Becky, Dean & Ben: belly to baby

I love when I get email inquiries - I smile and giggle a little :)  They make my day. 

Last September I got an inquiry from a pregnant Mama - wondering about belly and newborn pictures.  We had a consultation and we picked style and locations.  We laughed together through the joys of pregnancy, she was nearing the end of hers, and I was just starting mine.  I got to be the only one who knew their little guys name - it was a secret to be kept until after he was born.  

Having had a baby, and being pregnant while doing the pictures gave me a different perspective on taking maternity pictures.  I always thought pregnant bellies were beautiful!  Then, after being pregnant, I realized the woman carrying the pregnant belly may not necessarily always feel beautiful, excited and amazed - absolutely, but finding yourself beautiful can be hard some days.  

Becky totally rocked her belly pictures - no shortage of beautiful here!  

And, they were both a lot of fun to capture!

 And then, baby Ben, aka peanut, was born :)  And, I got to do his newborn pictures:

 

and, just a few weeks ago I got to do baby Ben's 3 month pictures...  He still has all of his hair and he is growing fast! :) 

 

 

 

I look forward to watching baby Ben become little boy Ben! 

{Beautiful Belly}

There is something about pregnant women that gives me chill bumps.  It could be that they are absolutely adorable or maybe it is the miracle that is growing, and partly me reliving the astonishment I experienced through my own pregnancy.  Thinking back to all of the wonderful moments in my life, that experience may take the cake - second to the delivery of course.  I believe, that is as close as most of us ever come to experiencing a real miracle. 

Chris and I spent some time with a dear friend of ours, Tara.  I find her exceptionally beautiful - I knew her when she was little, she is best friends to my younger sister.  She has a great husband - and their love and bond can be seen through their photos.  They are beautiful couple and soon to come, a beautiful baby too!  

 I had the chance to try something new.  I know it isn't everyone's style but, I thought it looked cool - kind of a modern art feel.  Important Note:  Tara does NOT know what she is having - this is NOT the reveal - That won't happen until he / she graces them with their presence.  However, if it is a boy - then the picture works :)  If not, no biggie!  :)

 

 

 

 What do you think?  Alittle bit Andy Warhol??  Like or no?

Belly bump to Baby

Introducing Baby C - She is just as lovely as her Mommy! 

A few weeks ago we posted Ali's baby bump pictures and now we are debuting baby C - and she is absolutely perfect! 

You can see more of Baby C's newborn photo's in the Tiny Smiles section of the Gallery.

A baby will...

A baby will make love stronger, days shorter, nights longer, bankroll smaller, home happier, clothes shabbier, the past forgotten, and the future worth living ~ unknown

I love doing belly pictures!  It takes me back to one of the most incredible times in my life.  I loved being pregnant!  And, pregnant women have to be the most beautiful thing on the planet.  They turn heads every where they go and inspire people to come up and rub the belly (even though some find that horribly irritating - I am one of those strange belly rubbers)!  Being pregnant signifies one of the biggest shifts in a persons (a couples) life.   It is maybe the only time in life that you create, grow, and support a living miracle - A screaming, pooping, spitting up miracle! :)  Parents quickly realize that things they may have found to be disgusting before they now have an extremely high tolerance for.  Love does that.  

Here is Ali.

And here is Ali's bump.  

Cute and perfect.  We had a lot of fun.  I love every opportunity to talk pregnancy and bellies!  Did I already say I loved being pregnant??  I become flooded with wonderful memories of pregnancy and labor with LB (yes, I enjoyed my labor too).  It is hard to believe in a few short weeks a baby will be here, and the belly will be gone (tear).  I know everyone is excited to meet this new baby....  and find out if it is a little boy or girl! Look in the Gallery for all of Ali's belly pictures!  

 Ali, thank you for the opportunity to photograph this time in your life.  Here is some advice that I try to live by.  Some days are harder than others but,  it is true, they grow up right before your eyes.  It really is simple.  Just have fun! 

"Be there. Say yes as often as you can. Let them (and encourage them) to bang on pots and pans. If they're crabby put them in water. Read books out loud with joy. Go find elephants and kiss them (in our case it is dinosaurs). Encourage silly. Giggle alot. Remember how small they really are. Search out the positive. Keep the gleam in your eye. Teach feelings. Go see a movie in your pj's. Realize how important it is to be a child. Plan to build a rocket ship (and fort).  Stop yelling. Invent pleasures together. Surprise them. Express your love. Alot. Children are miraculous." ~ SARK

Learning by Doing... {And loving it}!

"If you hold a cat by the tail you learn things
you cannot learn any other way."
- Mark Twain

I haven’t posted anything in a while…  I have had so many exciting things going on (and a sick 2 year old) that it is keeping me busy …  too busy to blog!  However, here are some of my exciting happenings:

Reorganized my photography section on Life Love & Lemons – Pictures are now under Gallery and divided by photography theme.  I have several exciting topics that I don’t have active yet.  One of them is going to be dedicated to Birthdays, of all ages!  I have several birthdays that I will be capturing in February that I can’t wait to photograph and post! The other section will be Birth Stories.  This is special and deserves its own post – so, more on that topic later.  You have to check out the engagement and belly pictures that were added. 

The engagement pictures were done outside in Ottawa at Allen Park.  The bridge and river gave a pretty backdrop, it was cold but beautiful.  There are a few things I would have done differently and some additional shots that I wished I would have captured but all in all not bad for a first time.  The couple is adorable so each picture is beautiful just because they are in it.  I will definitely utilize Ottawa again for some of its unique older buildings, the bridge, water, churches ect.  If you are looking to have engagement pictures taken, I can offer you a great deal!  Contact me for details!

The belly pictures I think turned out great!  I am really happy with them.  Mama and Daddy were so cooperative, and too cute for words!  I have lots of favorites and I am still editing! We took over 200 pictures! If you or someone you know is expecting, contact me for a great rate on belly and newborn pictures!

Last week as I was doing some late night editing and restructuring of my site – I noticed I received an email…  and I was excited (because  I LOVE that someone is interacting with my site) but not only was this someone, this was Amy Kolz.  If you are not familiar with her, you should be!  This requires a separate post as well…  coming soon!

I love checking on how many people are looking at my site and I appreciate you reading and looking at the pictures.  I really encourage your feedback.  Another set of eyes with an open mind and a different perspective is always welcome.  

This is all new to me, the website / content building and photography – I am learning by doing… And LOVING IT!!