Three Months

On the 23rd Waldron turned three. months. old. That's a quarter of a year already! I know I sound like a broken record, but how is this happening so fast? Fall is here, so our naked outdoor shots have probably come to an end. I guess I'll have to put him in some clothes! But we can do naked shots inside to mama's heart's content. Here are a few:

The closeup to compare to two months and one month. His face continues to fill out. His hair is getting longer and is very even all over his head.

Little feet that are quickly growing out of all of Wally's socks.

This makes me smile. He's such a happy baby. Of course, when Mama puts the big black box in front of her face, those smiles disappear. This is the hat that Kelly made for him. It still fits, but just barely. Remember his newborn shot with it?

More contemplative and sweet.

And a bonus shot with big sis who continues to love her little bro. Now she says, "I love you, Wally." before she goes to bed every night.
My little guy is really waking up to the world these days. He has discovered his hands and he'll use them to grab or bat at items of interest -- usually mama's hair or shirt. Sometimes I'll catch him staring at his hands while he's in the swing. I can nearly always elicit a big, open-mouthed smile by standing Wally up on my lap and smiling at him. Lately, when I do this he'll jerk forward with his mouth open and try to eat my face. It's a fun game we play. This evening I was kissing his cheeks (fat mama kisses, not just little pecks) and he started laughing and let out the loudest squeal we've heard from him.

Our non-scientific measurements get Wally at 25 inches long at three months old, and we guess that he's about 13 3/4 pounds. Those 3-6 month onesies are on their way out and 6 month clothes are filtering into his wardrobe. I've started knitting baby hats (ostensibly for my newborn clients, but Wally and Abby will both benefit from Mama's new hobby), so you'll see him in some fun ones in the coming months.

Before Wally was born I worried about how attached I would feel to baby #2, a boy. I have to laugh about that now. Wally is so adorable, beautiful, and amazing, that I am overcome with love for him on a daily basis. And when he looks at me, I swear I see that love mirrored back at me. I am so lucky to be this baby boy's mama. If only his babyhood wouldn't fly by so quickly...

Fall Fun

Tis the season for family photos. With holiday cards in mind, families flock to photographers to capture the elusive family photo. You know the one -- everyone smiling and looking at the camera. But how much does that photo really say about the family beyond "this is what we looked like this year"? My goal for family photos is that they say something more. Something about who this family is and how each member relates to the others. I want my photos to bring back memories of time together.


Angela approached me for her family photos with a specific vision in mind. She wanted a pile of leaves for her family to play in while I photographed their fun. This fit perfectly with my view of what a family portrait should be. On Sunday we made it happen. Here's what we got!

Angela and her one year old daughter, Jacqueline.
No one cared about getting their clothes dirty. Two and a half year old Colton couldn't have been happier. I love that Jacqueline is looking at the camera while her family plays.

Leaves flying everywhere!

Colton is ready to fling some leaves.

A REAL smile. The kind you want to remember.

Helping Daddy (Patrick) rake the leaves.
See the love? And a gorgeous Angela.

Even more love.

I'm betting that Colton had a fabulous nap after all the running he did.

Jacqueline keeps it real.

A little more traditional, but still showing connection.
I was just about to put my camera away when I turned and saw Colton buried in a pile of leaves. Well, I couldn't resist.

And moments later...

We finished up just as the raindrops started to fall. The session was short; the cool air was a bit much for Jacqueline, but I think the fun we had created a wonderful memory that will live on in these photos. Thanks for playing, Angela!

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!

Seconds

Babies, babies, everywhere! So many of my friends are having babies this year, and for many of them (us), it is their second. Remember my friend Dawne from this post? We've been waiting and waiting for her to have her baby so we could find out the sex, and on Wednesday she gave birth to a beautiful boy. Dawne's birth story is wonderful and encouraging and thrilling, and I'm so glad that she had such a powerful experience. I think she'd agree with me when I say that seconds are fabulous! It's so nice to be able to relax and feel like you know what you're doing with your baby. There's more time to actually enjoy your baby instead of just worrying constantly.

Anyway, Cole Emerson (love that name!) turned four days old at seven o'clock this evening. Oh, how I love the new, new ones! He slept and slept for us. Here are a few from our afternoon.

Beautiful light and shadow.
A glowing foot.

I like how his ears are just a tad elfish here.

Father and son.

Mama and Cole. Someone wants a kiss!

The family of four shot can be pretty elusive. Big brother Sawyer didn't especially want to be in pictures, but I adore this shot.

Sigh.

A sort of sibling shot. I like that Cooper the dog is in this, too.

And my favorite of the day. I'm surprised that it is, but I can't stop looking at the colors and textures. Click on it and view it big. His mouth is such a PERFECT shape.

Congratulations on your gorgeous baby and family, Dawne! I'm looking forward to lots of playdates and watching Wally and Cole grow up together. Yay for seconds!

One Year Later

Remember hot mama-to-be Mackenzie from this post? And this one? Well, here we are over a year later celebrating the first birthday of her son, Wyatt. One year. That's all it takes to go from beautiful belly to blue-eyed toddler. One year! Excuse me while I go hug my baby and tell him to stop growing up.

It was such fun to meet Wyatt and follow him around Queen Anne as he explored sticks and mole hills and lots of front gates. He's SO active. And sweet and drooly and wobbly. What a fun age! Here are a few that I managed to catch as I raced around trying to stay ahead of this little guy.

I mentioned the blue eyes already, right?
I love this family shot -- Wyatt surrounded by the smiles of his parents, Mackenzi and Alexi.

I think he's showing me a leaf here. See the coming kiss?

More smiles and happiness. Mackenzie, you look beautiful as always.

My favorite? Either this one or the next.

A rare quiet moment. Funny, I don't remember any quiet moments.

Wyatt loved the fences we found as we walked. Lots of poking his head through bars and slats.

And a fun tongue shot.

So much fun! I still can't believe it has been over a year since I was photographing you and your adorable belly, Mackenzie. Thanks so much for the chance to follow up on your beautiful family. Enjoy!

October Special

BOOK A SESSION AND RECEIVE A $50 CREDIT!

Need an incentive to book that session you've been putting off? Maybe you need some photos for your holiday greeting cards. Perhaps you have a baby celebrating an important milestone. Are you pregnant and wanting newborn photos? Whatever it is, the month of October is the time to book your session. From now through October 31st, when you schedule a session with One Tree Photography, you will receive a $50 credit to use for prints or digital images from that session. Your session can be scheduled for any date, as long as it is booked during the month of October.

***Those of you wanting a session so you will have holiday gifts to give in December will want to schedule your session before November 15th. After November 15th I cannot guarantee the timely arrival of prints.***

And because no post should be without something to look at, here are the front and back of Wally's birth announcement (which is still sitting on my desk waiting for me to send out).