Jun
05
2015
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Dear New Mom,
Your little one is here.
For 9 months you’ve dreamed and prayed and hoped for this moment and now it’s here.
You’ve found yourself in a rush of emotional thoughts that sound something like the following:
“I love this little creature so much. If anyone every tries to hurt her, they will have to deal with my wrath. But I really just want a shower alone. And a couple hours of sleep. Why can’t my husband just nurse this baby? Oh, my she is so adorable. I wonder if I can get myself a glass of water. I’ll just put her down for one second. Oh, but what if she stops breathing while I put her down. Maybe I’ll call my mom in here to hold her? But mom was just taking a nap. Oh, stop this nonsense. That’s why we have a baby monitor. I’ll just put her down. Oh, wait…. what was I going to do again? Look! She just smiled! I just love her so much.”
Welcome to the wild and emotional adventure of motherhood. No, you’re likely not crazy (though we’ll talk a little about postpartum depression), but everything is new, overwhelming, and just a little bit identity shattering.
For the next six weeks, I’ll be blogging you a note of encouragement with stories about my early motherhood days to help you feel just a little bit more sane in these early weeks.
I pray that these posts will be just the thing you need to hear each week.
Love,
Melissa
Jun
05
20152014 was the year of the boys for my studio. I photographed exactly 3 girls prior to this session. Two outside newborn mini sessions and 1 studio session. And then these two lovely ladies came to the studio. I was in girl heaven.
As you can see, Allie was a bit of a drama queen. Sleep was not on her agenda. She was awake and content and not really wanting to sleep at all
So we got creative which was sort of easy because this family is gorgeous. Big sister Abbie is also amazingly silly.
Connie’s mom had flown in for Allie’s birth all the way from South Korea. This image of all four of these beautiful women is possibly my single most favorite image of 2014. The love between these generations and the sheer delight they have in one another was simply amazing. I was so happy to create this heirloom image.
Also, can you believe that Connie’s mom is a grandmother? She looks younger than I am!
And even after all this cuddling, Allie still wanted to just hang out and observe the studio for a little while.
And then she finally succumbed to my crazy awesome wrapping skills. See? Drifting off…
And asleep!
Interested in doing your own newborn session? Contact me today and I’ll answer all your questions in a risk-free consultation.
May
26
2015Is it wrong of me to have favorite clients?
I mean, it’s totally not okay to have favorite children (though I firmly believe that each child has a season where they are the favorite… for 18 hours or so before another child is crowned favorite. I digress.)
These guys might be my favorite. I mean as soon as I enter their space, the love is tangible. I think I could cut all that love up and serve it like Thanksgiving pie.
See?
This one too?
Of course, if my getting in trouble face was this adorable, I bet that I would be just as easy to love.
Maybe.
These pictures were to celebrate Everett’s first birthday. A day this family had long hoped for and simultaneously wished wouldn’t come. As a couple who struggled through the heartache of infertility, the first birthday is always even more bittersweet.
Everett started a chain of cake smash babies who were not so thrilled with their cake. He taught me a new trick though: just about any baby will dig out a cheerio even if they find the texture of icing less than favorable.
He did, however, make up for his dislike of icing with a good sampling of bubbles. I think he was a little disappointed that the bubbles were not as tasty as he hoped.
See? This is why they’re my favorite clients. Slippery bath time snuggles? Oh, and a love of eyelash and toe pictures. Yes. These are a few of our favorite things.
They are some of your favorite things too? Awesome! Want to be my next favorite client (I promise to rotate favorite clients just like I rotate favorite kids!)? Great, fill out this contact form and we’ll become best buddies. 😉
May
19
2015Meet Micah.
What I love is how intent he was on the camera. Most newborns don’t focus on the camera at all which is why my imagery focuses on the sleepy sweet poses. But Micah just stared at me until he fell asleep! Right at the camera. It was so fun to get this shot!
This little guy came to the studio to help me work on some specific newborn baby picture poses. From time to time I do model calls to help strengthen some of my skills and Micah’s family helped me out. Interested in finding out when I’m doing a model call? Sign up for my e-newsletter to be the first to know everything!
May
13
2015I had the privilege of photographing Nathan for a Red Thread Session late last year. Red Thread Sessions are discounted photography sessions offered to families who have recently adopted a child.
This organization is based on a Chinese Proverb which says: “An invisible red thread connects those who are destined to meet, regardless of time, place, or circumstances. The thread may stretch or tangle but it will never break.”
You can see more images from Nathan’s Session by clicking here.
Interested in your own adoption session? Start a conversation about your wishes by clicking here.
