Welcome Ethan Cole !

Holy Hormones with my last post. I was so just exhausted with everything at the time being! Lord knew I was done and ready to not be pregnant!

Our little Cole arrived February 2, 2019. Weighing in at 7lbs 13 oz and 21 inches long!
The day started out like pretty much any other Saturday. We took our time waking up and eating breakfast before we loaded up the kids and looked for something to do for the day. First on the list was a Target run of course! Who doesn't like going to Target?! Well, actually to be quite honest with you, Target on the weekend is not the most exciting ... Too many people and too much of a long line at the checkout.
It was a perfectly gloomy, rainy day. I remember praying and asking God to please let it be a cool rainy day when I give birth.

After Target, we decided on pizza for lunch. While we were at Target walking around, I began to have what I thought were braxton hicks contractions. While at the pizza place, I began to feel uncomfortable and just sat in the booth while the kids played in the arcade. I kept looking at David and rolling my eyes and saying " It hurts but it's not it. It's just so annoying, I wish I knew when it really is the real deal!" Just a week before we had gone to the hospital because I was having consistent and painful contractions for a few hours. We got sent home after staying the night for not progressing more than 1 cm while there. I had been 4 cm dilated for over a week.



After pizza, we went to Supercuts and got haircuts for Noah, Ben and myself. ( Levi wanted to grow out his hair)


I was last to go and the whole time I sat in the chair I tried to keep my cool with every contraction I felt but they did begin to feel tighter and stronger. I was still able to carry conversation with the hairdresser so I figured It wasn't time to go to the hospital just yet.



After our haircuts, David suggested we go to the hospital. I stubbornly said "no, it's okay. I really don't think it's time yet." We headed home.

We got home and I drew myself a bath, threw in some bath bombs, got my bag of peanut m&ms and pulled up youtube on my phone to relax. It was great.
When I got out, I wanted to make my hair wavy to see what it would look like with the new haircut. Meanwhile, the kids were playing and running through out the house, David was working on clearing out the boy's closet to make it more efficient and it was pouring outside.

From the time I began to curl my hair to when we left, it was a blur. I was okay for the first 20  min and than it hit me like a wave... The contractions had me stop what I was doing, go on all fours and just breathe. I felt like I was getting struck by lightening in my abdomen. After a few of those painful ones, I began to call for David. I asked him to just hold me. Again he suggested we go and I said no. So he went back to the boy's room. I kept having to pee. And than I went to the living room and laid on the couch and cried. David than came and said " okay I'm getting the kids ready!" I got up and put my jacket on, slippers... and then went to the bathroom. I must have peed 5 times in ten minutes. I called for David in the bathroom and cried and said " I don't think I can make it in time!"

We left the house, Yes all of us, at 7:15PM.

It was pouring rain out. David sped.



I turned the emergency lights on as he zoomed past cars on the high way.


The pain intensified.


I rolled my window down with the rain coming in and breathed. I began  talking to myself . " I can do  this... I can do this... the pain is only temporary .. I can do this!"

David may or may not have ran two red lights when we got off the high way. He called his mom ahead of time and told her to meet us at the hospital entrance. He ran one last red light and there it
was... the most beautiful building I'd ever seen.. The hospital! We arrived at 7:35 pm ( mind you it usually takes 40 minutes to get there !)
His mom and stepdad were standing there waiting for us to pull up. David tossed the keys at them and I began to get out. I almost fell it was so slippery and his mom caught me. A big contraction.. she ran and got me a wheelchair. David ran with me in it and we made it to the Labor and Delivery side!

The nurses began to ask questions and take my information and all I wanted was a room asap! The nurse finally got the hint and said " she looks pretty serious, maybe no triage for her." I asked " is the room ready?! Please I need to go in!" and they led us into a room. Once in I ran to the bathroom to pee. I changed into the gown and peed again. My nurse came in and began to ask questions. I got up to pee again...
She then had me lay down to check how far along I was. I was at a 9! I began to panic.. "I can't do this ! Babe I can't do this! I need an epidural!" she responded " Oh no you can't now, you're too far along.. I'm sorry" and she began to put the straps to monitor the baby and I and put the monitor on my finger to monitor me . She began to ask questions and type on her computer and all of the sudden I felt the worst contraction I'd ever felt. I removed the monitor from my finger, sat up on the bed with my legs on the floor and David rushed over and said " where are you going?!" I grabbed onto his arms and pushed so hard that I broke my water all over his boots and the nurse's shoes! Not to mentioned I felt the babies head out! At this point they had no idea I had already pushed his head out because my gown was covering. David lifted me and laid me down on the bed and that's when I
pulled up the gown to show him. "Oh shit his head is out!" he said. The nurse called for all nurses to come in and the doctor. As they were coming in and getting everything ready, I pushed for the second time and out he came!

(All of this happened super fast!) We were only there for 10 minutes and then he was Born.

Ethan Cole McDaniels was born at 7:48 pm!

I never imagined his birth would be as dramatic as it was ! It all happened so fast! I wasn't even aware my body could do such an amazing job on it's own as it did! I'm so thankful to God that it was a quick birth and that the pain was only for a short amount of time.

The second the nurses plopped Ethan onto my chest, I fell head over heels. All the frustrations and disconnect I had felt through out the pregnancy just completely left me. I am 100% sure I was meant to have a big family. Ethan is everything I ever wanted and didn't know it. We're so beyond blessed to have him. He's healthy, he's beautiful and he's our little heaven on Earth.