I have been so busy adjusting to my latest job, a mommy, that I have completely neglected everything else! Back in August (while 35 weeks pregnant!) my friend and wedding photography business partner (Perfect Blend Photography), Ashleigh Wells, and I photographed a fabulous wedding downtown Vancouver. We haven’t had a chance to share many of the images yet because Fall is the busiest time of the year for portrait photographers and therefore Ashleigh has been busy photographing families and as I mentioned I have been busy being a mama. My sweet little pea is 8 weeks old now and although life has been much busier than it ever was before, I am adjusting well to my new role and loving every minute of it!

I did want to make sure though that this awesome couple’s wedding was shared because it was so beautiful and I am so very happy for these two! The wedding was at The Brix in Yaletown, which is just a fabulous location for any small wedding in Vancouver. The weather was great, the food was to die for and most importantly Shelly and Dave had nothing short of a perfect wedding ceremony and reception. These two are the perfect couple and I am sure they will have a great life together as they begin this next chapter in their lives. Congratulations! xxoo

I’m sorry about the crickets around here. I have a very good reason for not being around much though! I had my baby girl on September 22nd. The immense amount of love you feel for your child the minute she is born is overpowering and in some ways overwhelming. The second I heard her cries in the operating room, I felt so thankful. Thankful she was born healthy and thankful for this fabulous life I have been so blessed with. We named her Lia Makena and so far she has the most delightful personality and easy going nature, as long as she has food in her tummy! She is four weeks old today and I cannot believe how quickly the days are going by. She is absolutely amazing and I am enjoying motherhood so much! Lia has filled our home with so much love and Jared and I are completely and totally smitten and in love with our daughter.

I am going to share a HUGE amount of photo’s of Miss Lia from her birth until three weeks old. I have been trying to get her into the studio as often as possible and capture her everyday as she grows.

My husband shot most of the images of her birth (and the fabulous anaesthesiologist captured a few of the three of us). I was nervous bringing my SLR camera in the OR and trusting my husband to photograph the most important day of my life, but I am sooo glad I did because the images he caught are fabulous and bring such an immense amount of joy to me when I see them. I get to relive that amazing moment over and over every time I look at them.

The first photo is Lia’s very first photo taken. As they pulled her out, they quickly drop the drape that is seperating us from the surgery so that we can catch a glimpse of her the moment she took her first breath.

The moment I saw this room in our new house I knew it would be our daughter’s nursery. I loved the loads of natural light pouring in (a photographer’s dream!). I have had so much fun over the past few months designing and decorating our daughter’s nursery. I wanted a pretty, calm and inviting space that was not too too babyish. A room she could grow into and hopefully not grow out of too soon. I opted to go with a pale shade of pink and mostly white. I love all things clean looking and I think white fits that characteristic quite well. I chose not to theme her room, but decorate with pretty things I stumbled across and incorporated some heirloom and special items. I found most of the items fairly cheaply. Much of the decorating was inspired by various nurseries I found on pinterest. The blank wall above her crib is reserved for her newborn pictures. I have also since hung some curtains and added a few more pieces that we received as gifts.

I hope my baby girl loves her room as much as I do <3

I have included at the bottom a list of where most things were purchased as I found that extremely helpful when I was shopping for things.

Baby Girl Nursery

Shopping list:

Wall color: Sherwin Williams Verbena Pink

Crib: Davinci Kalani from Lussobaby

Crib Bedding: Pottery Barn Kids

Butterfly Mobile: handmade by moi! Instructions here: DIY mobile

Dragonflies and flowers on wall: Urban Barn

White frames: Ikea and homesense

Black and White pictures in frames taken by Ashleigh Wells

White Dresser: Ikea Hemnes

Dresser Knobs: Ebay

Rug: homesense

White Shelves on wall: repainted from my childhood

Rocker: Mine since I was two

Future pink and white toybox: homesense

Basket on top of dresser: homesense

Changing pad: Babies R us

Pink piggy bank: homesense

Embroidered pillow on shelf: gift from nana

Butterfly hook: TJ kids

Outfit hanging from hook: Mexx

Glider: Costco

Pillow: Ikea

Blanket hanging over glider: Ikea

Book shelves: Pinterest inspired! Ribba frame shelves from Ikea

Butterflies above door: made out of cardstock with a cricut by moi!

