Almost Due with Baby #4

We are right at the finish line with having our fourth son! This time around everything has been absolutely different. I am currently 37 weeks and 4 days along. We've had one false alarm so far! Last Thursday I woke up, went pee and thought I was done when I heard more pee come out. TMI but whatever. If you know, you know...
I didn't feel like I had pushed any out or anything and I thought hmm maybe this is my water breaking? I've never had my water break on its own so I thought maybe it was it. I waited until about noon with continuous contractions to tell David. He then asked his mom to pick Noah up from school and then come to my house to pick up Levi and Ben as well. I packed their bags just in case and waited for David to come home. When he came home we went to get checked at the hospital. Turns out I was 3cm dilated! I had progressed from a 1 1/2 to a 3 in just a few days! Yay!

They had us wait for a while more, still with contractions, to see if there was any progress. They checked me one hour later and to our surprise, I was at a 4! We were sure this was it! They still didn't admit me, but they had us wait. We waited until about 8pm, they checked me again and I was still at a 4. This time they told me since I was only 36 weeks and 5 days they didn't want to intervene unless baby was progressing on his own. So they gave us the option of staying the night or going home. We live 45 minutes away from the hospital so to be safe we decided to stay.
That night was rough, and we hardly slept.
My contractions came to a complete halt.

In the morning, the Dr. checked me and I was still at a 4. No change. So I got sent home with no baby. That's probably the most intimidating part to me is thinking labor is happening and then going home with no baby. Good thing is baby is healthy, happy and still growing.

Me trying to get things going .. walked the park 3 times, Went up the jungle gym stairs 15 times and still nothing. Oh well .

In just 2 days I go into my 38 week appointment and I'm pretty sure she's doing the membrane sweep to get things going. I'm so excited! For me this always works and I'm usually in active labor that same night! Fingers crossed!

Pregnant With Baby Number 4!

 Surprise! Baby Number 4 is on board and almost ready to dock! ... okay that was lame

We are expecting baby number 4!!!

Due Date:

We just went in today for our check up and according to baby's anatomy scan + the first day of my last period, we are due February 9th 2019!

I am 24 weeks along !

Gender?

Surprise Surprise, It's a BOY!!!

Symptoms:

Fatigue, Cramping, Back pain... so far only one Charlie horse on my calf. I hate those! I don't think I'm moody or super emotional but you might want to re check that with David ;)

Names? 

None! 
Okay, there's a couple we do like but have yet to settle on::

Cole
Asher
John
Asher John
John Asher
Any name suggestions would be appreciated ! {We already have a Noah Kalvin; Levi John; Benjamin David.}

How Did We Find Out?

 I was ten days late and I just had this gut wrenching feeling I might be pregnant. I'm pretty honest, so I'll just be real here.
Our plan was to wait 3-4 years until we try for our last baby. Having Benjamin is a blessing, He's so fun and silly, but also the clingiest one yet. I can't get much of anything done with him needing to be on my hip. With that being said, we knew we should wait until he was a little more independent and the other two older brothers were in school.
We were being careful but unless you're on birth control (which I was not) or you've been snipped, (which he has not) the most careful you can be is being celibate lol Plus it's super difficult to not get pregnant when you have a super hot spicy man for a husband ;)

First test: was not negative but oh so so so faint! That little second line was just not showing up enough to convince me that I might really be pregnant with a living baby. I know that sounds weird to say, but when you've lost a pregnancy you know what to look out for while miscarrying. I thought the faint line was either I was so early or I was miscarrying. I was early.
Test number two a day later, was already so much more apparent! Holy cow, Could I really be pregnant again so soon?! I only just got my first period since having Ben, and here I am, missed my second one because I was already pregnant!
How am I going to do this with four kids 6 and under?! How is David going to feel ?!
I told him, right then and there. He surprised me! Not because I expected him to feel disappointed but how encouraging he was! He was not even stressed.

