Monday, February 2, 2009

Sweet Lily

*Be sure to disable the music at your right prior to playing the movie*


It's hard to believe that our little family has expanded to an even family of 4. Now that we're home from the hospital and semi-adjusted back to life with a newborn, I wanted to write a quick post about our sweet baby girl.

We started off Lily's birthday with a Washington snow/ice storm. Christian was born during a blizzard, so it was only fitting that his baby sister would enter this world during some sort of weather "event". Both of my parents came into town to give us a hand, and we were so fortunate to have their help. Christian adores them, and it made leaving him for 4 nights a bit easier.

Our surgery was scheduled for 9:30am, but due to some staff delays from the weather, and being bumped due to an emergency C-Section (I bumped someone with Christian's emergency C-Section, so I guess it was my turn!), I didn't even head into the OR until 11am. I knew the delivery was going to be ok when I was wheeled in and Justin Timberlake was playing on the radio. By 11:44am, we met Liliana for the first time. I was shocked not only by how much hair she had, but also by how much she weighed. At 9 pounds, 1 oz, I still can't believe that I had yet another large baby!

We settled into the hospital for 3 nights in all, leaving a day early mostly because I missed Christian...and I honestly felt I could get more rest at home. The days in the hospital were a blur, yet full of emotion. We requested to have Lily's hearing screen done as soon as possible (it's usually done just before discharge at our hospital), and on the second day we learned that she passed in both ears. When the audiology tech wheeled her back into our room in her little bassinet, she didn't even have to tell us, as I saw the green pass sheet on her clipboard. After pouring over the ABR and OAE results, I felt cautiously optimistic about her hearing. We still immediately called our CI center and scheduled an ABR with our audiologist there for Lily, which will be performed in March. We also were able to do a blood draw during delivery that we sent to the genetics lab where a screen for Connexin 26 will be done. Both Chuck and I noticed her startle to loud noises, something that we never saw with Christian. We just still want to have all of our bases covered, and we're fortunate to already have our team in place.

Christian came up to the hospital the day after Liliana was born, and was fascinated by her. He likes to mimic her little tounge movements, and loves to say "Baby Sister Lily". Now that we're home with her, he's having a bit of a hard time adjusting to his Daddy holding someone other than him. He's been a bit "off", but all in all, he's been a wonderful big brother, and a fantastic helper to his Mommy.

So, here I am, back to the schedule of a nursing Mom, living my life in 4 hour chunks. I'm recovering really well from my C-Section, thanks to my husband and Mom's help. It's just so nice to finally have Lily here in our home.

15 comments:

Drew's Mom said...

Congratulations! She is beautiful!

So glad that everything is going well! :)

misskri said...

Congratulations ~ Lily is beautiful. Glad to hear that you are recovering well and that Christian is getting the hang of his little sister.

Anonymous said...

We were so anxious for your update. She is beautiful! And excited to hear there was a green card in her bassinet.

The Brights said...

Lily is gorgeous with all that hair!! I can't wait for Tayten to meet his new baby brother. I hope all continues to go well!

Thanks for sharing pictures!

Amy said...

Congrats on beautiful Lily...and the green card! Our first son was born Deaf, second hearing. I never felt so relieved once we got that news. It helped me to continue to focus all my "language learning" energy on my oldest son, while still enjoying the simple moments of having a newborn. Enjoy every minute!

leah said...

Those winter babies sure like to come during weather events! I hope you recover quickly from your C-section and are able to get enough sleep! Those first few months can be so exhausting!

Getting the full ABR test is such a good idea- that way there won't be any question! I love the way Christian imitates his little sister. It won't be long until it is the other way around, and I can only wish you luck (Nolan is copying EVERYTHING Matt does these days)!

AJ's Mom said...

We've been anxious for your update!! Congratulations, she is a beautiful little lady!

MB said...

Welcome home! Thanks for sharing.

Lynn's Blog said...

Congratulations Tina and Chuck! Enjoy these early days when Lily sleeps a lot. It won't last long and she'll be wanting in on the action too!

NatCraft said...

What an awesome song for your slide show! So happy to see you happy and your heart full of love for another wonderful addition to your family!

Anonymous said...

been waiting to hear about the GREEN sheet!! yeah..great news...she's absolutely adorable

tammy said...

Welcome to the world sweet baby Lily! Oh she is just beautiful!!! I can't wait to come and hold her! Congrats to you, Chuck & Christian!

Melanie said...

Welcome home. Glad to hear the good news.

Ben's Mom said...

Congratulations on the birth of your beautiful daughter! Enjoy your family.

Mom to Toes said...

She's gorgeous, Tina!

It must have been such a relief to see the green card!