End table: Ikea hemnes

Lamp: Ikea

Frame on end table: Ikea

Laundry hamper: homesense

I cannot believe this sweet little girl is eight months old already! I first photographed her when she was still in her mama’s belly and then when she was a tiny newborn (Miss A was over nine pounds of chub at birth!). She has grown into a sweet and happy eight monther and was happy for the majority of our session.

Look at how big her eyes are!

I promise you all I am alive and well! I have not blogged in way too long! I have been keeping very busy with big changes in my personal life, including moving into a new house and growing a baby

I have officially started maternity leave from photography sessions, minus a family session and a wedding. I will also soon be on maternity leave from my nursing job and will be nesting in my new home waiting for my baby girl to arrive. I apologize for my lack of blogging and for not booking sessions, but I really wanted to take time to settle into my house and to focus on ensuring my baby girl was growing well and her mama was getting some rest.

I have had a few sessions, which will be blogged today…I promise!

The great news is, I have moved into a house that has space for an in home studio! What does this mean? It means I no longer have to pack my car full of props, blankets, studio lights etc for every session and will be able to offer sessions in my home studio when I begin booking sessions after my maternity leave. I will still offer on location services because I know how convenient it is for parents to have me come to them, but by having a session in my home studio I will be able to offer greater variety (as I will have my props all there and at my finger tips!). I am very excited about this new change!

I have been trying to capture some self maternity portraits as my belly grows with my babe and having my studio set up all the time has been very nice! Here are a few recent shots I have taken of me at 30 weeks. It is not easy for me to be on the other side of the camera, but I do not want to regret not having these memories one day as I know this time is so special and fleeting.

GIRL!

After much debate and deliberation back and forth between my husband and I, we found out the gender of our baby. We are very excited to meet our daughter in less than 4 months! Pink is my favorite colour, so I am sure she will have a large amount of pink in her life. I have ordered some more girly newborn props in preparation for her first photo shoot.

Things may seem quiet around here for the next few months as I prepare for her arrival. We are also moving in a few weeks, which is taking up a ton of my time (moving is way too much work!). I am taking on a very reduced number of sessions until at least the Fall as I focus on settling into my new home and growing my baby girl.

I am thrilled to say I have made it over half way in my pregnancy! I am feeling great and loving every minute of being pregnant. Feeling my babe move and kick is so amazing. We had our 20 week ultrasound a few weeks ago and watching my little one move around, suck at the amniotic fluid, move his or her hand up near their face, was such an incredible moment.

I have debated sharing something with all of you, but finally feel like I should. Those who know me well, know I am a pretty private person when it comes to sharing real personal things.

I had two miscarriages last year that rocked my world. The first occurred when I was almost ten weeks. I was at my dating ultrasound and was eager to see my baby for the first time, unfortunately I was hit with a blow when they could not find a fetus on the screen. I was diagnosed with having had what is called a blighted ovum miscarriage. With this type of miscarriage, my body was carrying on as if I was pregnant. Busy making a placenta that would serve no purpose and giving me every pregnancy symptom. However, my baby probably didn’t develop from very early on. I was completely devastated and left the ultrasound clinic bawling. I went home, went to bed and didn’t want to get up. But I did. I did get up and I carried on and I knew that it could be worse and that my time would come. I would be a mother one day.

We waited to try again for 3 months and got pregnant again within two cycles of trying. Unfortunately, instead of the happiness I should have felt upon seeing those two pink lines, I was struck with such intense anxiety that I would miscarry again, that I would not allow myself to attach to the idea of becoming a mom. I knew that joy could be ripped away from me so fast. I was protecting myself from the pain I felt a few months before. My worst fears came true again and at 6 weeks along, I lost another baby. The fear that something was wrong with me, very wrong with me, overtook me. I put those fears into action and met with my midwife to discuss what the next step was. Recurrent miscarriages are typically not fully tested until after three consecutive miscarriages in a row. However, some doctors will start the basic testing after two. My midwife recommended I see a naturopath to ensure my body was in the optimum state for carrying a baby. I began seeing a naturopathic midwife a few weeks later. I went for some basic blood tests to ensure my issue was not due to a hormonal imbalance. I also was referred to an gynecologist/obstetrician by my family doctor and was sent for other blood tests. All of the health practictionars I saw felt I was having a case of bad luck, everything checked out normal. I was given the go ahead to begin trying again. We decided to take a few months off and enjoy a much needed vacation.

