While I have loved every minute of my maternity leave, I am SO excited to announce that I will be shooting again starting July 1st!  I know little Clive is only a month old, but I’ll be shooting mostly part-time for the next few months, and then hitting it hard again in the fall as usual.  Which leads me to…

Availability:

July - 2 slots remaining

August - 4 slots remaining

September/October - fall package sessions: to be announced.  Contact me for more info.

To book your session, email me  and we’ll talk details :)  I can’t wait to see you all again!

xo-

S

Little Buddy (as Charlotte affectionately calls him) is changing by the minute.  We’re getting to see those gorgeous eyes open a little more each day….a few hours at least now.  He’s also starting to make those adorable little baby sounds (you know, something other than crying).  Most the time it sounds like he was just surprised by something “Oooo!”, which of course makes us in turn say “Awwwww”. 

Here’s just a couple snappies…

Stay tuned for an important announcement!

As promised, a shot of Charlotte.  The day after we came home from the hospital, I attempted my first “session” with little Clive…and Charlotte asked when it was going to be her “turn”.  She climbed up on the chair that I was using to hold his blanket up, and did this:

She is my precious one

The last 3 1/2 weeks have gone by so fast.  I can’t believe we have been a family of four for almost a month already.  I am loving every snuggle-filled moment of having a newborn again.  My day is once again filled with burp cloths, marathon nursing sessions, baby squeaks & grunts, and washing load after load of diapers.  It’s such a short season of life, and I have to say I am really enjoying it this time around.   And Charlotte?   Sounds crazy, but having Clive has made me love her even more.  I didn’t know that was possible :) 

I love that you can see the little marks from all his heel sticks in this one…those little marks are long gone now.

While it has been wonderful having the past couple months off, I am really looking forward to shooting again starting July 1st!  I’ll be posting my availability for August & September soon, so keep an eye on the blog (July is already full).  I’ll also post a shot of little miss C as well soon…she’s handling all of the changes just fabulously

xo

S

We’re here.  Just enjoying this slow pace of life that comes with having a newbie in the house.  He’s everything and more than we thought he would be.  He fits into our lives just perfectly.

I ‘m speechless.  Crazy, I know :)  Honestly though, I’m at a loss for words.  I probably won’t do a very good job expressing how I’m feeling, but I’ll try anyway…

We had a photographer at Clive’s birth.  I had been anticipating this ever since she was hired by my mother (THANK YOU, MOM!) a few months ago.  The photographer happens to be my dear friend and sister in law, and is a wedding photographer right here in IL.  She and I had been talking and planning for this event for weeks, but neither of us were quite prepared for how utterly amazing it would turn out to be.

Megan posted a sneak peek on her blog for me from the birth, and I was floored with the images.  I’ve always known it would be wonderful to have birth photos, but until I saw them, I didn’t know how much it would affect me.  During the hour and a half of labor at the hospital, everything happened so fast and was so intense that I didn’t have time to really absorb what was happening.  With our other 2 lil ones, I was induced and had drugs, so I took plenty of time to write down what was happening, could think clearly, etc.  With Clive though, it was a different story :)  I arrived at 5cm, went to 7cm 15 min later, and 30 minutes after that was completey dilated.  I was so inside myself, completely absorbed in the pain and what my body needed to do, that it was as if the rest of the world just fell away.  There was noone else there.  Just me, my body, and my baby.  I went from a place of fighting what was happening to my body, to accepting it - taking hold of it - and ultimately conquering it.  Out of all my births, it was hands down the hardest, and certainly the most intense experience of my entire life.  If you’ve given birth, you know exactly what I’m talking about :) 

There are details that I would never have remembered would it not have been for these images.   I am so grateful to Megan and the gift she’s shared with us.  What a treasure these images will be for Charlotte & Clive someday.  What a treasure they are for Matt & I now.  My heart just overflows with grattitude.  Thank you, Megan - pencil me in for sometime in 2011, k? 

For being at a loss for words, I guess I said enough ;)  You can see the sneak peek here (have tissues on hand):

www.meganrenaephotography.blogspot.com

“There are lives I can imagine without children but none of them have the same laughter & noise.” — Story People

All my life, I’ve known I’ve wanted to have children.  Being a mother seemed like the greatest calling upon my life…the most significant thing I could do personally to impact my world.  However, there are no words that can describe the feeling you experience when this happens.  I couldn’t have imagined that I could love one little person so much.  I never thought I could love Charlotte as much as I love Henry.  But I do.  Now there is one more little one sharing, breaking, stretching my heart…

Meet Clive.  He’s pretty awesome

He came fast and furious on Wednesday after a morning of “is this really it?” “when should we head to the hospital?”  “how long can I wait it out?”  :)  Well, turns out it’s a good thing we got there when we did, because an hour after getting admitted, I was pushing this little guy out!

Another reason to get up in the morning.  Another reason to be a better “me”.  Another reason to praise the God from whom all blessings flow.  Another reason to fall madly & deeply in love with my husband over & over again.

Off to snuggle with this little person we made… 

xo,

S

{happy mamma’s day} to my blog readers!  Over the last 2 years I’ve photographed so many amazing mammas & their little ones.  You are all beautiful and it’s an honor to know each of you.  I hope your day was spent in the arms of the ones that made you a mamma…we are so blessed

<3,

S

p.s.  no baby yet…still waiting

Last week, Charlotte was super sick. To my great delight, she spent the better part of it sleeping on me. We’ve learned to work around my bulging belly and still make room for her. Matt took this at my request - I had to have it -she was sleeping so sweetly on her baby brother. I will treasure this always. Someday so will they.

I just know they will be the best of friends. <3