Newborn Sadie

I LOVE my job. I meet all kinds of wonderful people during the most miraculous, life-changing periods of their lives and get to play with babies on top of it all. Today I (accompanied by Trevor and Wally again -- I'm going to have to get Wally to try breastmilk in a bottle pretty soon) met Jen and Dave and their not-quite two-week old daughter, Sadie. I felt instantly drawn to this couple, and as we chatted through the session I liked them more and more. Their beautiful daughter seems to have already inherited her parents' mellow attitude and her mama's gorgeous red hair. Here are a few from our morning.

Jen and Dave requested some open-eyed shots. Luckily, Sadie was awake and alert when we arrived. I love the owl eyes in the background.

This was the first time Sadie had been in her crib. She looked so small!

Kisses from Mama. Beautiful eyes and you can see Sadie's hand by her face -- her favorite method of comfort.

Love this foot shot. Toes spread and everything!

A father-daughter moment.

Bum!

Sadies hands and feet were pretty peel-y -- a reminder of how new this baby really is.

Jen's friend made this ADORABLE hat.

A new favorite.
And finally a family shot. So much love here!

Jen and Dave, I had a fabulous time with you today. Your home is gorgeous and really reflects who you are. I loved watching you with your daughter and seeing how much love and peace she lives in. I'm honored to have met you!

One Month

I was Photoshop-less for a WEEK, so things have sort of pile up on me, but I wanted to post this while Wally was still around a month old. Our boy is changing so quickly, porking up and getting LONG. At his four-week check-up, he had gained nearly two pounds and had grown two inches since birth. He's currently the size Abby was at four MONTHS. Wally started smiling at around three weeks (though of course I haven't gotten a good shot of one yet) and loves to hear us make goat noises and fakey high-pitched laughs. Each day I fall more in love with our little guy. Abby calls him her "little bro" and "Mister Wally Man" and can't give him enough hugs and kisses. Trevor went back to work last week and I had to face my biggest anxiety head on: two kids and one me. But life has been pretty good and we are slowly figuring out how to make it out of the house on time. Here are a few shots of our blue-eyed boy at one month old.

Ali (our midwife) says that these blues don't look like the kind that change color like Abby's did.

Sister and brother. We think they have the same mouth and chin. Love the sun rays, lips, and chin. We've got more pics to share, but with work and two kids, they may be slow in coming. They WILL come though. :)

PS. Allison, you can stop bugging Trev now.

Meet Cooper

This session is chock-full of new favorite images. Wally, Trevor, and I met Lisa, David, and 6 day-old Cooper at their home last Sunday for Cooper's first official photoshoot. Not many babies are more eagerly anticipated than this little guy and I was thrilled to get to meet him. Lisa's birth story is rather harrowing (61 hours, half of them on Pitocin, but NO epidural!), but she is recovering and (as always) absolutely beautiful in new-motherhood.

Cooper weighed 6 pounds 13ounces at birth and was 20 and 3/4 inches long. That's the same length as Wally, but almost two pounds less. During the session I kept looking at Cooper and then at Wally and thinking that my baby looks HUGE!



Always prepared, Lisa had several fun props and hats for us to work with and I had such a fun time playing around with them all. (Too much fun, I think I overstayed my welcome.) The dilemma I'm having now is choosing favorites. I'd love to hear from some of you blog-readers out there. Which shot is your favorite and why?


First up, Phinnegan the dog watches over sleeping Cooper. When Lisa said they wanted some shots with Phinn, I got a little nervous. But this dog poses like a champ!
Cooper's nursery is drop dead GORGEOUS. I've never seen a more coordinated and well-appointed baby room. Lisa thought of every detail. Love the blue and brown. How tiny does Cooper look in his crib?

Love, love, love this.

We had lots of smiles.

These elf-hats are so sweet. I like how the curve of the tail follows the curves of baby's body.

Another bit of smile safe in Daddy's arms. (I think the smile was the precurser to a nice big poop -- all over Daddy.)

The whole family.

Not many things are more beautiful than the expression on new parents' face as they gaze at the miracle they created. I love that Cooper's ultrasound picture is in this shot.

Sweet lips.
More love from Mama and Daddy.