Seeing a naturopath made me feel empowered in a situation where I felt powerless. I felt like I was at least doing SOMETHING to try and prevent another miscarriage. I changed my diet and made sure I was eating well. I took vitamins, iron and a tincture to ensure my luteal phase was long enough. I began tracking my cycles and learning about my body more.

After another two cycles of trying again, we were pregnant. This time felt different from the very beginning. I had a strong feeling this pregnancy would progress to the end and I would be a mother in 9 months time. I was not fraught with as much anxiety. Although after having not one, but two miscarriages, the happiness and joy of pregnancy is definitely reduced and replaced with fear and anxiety. You become way more cautious in letting your mind wander to the future. For this reason, we chose to keep our pregnancy a secret from the vast majority of people (except the small handful of people who knew of our struggles) until we were well past the first trimester.

I never in a million years thought I would need to go through all of this to become a mom. It seemed like most people around me get pregnant and have a baby with no struggle at all. I think it seems this way though because for some reason us woman are not quick to share our struggles with each other, which is why I am writing this post. As private as I am, I wanted to share with other woman, that I too have had struggles in starting a family. There is hope though and when you feel like you will never be a mom, you are half way through a pregnancy and feeling your little babe move and kick constantly. I know I am not at the end yet, but making it to the half way point, seeing my babe on the ultrasound and hearing my baby is healthy and “normal” gives me a sense of peace and allows me to plan for my future with my beautiful baby.

To those woman out there who have had a miscarriage, feel free to contact me if you would like to chat with someone who has been through it.

On May 16th I was fortunate to be asked to volunteer at an event by the SPCA called ‘Pup-a-razzi’ Day. The event was created with the hope of showcasing available animals for adoption at various BC-SPCA locations within BC in a new light. It is felt that by taking professional photograph’s of the animals instead of photo’s of them within their kennel, that people would be able to see their true nature and personality. The event was held in May for pet adoption awareness event and I truly hope people will be more aware and adopt these lovable animals who need to find their forever home! I love animals so much and had a great time meeting 12 new animals, including rabbits, cats and dogs. There were many more cats that I couldn’t photograph because their safety and security was most important and it was felt they would be too stressed by the activity.

I hope to participate in this event next year.

Without further ado, here are my models! All up for adoption, so if you see one you like, go HERE to the SPCA pup-a-razzi photo gallery and click on MAPLE RIDGE. Each animal has his or her shelter buddy number listed beside their name beneath each image. Check out the other galleries too and see all the beautiful pets up for adoption at other SPCA locations.

Thank you to the organizers at the SPCA for asking me to participate!

I took some four month shots of my bestie’s baby, you may remember her from a few months back when she was a newborn. She has grown quite a bit since then and is a happy smiling full of personality four month-er!

I wanted to try and catch some of the cherry blossoms before they were gone, but finding a tree in a nice location with great light was a bit challenging, so I settled for using some of the petals instead. I absolutely love this time of the year when everything is so green and fresh. Flowers blooming, leaves growing and sunshine! I think little Em is enjoying this time of the year too!

A sweet little girl just turned one! I met this sweetie when she was under a week old for her newborn portraits, she was just as beautiful then as she is now! I love  seeing my newborn babies again to see how much they have grown and to get to see how their personalities turned out. This little one was busy busy and very curious. She would have preferred to play with my camera vs having it take her pictures, although I can totally relate to that obsession! To mark her first birthday, she had the pleasure of smashing a cake. In my experience, some baby’s really love to smash it and other’s do not like getting their hands sticky and dirty and are a bit weirded out by it. Miss S loved it! Her big brother was hoping to have a piece of it when she was done, but she absolute made sure that was not going to happen! She demolished the cake to crumbs! She was not too interested in eating it, rather more interested in playing in it. It was super cute and I think we captured some adorable shots of her having a blast.

Thanks for having me capture your beautiful girl again!

Happy 1st Birthday Miss S!

See how much she has grown!