Introducing Felix

Every once in a while I am reminded that I am not in control. During those times I have to sit back and relax and allow myself to just go along for the ride and see where it takes me. Felix took his parents and I for a ride on Sunday. At five days old, this little guy was not going to be bullied into falling asleep. Here's how he looked when I arrived.

So we waited and swaddled and waited and shushed and waited some more until...

Finally he slept.

Uh oh, is he waking? I LOVE this yawn.

Safe in Mama's arms. The spread toes and hand on his cheek get me.

Father (Julian) and son.
We moved outside for some sibling shots with big sister, Stella. Stella is in Abby's class at preschool. I remember her always claiming Teacher Linda's lap during circle time. Here's Stella with mama, Robin. Every mom and daughter moment is precious now with the new addition to the family.

Stella and Felix out for a ride with the wagon. The blanket was Robin's as a baby.

So sweet.

It was a cool, but sunny, afternoon. Felix was OUT.

Love the colors and his hands by his face.
As I was editing these photos, I was hit by how amazing these years are in the life of a family. Bringing a life into the world, watching him grow and turn into a little person -- how can you top that? I know it is a difficult time in so many ways (lack of sleep, time, sanity) but I still wonder if it is all downhill after this. Maybe you parents of older children out there can share your thoughts. Can anything top this?

Robin and Julian, thanks for inviting me into your home to photograph your new family of four. I hope you see some photos to love and to remind you of this miraculous time in your lives. Enjoy!

Sophia and the Tangerine

Sophia and her mama, Erica, met me at a local park on Wednesday for some two-year-old birthday photos. In our correspondence before the session, Erica said that there was just one shot that she had to get -- Sophia standing on a bench looking at a tangerine. Erica's grandmother has a shot of her as a child doing the same thing, and it has become a bit of tradition that they are hoping to uphold. Sure, I thought. How hard could that be?




How hard? Well, we spent our entire session chasing that shot or a variation of it and still didn't come close. Oh, we have pictures with the tangerine, all right. Sophia grew strangely attached to her round little friend and carried it everywhere. But would she stand and look at it? Not a chance.




On the bright side, we did manage to capture lots of fun two-year-old shots. Everything from tears to laughter. I just hope Erica doesn't mind the bit of orange in most of them. I had been warned that Sophia can be slow to warm to strangers. She stayed close to mama for the first bit, but isn't that part of being TWO? Gorgeous eyes checking me out.

Is she giving me a thumbs up here?

We swapped the tangerine for a flower. Sophia had fun exploring the different plant textures.

Big smile!

More flowers to touch. Sophia's schoolgirl outfit is adorable.

One of my favorites from the day. See the path of tears? I love that mama is there in the background comforting her. This is a shot I wish I had with my kiddo(s). (Don't worry, she gets happy soon after this.)
See?

Killer lashes. One lucky girl.

We wore mama out with this shot, but I think it was worth it.

Running free.

Gorgeous light, mama, and daughter. This says love and security to me.

Happy 2nd birthday, Sophia! I hope you and your tangerine had a wonderful day. Thanks for a fun morning, Erica. It was great to meet you!

Two Months

Can you believe it? Our little Waldron made his grand entrance to the world two months ago today. I decided to do a quick mini-shoot to celebrate. Here's the same shot as last month so we can compare. I think he's got more hair and eyelashes and cheeks now.
And while he was smiling at three weeks, he's doing it much more easily now. Of course, usually the smiles go away when the big black box appears in front of mama's face. Here's the beginning of one.

And not a great picture, but it shows a bigger smile. They can get WAY bigger, but he wasn't feeling those ones this afternoon.

Demure, no?

Lifting his head a bit. He's super strong (when he wants to be). Mama loves his sweet lips and huge blue eyes, his squishy cheeks (both sets) and the creases on his neck (that smell like cheese) and shoulders.

Nearly a favorite. You get a hint of leg chub and curled toes.

At eight weeks Wally weighed 12 pounds and 4 ounces. We forgot to measure him, but he's busting out of 0-3 clothes and really fills 3-6. He's having longer periods of alert and happy time, and now I can lay him on a blanket on the floor and he'll be content to stare up at the light fixture in the living room. He loves that thing. Abigail is also a favorite source of amusement and he has smiles for her all the time. Big Sis is earning her wings! I LOVE that they entertain each other.