One of the last shots of the day. EVERYONE was exhausted and probably envying Cooper's cozy nest here. It's so fun to take babies outside, though. I couldn't pass this up.

Lisa and David, Cooper is wonderful and you are doing a fabulous job loving and caring for him. He's one lucky boy! Thanks so much for letting me bring my guys. I know it was a long day, but I hope you'll think it was worth it when you see all the images we captured. Congratulations!

Breanna and Family

Remember Saundra and family? Well, on July 31st they added sweet Breanna to the mix. I was so happy to get the chance to photograph this little one -- getting to meet the babe inside the bump is such a happy thing. I'm typing this with one hand while Wally nurses, so I'm just going to get right to the photos.

Cheeks!
Beautiful Sienna with her baby sister. These girls have completely different coloring.

Love the swirl of hair.

The new family of four.

Ahhh. I know Breanna is crying here, but isn't this sweet?
Daddy and open-eyed daughter.

I've been loving this shot lately.

A bit of bum.

Mama and baby.

(Trev just took Wally so I can really type now.) I had so much fun chatting and sharing birth stories with Saundra and Bill. It's interesting to talk with another 2nd-time mom about all the changes in the family dynamic and the differences between this pregnancy/birth/newborn experience and the last. From what I can tell, Saundra, Bill, Sienna, and Breanna are adjusting to life as a foursome VERY well. Congratulations to you all, and thank you again for allowing me to meet Breanna!

PS. Yes, there will be photos of Wally up here soon!

Six Months and Growing

I'm back! Well, sort of. Wally (escorted by Daddy) came with me to Emmeline's six month photo session. I can't believe it has been over half a year since I photographed her birth! Six months is one of my absolute favorite ages -- they're sitting but not mobile, cuddly, and curious. Emmeline was no exception. She has these eyes -- deep, dark brown like her mama's -- beautiful creamy skin, and of course some serious chub that makes a person just want to SQUEEZE her all day long. I managed to restrain myself (most of the time) in order to get some fun photos at a GORGEOUS Marysville park. (I can't wait to go back in early November for her nine month photos. The trees at that park will be amazing!)

Poor Angel and Eric have had to wait a whole week for their sneak peak because my computer has been terrorizing me, so without further ado, here's Emmeline!

On Daddy's drum. If you remember this shot, you can see how much Emmeline has grown.
Love the hint of baby bum in this one.
Ahh, toes.
A quietly happy moment. See what I mean about those eyes?
Love from Daddy.
Squish kisses. I never get tired of these.
Baby in a basket.
Angel and Eric, what are you doing here? I didn't see this until I started proofing. I'm imagining a conversation along the "She's YOUR daughter" lines. Whatever it was, I love this shot! I couldn't have asked for a more fun first session back. Thanks for being flexible, Angel and Eric. I'm so glad this worked out! Enjoy!

More of Waldron

Before Wally was born I couldn't wait for him to arrive so I could start photographing him. I had all kinds of plans for fabulous shots and pictures every day. What happened? As it turns out, it's a lot harder to be the photographer AND the new mom than I thought it would be. Between recovering from giving birth, the extreme heat of last week, caring for a two-year old, and adjusting to a lack of sleep, my plans for photos got a bit lost.

Wally was 10 days old when I finally got around to part two of his newborn shots. That may still sound very new, but it's really on the outside edge of newborn-ness. He was already more difficult to get to sleep (and keep asleep) than he had been, and I was feeling some serious pressure to just get ANYTHING before he graduated from newborn to baby right in front of me.

What have I learned from all this?
1. New moms need to take it easy or they pay the price later.
2. (For all my clients out there) I prefer to photograph newborns during the first week if at all possible.
3. Sometimes you just have to cut yourself some slack and relax.


All that being said, here are some of my favorites from Wally's 10-day-old photo session.


Big yawn!

Sweet feet.

Oh, the lips!
Wearing the hat that Kelly made for him. Thanks, Kelly!

More (peeling) feet, and a crusty bellybutton. He lost his cord on day 7.

Waldron has been a dream baby so far. He sleeps and eats and that's about it. We venture out every once in a while in the sling (which he loves) and car trips have been a breeze. I know it could all change without a moment's notice, but we are having a great time together right now. Woops! I just heard a monster poop, so I'll end this here. Enjoy!