Test number 3, I decided I wanted to film it. I bought a legit expensive test that actually showed the words PREGNANT or NOT PREGNANT. You know the fancy ones from target.
PREGNANT.
Okay... I'm pregnant! I'm really Pregnant! ( I didn't do anything with the video, been thinking about starting to vlog again but still unsure)
This was in June.

I didn't go to my first official OB appointment until I was about 13 weeks. It's been flying ever since!
I did get morning sickness this pregnancy which lead me to believe it might be a girl since I felt so different than the last pregnancy.
But honestly, all of my pregnancies have been so different.

1. Noah was huge ( 9 lb baby and traumatizing delivery)
2. Levi I had a subchorionic hemorrhage . But with him I was smaller and super easy delivery.
3. Ben was the most exhausting most painful pregnancy . I also had gestational diabetes with him and got a huugggge belly!

So, We'll see how this one turns out but so far No gestational diabetes and I'm back to feeling energized. Belly is big according to me, but hey , I have had 4 babies grow full term in there :)

No matter how much of a surprise, I am thankful that our son is growing. Growing healthy, Growing fast and we are excited to meet you. Brothers are already loving on you so hard on the daily! I am excited to see my 4 young men grow together in this brother hood. We are beyond blessed.

Welcome Baby Benjamin!

We Are Officially a Family of 5!

Name:  
Benjamin David McDaniels

Date of Birth
March 13, 2017

Time of Birth:
7:25pm

Weight & Height
7 lbs 12 oz  20 1/4 inches Long

Benjamin, you are oh so perfect in every way! You are everything we asked for ! We love you. Welcome son. 

"F My Life" 38 weeks with Baby Number 3!

3 F's in my life
Feeling: Fat, Fatigued and Fiesty.


Nope not carrying triplets, nor twins... theres just one in there. I do tend to get a big belly with pregnancy but it's usually accompanied with a larger body too! Well, don't get me wrong, thees plenty of cottage cheeseyness on my thighs to go around but ... I'm not as big body wise as I was with the other two.

Yesterday we had our 3rd ultrasound to measure baby since with gestational diabetes babies tend to get big... well to our surprise, baby is measuring in at 7.5 lbs! So what the heck?! Maybe a lot of amniotic fluid again? I don't know, but my belly feels so heavy and causes me so much hip, back and lower body pain. It's hard for me to go from sitting to standing.

In just a few days I will be 39 weeks and my doctor might induce than. Fingers crossed, I am ready to get this boy out!

In other news, We bought and installed baby boy's carseat!
It's tight in our little Nissan Sentra, but it'll do for now.

It's feeling more and more real that he'll be here in just days!
My hospital bag is packed and loaded. Just need to pack the boys' bag for staying at grandma's house for a couple of days and we're good.

Also been selling a lot on different apps to try and save and buy this beautiful and functional diaper bag

Isn't she lovely?! ha I want this so bad! And with three littles, the backpack style is perfect!

30 Weeks Pregnant w/Baby number 3!

Hello Baby Bump! We are at the end  already and I could not be more thrilled about it! These past few weeks have been so so exhausting and trying on my body. I am now 30 weeks pregnant and I have a feeling this little baby will be here early and sooner than we think! I'm doing okay but do have some not so good news going on at that moment with the pregnancy.

How far along ?

30 weeks & 4 days.

Weight Gain?

Plenty.. Actually not as much as I gained at this point with my other two. But it's about a pound a week.

Symptoms and or Problems?

Anemia, Gestational Diabetes and pain below. Gestational diabetes is not a huge concern, I just need to eat a clean diet and drink plenty of water. Anemia scares me when delivering but I need to load up on iron supplements and foods and I should be okay. I can't be on my feet a long time anymore without it causing me pain. This belly is heavy!

Have a Name for baby yet?

Yes! Will announce soon! David actually came up with it all on his own. I could not think of a name I fully liked so he came up with this one. He's actually liked this name since I was pregnant with Noah but It didn't seem fitting. This name with his middle name has a wonderful ring to it!

