Perfect Peter

Still high from attending Peter's birth, four days later I got to do his newborn photos. He's a handsome little guy, don't you think?

Beautiful mama Kelly.

Sweet feet. These are the little details we don't want to forget.

Kelly knitted these adorable booties. I love the little creases in Peter's leg.

He's already got long lashes to go with his dark hair.

A deep sleep. You know you've got them when their mouths hang open.
Christmas baby. This shot makes me want to have one in December, too! See the pouty lower lip?

Crafty Kelly made this hat, too.

The cheeks!

Big sis, Naomi eyeing "her baby". I loved this little cradle.

Holding her little brother.
Daddy's hand with Peter's. Arm creases!

Father and son. Peter looks pretty cozy there. I love the Christmas lights behind them.

My dear friends, I'm so happy that Peter is here. He's gorgeous, and I can't wait to watch him grow -- but not too fast! We're going to have so much fun with our two girls and two boys. And if Abby and Peter grow up and fall in love, they have my whole-hearted blessing!

Born at Home: Peter Lawrence

There's nothing like the high birth provides -- whether you are the one giving birth or attending it. I want to tell the whole story of Kelly's beautiful birth, but I'm desperately tired, so it will have to wait until I have more photos done. In the meantime, here are a few of Peter Lawrence and his perfect arrival. 10:10am, 9lbs, 21 inches, born at home.

Pulling Peter (though they didn't know yet that it was Peter) up onto her chest from the water.
Overwhelmed with love. Minutes after this, Kelly kept saying, "You're so soft!" Love the tongue.
During his newborn exam. Peter checked out perfectly.

I love the blurry outline of Kelly's face looking at her son. She made that hat!

The new family of four. Fitting that Naomi was too absorbed in "her" baby to look up. Doesn't Kelly look beautiful?

So much more to share, but those will have to wait. It was an amazing day. I was sobbing when Peter was born; I was just so happy for my friends. As it turns out, it's hard to take photos when your eyes are filled with tears. Congratulations on your beautiful, normal, natural home birth!

Christmas Tree Hunting

On Saturday we went Christmas tree hunting! After a stop at Starbucks where we met our good friends, Kelly, Lance, and Naomi, we all headed north to Arlington and arrived at the Highlead Plantation.

The train ride was one of the big draws to this particular farm. Abby LOVES trains right now -- the train Daddy takes to work, the Polar Express, the train tables at numerous toy stores -- so we thought this would be a treat.

Just before boarding, Lance and Naomi snuggle.

The mamas and kiddos riding the train down to the trees. Kelly is 39 weeks pregnant here!

And the exploration begins!

Running, running through the mini-forest.
Wally looks a bit grumpy here, but I love those lips!

A rare moment when Mama hands the camera over.

We told Abby to pick a good Christmas tree out for us. She chose this little one. I so wished we could have got it, but with all the trees the same price regardless of size, it just didn't make sense. Grandma and Grandpa Peterson said that she could pick a little tree out from their backyard next week, so she'll get her little tree.

My favorite shot of the day. Peeking through the branches.

Naomi was dressed for the drizzly cold day from hood to rainboots. I love the wary expression as she looks at the tree saw.
Lance prepares to cut their chosen one.

The whole family and their Christmas tree. Pretty soon we'll be taking photos of the baby under that tree.

A sweet moment. I remember holding my two year old at 10 months pregnant. Kelly, I hope you got some rest later that day!

Trev and Abby off to get our tree.
Hitching a ride for the tree.

Even rarer than a shot with me in it: our whole family. Thanks, Kelly! Now we have a shot to put on the bulletin board at preschool.

Wally wore his new bear suit and stayed toasty warm. Plus the mittens taste good! (Thanks, Grandma Peterson.) Oh, and this hat is the second thing I EVER knitted!

I couldn't bring my camera out and not get a shot of those blue eyes.
A final shot with the train before going to lunch.

This is such a fun age for outdoor adventures. Wally goes along for the ride in the Ergo, and Abby takes off to explore on her own. I hope that we can make this a yearly event. Yes, I'll get a picture of the tree up and decorated one of these days. And yes, I'll get some four month shots of Wally up here, too. I know I've been rather absent this month. Happy holidays!

Inspiration

The family of three, though soon to be four.

Sort of reminiscent of this shot, no? Can you believe how old Naomi looks? It has been over a year since her first birthday pics and SO much has happened. Abigail and Naomi continue to be great friends. And her mama, Kelly, continues to be an inspiration to me. She was at Wally's birth, finishing my early labor baking projects for me (because early labor quickly gave way to active labor), and making me laugh when I finished each contraction. I'm so glad she was there! That's why I'm so excited for her to have her second baby in early December. And I get to photograph the birth!

Kelly, her husband, Lance, Naomi and I met at Discovery Park for some pregnancy photos. Kelly didn't have any photos from her first pregnancy and wanted to make sure that this one was well documented. I, of course, am thrilled to help out. Here are a few from our cool (but not rainy!), fall session.

Naomi coming for me.

I love the rings and the bellybutton.

Lance has the craziest laugh. He cracks me up.

Love the wind in her hair.

See how perfectly round her belly is?

Sort of an ominous sky, but a peaceful mama.

Back in Edmonds we took a few urban-ish shots. I can't get enough of this perspective. I told that to Kelly while taking this shot and she said, "Like the midwife's perspective?"

Stripes!

And my favorite family shot of the day.
Kelly, I was so nervous about doing your pregnancy photos because it's YOU and I want you to have the best of everything. Your friendship means the world to me and I am so, so blessed to have you in my life. Now we just have to wait for you to give birth so we can see if your baby will be Wally's best friend or his future wife!