without her.  Welcome home CC!