Cravings?

Ugh yes! Sweets for sure, but with having gestational diabetes I need to watch it. Can't go crazy with those cravings!

Rings on or off?

On! tight if I don't drink enough water through out the day.

Sleeping?

What is sleep? I cannot get comfortable for the life of me. And than I do and I have to get up to pee.

Movement?

So so much moving in there! What could he possibly be doing in there?! I love it.

Stretch marks?

No new ones. Same ones on my lower belly and sides. They're the clear kind so not super noticeable in pictures but they're there. 
Oh and I am beginning to get the Linea Negra. Belly button is now out as well!


There ya have it! My due date is March 22nd, but I am almost positive he will be here sooner than that. Who knows, maybe for his daddy's birthday March 9th? I can't wait!

Bumpdate 20 Weeks With Baby #3!

Well here we are, half way there and I could not be more thrilled! Baby boy and I have hit a milestone together this week! Twenty Weeks and feeling good!

This week has been a game changer. Not until this past week did my nausea subside and boy am I glad. I'm thinking that probably had something to do with me "popping" this week as well! I wasn't showing much until now. And I kinda like it!

Gap Maternity blouse: 4.99 Goodwill
Liz Lange Maternity Jeggings : 7.99 New @Goodwill  ( the most comfortable pair of maternity pants ever! I suggest sizing down, I got a Medium and I'm pulling them up a lot.)

I took these pictures on self timer mode so bare with me on the blur. 

Had to add my littlest photobombing.

We haven't settled on a name for little guy yet but we have a  few in mind . I'm in no rush to pick out a name. It seems that now that I am showing, Levi knows something's up and presses on my belly or lays his head on it. It's cute. I consider it brother bonding hahaha.
I'm not sure how these updates will go. I'm thinking every five weeks maybe? I know in the past I'd do a weekly bump date but sometimes there's not a whole bunch to report so maybe every 5 weeks we'll see a big difference.

As of right now, I crave tacos. Like bomb tacos from a taco truck. And yep, I've been eating them. =)

Levi's Almost Here! 39 week Update

Our little Levi

I cannot believe it ! I am 39 weeks pregnant with little Levi and the anticipation is killing us! We are so ready for our sweet boy to be born!
These past few weeks have been draining, uncomfortable, stressful and more but now that we're at the finish line I am so grateful to have been able to hold him in my womb for this long safely and healthy.

It's always when you're waiting for something exciting that it seems to take FOREVER, like when I was little and we would drive and hour and a half to go to Disneyland, it always felt like it took all day long just to get there; and then the drive back home felt like minutes! That's pretty much the same way I feel when I am pregnant. The wait meanwhile feels so long but once the baby is born, BAM, the hours turn into seconds and in the blink of an eye your baby goes from newborn to two years old!

38 weeks

Symptoms & Labor Signs

• Braxton hicks that last hours, yes with pain and discomfort but than fade after a while.
• A ton of hip pain! 
• Waddle
• Insomnia
• Can't sit for longer that 15-30 min.
• Dilated to a 3 for a week now & 60% effaced
• Nausea
• Congestion and Shortness of breath
• Loss of Mucus plug

We are progressing but it's been pretty slow. I've had so many people tell me that the second baby comes a lot sooner that your first and that labor and delivery is quicker but I dunno, I think my boy's just find my belly cozy and try and make it their permanent living space! haha

I'm hoping this is my last update for our little Levi, I just honestly cannot wait to hold him and kiss him and smell his newborn smell and have him and Noah together!  We are so excited!

