2.22.2023

Mis hijos.

 Having babies is a life changing experience. I love my kids so much & seeing them enjoy this new stage in our lives just makes me so so happy. 

Ive been wanting to do an actual newborn/family photoshoot but things happen, no one wants to get ready or for whatever reason it doesn't happen. The other day the boys just came to our room, full wet hairs, despeinados, leo had no shirt on, but they wanted to be with baby sister. It was the perfect moment to just capture those big smiles and those cariños towards their sister. I loved it so much. 


Lucas: you are so sweet with your sister. you always want to  hold her, take care of her and protect her. every time i see you with leila it absolutely melts my heart. you are so caring and loving and have become the best big brother ever. 


Leo: you are so careful with her and always willing to help. you let me know when "baby is crying" so i can go take care of her but you also tell leila "she is being too loud" -- it makes me laugh. you also imitate any funny noises she makes and it's pretty funny. you have become an amazing big brother. 












2.13.2023

1 week old!

 Our baby turned one week old! We've been enjoying and soaking in every minute with her. She is so calm, barely cries - unless you are changing her diaper, she absolutely hates it! & if she is hungry she will give you a fair warning (one simple scream) so I could pick her up and feed her lol 


Her visit to the pediatrician went great. She is 8.3lbs, healthy and everyone at the office fell in love with her and her amazing hair. My little Leila has truly changed our lives <3


2.10.2023

Details I never want to forget

Since they didn't allow children at the hospital, it was just Leila and me at night time. Daniel went to pick up the boys at around 10pm on Feb 9th. The next morning I had the chance to finally take a shower (since I almost fell at the hospital and they requested for me to stay in bed. The epidural only numbed my legs and left side of my back so when I transferred over to a new room my knees locked up)...yeah that was fun! But anyway, in the morning I had the chance to just soak in all the newborn goodness with Leila and take a few pictures and details I never want to forget.  


Embracing it!

 My body has experienced some amazing changes since giving birth the first time in 2013. I've grown three beautiful and healthy children. I used to feel so self conscious about my body and how it look postpartum. But now that I'm 37 years old and had my last baby, I look at myself and think "WOW, YOU ARE A TOTAL BADASS NAELI" and I'm so proud of that. This is the first time I took a picture of myself hours after giving birth and I felt amazing of everything I have accomplished. Every pregnancy was different and I had different postpartum effects. With baby girl I started feeling contractions after giving  birth and during breastfeeding. It has lasted for over a week but its finally relaxing. 




2.09.2023

Leila's Birth Story

 As I mentioned on my previous post, at 40 weeks + 2 days overdue, baby girl decided it was time for us to meet her. This is how the day went.


At 6:30am I woke up, got Lucas ready for school and dropped him off. By the time I got home (around 8am) I felt a strong pain in my back. It felt like a contraction but I wasn't 100% sure. I asked Daniel to open the door for me and I went straight to bed. I slept for 2 hrs and woke up extremely hungry. I got myself and Leo ready and we met Daniel at Ihop at around 10:30am. During our meal I started having stronger pains - but that was NOT going to stop me from enjoying my meal :) 


My contractions started getting stronger at 11:06 (I started writing them down to count how far apart they were) They were 5-8 mins apart. We went back home, I went for a walk with Leo, and laid down again. The contractions continued and at around 1pm I finally decided to call the doctor. They told me it was most definitely time to head to the hospital. 


We picked up Lucas at school and dropped the kiddos with a friend. We arrived at the hospital at 2pm and they sent us straight to Labor and Delivery. I was 7cm dilated when I arrived but I felt so calm. The contractions were painful but I had excellent help and a wonderful support system, which made it that much better. Daniel and I were joking around & talking non stop. He is truly a wonderful support system, I couldn't have done this without him. I had a wonderful nurse, Tonya, and another sweet nurse to check out baby girl. It was only 5 of us in the room: doctor, nurses (2), Daniel and myself. It was very nice to be in a very calming environment. 


At around 4pm, the doctor showed up, broke my water and it was a waiting game from there. I did get the epidural but unfortunately it failed me. I felt the whole thing the entire time but what can you do. 


At around 5:50 I pushed about 6-10 times and baby girl was out at 6:09. Even though it was painful, it was a beautiful experience to finally meet our baby girl. We still didn't have a name for her and it took us a couple of hours to figure it out, until Daniel suggested Leila Marie and I fell in love with it. We only spent one night at the hospital and got discharged at night time. This was going to be an exciting time since the boys were finally going to meet Leila. It was such a beautiful moment to see them so excited and smitten with her.


It is our pleasure to finally introduce the newest Palomares family member, Leila Marie. This beauty was  born on her own terms, she didn't cry that much when she came out and has been the calmest baby ever. She was 8.9lbs : 21 inches and born with a full set of hair, just like her older brothers. It was a beautiful experience and I am beyond happy to have her in our lives. 


WE LOVE YOU SO MUCH LEILA.


40 weeks + 2 days

 Today is officially two day pass my due date. I woke up at 6:30, got Lucas ready, took him to school, and as soon as I got home (around 8am), I felt a strong contraction. I asked Daniel to open the door for me and I went straight to bed. At around 9am, I took a shower, got Leo and myself ready and we met Daniel at Ihop, because I was starving. When we got home I decided to go for a walk and take one last baby bump picture, since I felt she was ready to come :)

This is where you can find the rest of the birth story --- CLICK HERE! 



2.04.2023

39 Weeks

 We are so close to meeting Baby Girl. Nothing much has changed as far as symptoms goes. 

  • Still 1cm dilated 
  • Braxton hicks are still happening more frequent 
  • Hospital bag is ready 
We are just excited to meet her.