Nothing important

Nothing important to share here, which is why I didn't blog all week. But it turns out when you are really pregnant and people don't hear from you they think you are in labor. (Yep, sorry Amanda- still haven't e-mailed you back... and still pregnant.)

So anyway, here are a few random updates for your Monday evening enjoyment.

Today is the first day of summer. I am from SC, so I really can't complain about the heat. But seriously, it's hot here this week, and to hear everyone keep saying, "Oh, it's usually so much nicer than this is June- this is unusual," does not make it any more tolerable.

Do you hear that little baby?? It's hot! Just be born already.



I'm spending this week working with Sandtown Habitat for Humanity and am really excited about it. Over 700 volunteers are working on almost 20 job sites in the Sandtown-Winchester neighborhood of Baltimore this week as part of the 19th annual Summer Building Week. The staff is working really hard to keep me in the shade working at the registration table. I am working really hard to sneak up on a roof somewhere and start lifting heavy objects and get this baby moving.

We've eaten frozen pizzas three out of the past four days in this house. Except they're not actually frozen; they're refrigerated and not supposed to BE frozen and saved for later and the have expiration dates and they have to get eaten. It's a complicated story involving an overzealous grocery store cashier, a charity donation, and a pregnant woman food shopping alone.

I really need to get behind the camera. I miss it and I'm itching to start scheduling client sessions again, but of course my current first priority is the client in my belly who has not yet shown his or her face. Perhaps I will turn my camera on the cat this week. If I can catch her at a moment where she is not dismantling the toilet or trying to eat the dog's breakfast, I'll be sure to share any successful images.

Peace out.

Planting a nest?

Everyone talks about "nesting," that semi-psychotic urge that hits pregnant women in the final days or hours before labor where they feel the need to clean the bathroom with a toothbrush or reorganize the pantry alphabetically. Some doctors and books and veteran fathers swear by it- the telltale sign that the action is about to begin.

Unfortunately for some of us, those urges exist pretty regularly, pregnant or not, which makes pinpointing the actual nesting rather difficult. Because honestly, just like Monica on FRIENDS, I really DO wish I had a tiny vacuum with which to clean my actual vacuum. Instead I have to settle for disassembling it and washing the parts in the kitchen sink.

So here's what I'm wondering- since the cleaning and organizing can't be counted on as a sign with me, is it a sign that I decided it was of the utmost importance to create a small botanical garden on my back porch today?





I don't really know how to interpret this. Lots of moms find themselves repeatedly washing and refolding the baby's clothes or meticulously adjusting crib bumpers as they prepare for the little one to arrive. So why am I more concerned with planting? I mean at this point I don't plan on the baby living on the porch. Well... maybe if it cries too much.

Given my history of keeping plants alive and the impending arrival of a child that is going to cost lots of money over the next 18 years, the small fortune I spent yesterday at the Lowe's Garden Center may not have been the wisest move. But really, I don't think I could have slept without these plants safely in my kitchen, waiting to be relocated to their window boxes today.








(I took these pictures while the flowers were still safely in their cartons. I was a little scared that if I tried to photograph them after transplanting them to their new homes they might fall over and die in front of me. We'll see how it goes.)

Anyway, I am sure for some women none of this ever nesting business ever really happens or means anything. Some days I think I could never have enough energy to "nest" properly and I should just go to sleep for the next few weeks.

But if there's one thing I do know, it's that EVERYONE has an opinion to share with a pregnant woman. I'm not due for another 2 1/2 weeks, but any thoughts or predications of an arrival day? If you guess sometime very soon and you are correct I may just name the baby after you.

Birthday week continues!

You may notice a few things this week.

1. The obvious fact that I have returned from the land of the blogging dead
2. The fact that I have lots of friends with birthdays
3. The fact that I am not spending a whole lot of time finding pictures of birthday friends before posting





Happy birthday to my BFF Kati!

This picture is from last summer, when Kati was pregnant and I was not. Ha, how the tables have turned! (Wait, I think you are only supposed to say that when your situation has improved over the other person's...) Yeah, you can tell she was still in the early "cute" pregnant stage. She actually stayed pretty cute the whole time. And now I'm getting sidetracked.

Anyway, Kati I hope you and Stephen have a fantastic weekend in Charleston! Enjoy the sand and some Kickin' Chicken and some ice cream and a strawberry daiquiri for me and my puffy pregnant toes. And of course some birthday cake. If they would let me on an airplane, I would join you.

And just to calm everyone's fears, I promise this blog is not going to turn into a continual stream of birthday messages. June just happens to be one of those months.

Happy weekend!

A thank-you note

First things first. I found a just-as-recent but much more flattering picture of Sara and me. Maybe if I had spent more than 30 seconds searching my computer I could have avoided posting the first one. So happy birthday again.





Moving on.

Dear Sara,

Thank you so much for flying up to Balto last month to visit us and document what Baby Shorty looks like from the outside of my belly. It's always unnerving to be the subject of photos, but it's way easier when it's one of your best friends shooting you. You did such a fantastic job, and I am so excited about my maternity pictures and the upcoming newborn session!

(I would also publicly like to thank my toes for waiting until now to start swelling up, and to thank the rest of myself for not swelling pre-photoshoot.)

There is really no way to properly thank you for capturing this time in our lives. I know we've traded photo sessions before, but I think at this point it would be awkward for me to take pictures of your six-pack abs. So this week as I wracked my brain for the proper way to show my appreciation, I came across some ridiculously awesome pictures of your dog Oliver that I had forgotten about. Problem solved.

So Sara, I present to you, Ollie Bear, in all his glorious strangeness. Oh how I miss his odd expressions and gangly legs. I really really do.




















You are welcome. It's the least I could do.

Yours truly,

karin

Sweet Micah

Newborns are so easy to photograph when they are asleep. You may notice that this one is awake, which is entirely my fault.











You would think that when I showed up at my cousin Jill's house to photograph her new baby boy and found him fed and ready for a nap, I would have gotten right to work. Instead, I snuggled little Micah for two hours, all the while marveling that he slept soundly through all the kicks and punches he was receiving from the inside of my belly. Don't get me wrong, it was a lovely two hours spent catching up with my cousin and watching the other kids play. But I really missed my optimal photo time.

Luckily, even though he was awake by the time we started our casual photo session, he was really content and did doze off once or twice.











We also managed to grab a few of all four kids! I love these- they aren't sitting in perfect poses or in front of studio backdrops. They are all crammed on an armchair acting like real brothers and sisters.











And I love this one of the diaper-clad brothers : )











I hope my little baby picked up a few tips while we were visiting. Micah was such a good 12-day-old! And I am so excited that he or she is going to be so close in age to Micah- yay for nearby cousins!

Since you've been gone

Yep you guessed it, I have Kelly Clarkson in my head. But don't try to change the subject. I'm hurt. Seriously people, where have you been? It's like you've totally abandoned me for the past several weeks. Well, once again I will forgive you. But only because it is Sara's birthday!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SARA!!!





Is this the best picture of us? Bahaha. Not by a long shot. But sometimes, you really don't care about the lighting or framing or ISO (even when you are BOTH photographers), or about how pregnant your face looks or how scrunched your poor friend is. Sometimes, a picture just makes you smile and wish you could give a birthday hug in person.

I love you Sparkles, wish I was there to celebrate with you and make you cupcakes!