Abigail, Wally, and I have gotten into a groove, and can now make it to engagements on time (and sometimes early!). I've had to leave Wally with Grandma several times for preschool or work, but he still isn't wanting to take a bottle. I can get him to do it when I return, but what's the point of ME being able to bottle-feed him? Nights are smooth -- sometimes he'll only wake up once (and not till 5am!), and it's not a big deal when he does wake because we just side-lie nurse and Mama goes back to sleep.

My biggest challenge has been finding time to keep up with work (which is really a good thing) because Wally nurses ALL the time and it's pretty hard to edit photos with one hand. Other than that (well, that and the incredibly messy house) life is good. The pre-Wally me would be shocked that the post-Wally me could ever write that. I was so nervous about being mom to TWO. But like all moms, I do what I have to and we just make things work. And I guess it helps that I think my two kids are the most wonderful kids in the world.

Cousins

Four weeks ago my cousin, Evelyn, gave birth to a beautiful baby girl, Ryleigh. On Thursday, our families got together for a little photo session. Photographing a four week old baby can be considerably more difficult than a one-weeker, but we gave it a shot and I LOVE the results. She arrived wide awake, and when I told her mama that we would need to get her to sleep she laughed. Apparently she's been spending her days wide awake lately. But no one can resist my super-swaddling skills, and soon she was fast asleep. (That last statement is a bit of an exaggeration, but she really did sleep like a champ once we swaddled her.) If only Waldron had slept so soundly! Here are a few of sweet Ryleigh.

Cheeks and lips!
One of those happy accidents as I tried to get a different pose.

More lips!

Shiny eyes.

Mama and baby. Evelyn is very laid back for a first time mama.

Right after she peed all over Evie. Love that tummy.
Fun hair swirl.

Alert and happy in Mama's arms.

Probably my favorite shot of the session. I love the colors and the texture and the slightly open lips.

It's so fun to see the next generation of our family expanding. Ryleigh and Wally are four weeks apart exactly and it will be fascinating to watch them grow and change in the coming years. Family gatherings are about to get MUCH more interesting! Congratulations Evie!

Someone's Two!

It's Ronan! Ronan and his parents, Christine and Ryan, belong to our co-op preschool, and won a session with me at our annual fundraising auction. Abby and Ronan were in the same Toddler class last year, and are in 2/3s together this year as well. It was so fun to spend some time with Ronan and his family at the Edmonds waterfront. I love seeing how parents interact with their children outside of the classroom. Ronan is a mellow, cooperative guy -- not at all what you'd expect from TWO, and that allowed us to get some fun shots.

A sweet family pseudo-portrait.
Happy, and just a tad mischevious. He was just about to bop me with a balloon.

A sweet moment with Dad in the sun.

Expecting a more typical two-year-old, I came prepared with photogenic bribes. Ronan didn't need a bribe, but I still wanted to use this lollipop from Nama's.

This may be my favorite from this session.
I love upside-down hair.
Pretty evening light.

Smush-kiss.

Lots of love here.

And another fav. It just feels so TWO!

I'm looking forward to seeing Ronan through another year of preschool. I feel like I know him much better after our session. Christine and Ryan, thanks for a fun evening. I hope you enjoy these shots of your little guy!

Mama-to-be-again Dawne

One of my hopes for every pregnant woman is that she has photos of herself and her belly to look back on. We forget so quickly what it felt like to carry our babies inside of us, how magical it is to feel the baby move, and how strange and wonderful those big bellies are. When my friend Dawne told me that she actually liked her pregnant form better this time around (she has a two-year-old son, Sawyer, who was born the same day as Abigail), I insisted on doing a few belly pics. I'm so glad I did because I've got some new favorites!

I love the light and Dawne's tender expression here.
A classic close-up.

Sawyer and Mama. Aren't his eyes great?

Beautiful eyes and cheek bones, with a hint of belly in the background.

Dawne, Tony, and Sawyer. The family of three, soon to be four.

And the much-desired, though not often captured, sibling kissing the belly/baby shot. I love it!

Dawne, I hope some of these will help you to remember how beautiful you are and how anticipated this little baby is. I can't wait to meet Sawyer's, baby brother or sister. I guess it won't be long now! Enjoy!