32 Weeks Pregnant!

On Sunday I marked of another week of pregnancy, 32 weeks to be exact. I'm Happy to say the 3 hour glucose test I had to drag Noah to came back completely normal, no gestational diabetes here! Praise God for keeping me and baby Levi healthy. Another thing to be super thankful for is Mr. Noah and how cooperative he is when it's just he and I running errands. I was super anxious about having to take him with me to the appointment since it meant 1. waking him up early 2. keeping him as busy as can be for 3 hours and 3. He's very full of energy so I was hoping he wouldn't be too rowdy for other patients there waiting.

bored at the office haha

He did Great! My little trooper sat on my lap or next to me the first hour. He ate his breakfast I had brought with me, watched Clifford, read him a couple books and colored. The second hour he started to go up to every kid he saw and would than recruit them to join in on his great idea of running and playing inside the waiting room. It wasn't too bad or loud. But when he did get a bit loud, I decided to take him outside and let him run by the water fountain. The third hour, there weren't as many kids coming in so he would go up to other grown ups and start conversations. Luckily everyone kept telling me how cute and handsome he was so I figured he wasn't being annoying.

Appointment Update:
My appointment on Monday went great as well. Baby's heartbeat is strong in the 160's, my weight is normal. I've gained 19 pounds this pregnancy.
As huge as I feel, I don't have any new stretch marks, just the same as with Noah and they're clear so hopefully they stay that way. Here's to wishful thinking!

Maternity Clothes:
Currently, the regular jeans I've been wearing are not cooperating as much anymore with my growing hips ;-( so I might have to invest in a couple maternity jeans from Old Navy or just opt for flowy dresses and skirts.

Rings: on/ off?
Rings would be on except Noah thought it would be a great idea to play with mama's wedding rings (which I leave on my nightstand at night) and he dropped the diamond one and I have not found it! It's in my room, probably under the bed but I have not seen it. He keeps reminding me that I lost the ring... he says "mama , ring lost in the bed?" and I have to tell him "no baby, you lost it and you better save your pennies starting now to get me a new one!" hahaha

Sypmtoms:
TIRED. SO TIRED.
Also, the one I've been dreading.... leg cramps! So far only one when I woke up this week. Man that was painful.
Lots of Braxton Hicks contractions and cramping.

Cravings:
Give me cheesecake, donuts, chocolate, cereal, EVERYTHING! Don't worry all in moderation ;)

Mood: 
Honestly, a little moody. I'm just over it. Sorry not sorry. "Keep calm I'm 8 months pregnant" shirt needed!

Pregnancy Update Week 30-31

It's been a while since I did a pregnancy update, and I can't believe I'm already 31 weeks pregnant! My appointments are now every two weeks and we will begin discussing where I will deliver and what our plan is. Every appointment has been super quick, we listen to the baby's heartbeat, measure my belly and my weight and that's all, so I feel like I don't have much to say or show since with this baby we have only had about two ultrasounds.

My belly is big, but still not as big as I had with Noah. I'm gaining weight now, I've gained about 15 pounds which is still less than Noah ( I gained about 52 pounds total with that dude!)

Symptoms: Fatigue, hip pain, cramps, and braxton hicks contractions.

Cravings: Sweets, cereal, breakfast foods ( I usually do not like breakfast, but I love it now)

Maternity Clothes: Not really. I wear my normal pants or yoga pants and wear a belly band since I can't button them. Lots of large basic tanks from Walmart ( bomb tanks for $3.92 yes please!)

Rings on or off? On! But if its hot out or if I don't drink enough water in the day, they get tight!

Gender: Boy . All boy.

Movement: All Day Long. This sucker is strong and likes to interact with his older brother and daddy. He's always on my right side, making my belly an odd shape. Noah was the same way!

So a few not so fun things, my glucose test came back elevated by a tennie bit and they still insist I go and take the 3 hour glucose test! =(
I pray I don't have gestational diabetes and that baby isn't  a giant. lol
So I'll be doing that this week and dragging Mr. Noah with me for the whole appointment. Gotta do whatcha gotta do. Hopefully he behaves!


We are getting antsy and excited here for the arrival of my little Levi! We've redone Noah's room to be more kid friendly and made room for Levi in it. I will be posting pics soon!