A little R&R and a little baby boy...

I remember spring break being really exciting when I was in school. I don't think I would have believed you had you told me how exciting it would be NOW. Spring break in 2011 means that my (teacher) husband is off for a whole week, which if you have children you realize is amazing. Two parents against one baby... nice.

I'm off for the next week, so any phone calls or e-mails will be returned starting on Monday, April 25. I may pop and blog a little... there's just no telling what this week will hold. : )

In the meantime, I'll leave you with a quick peek at this sweet little bundle of goodness. Can't wait to share the rest of his session after my break!

Teensy

I made a teensy new little friend last week. I love him and his teensy little ears and nose and toes and mouth.







This guy is super-excited about his new playmate. Actually, he hasn't the faintest idea what is going on, but fingers are tasty.



Night night.

Snow angel

If you're wondering who that perfect little nose belongs to, his name is Mason. Melissa and Justin are good friends of mine and I was so honored to meet and photograph their precious little boy at seven days old. He was an absolute angel throughout the whole shoot. Get ready to be waaayy jealous of how beautiful this family is.









Um, can we get a clean up on Aisle 5? Every time I look at this baby I turn into a big melty puddle on the floor. We're going to need a mop by the end of this post. Oh, this boy is just beautiful.





We did Mason's session in early December, and about halfway through it started snowing. It felt like magic to me. I've developed a mild obsession with B&W images lately, and the soft, snowy light coming through the nursery curtains did not help me to control it.



















See? I told you, they are seriously gorgeous. I may or may not have gone overboard with choosing my favorites. But look at that smile- JUST like his daddy!







This image gives away how behind I am on my blogging, but I love it and wanted to share anyway.



Like most newborn sessions, this was done in their home, but I was so excited to meet Mason and see my friends that I didn't really think about the travel too much. I love to travel for sessions, so sometimes I forget to be reasonable. It was one of those things like, "Yeah, Virginia and Maryland are right next to each other. Cool, no problem." Note to future self: Christiansburg, VA is not a daytrip.

Was this little snugglebug worth an 11-hour roundtrip drive on a Saturday just for his photo session? Absolutely. In the future, will I plan an overnight break for such occasions? You bet. Cause by the end I felt kinda like this:



Can't wait till my next visit when I can bring my little boy along to meet his new pal. : ) Happy weekend!

Sweetbabyluke

I am really not sure why, but every time I talk about this child I want to call him sweet baby Luke, but more like it's all one word: Sweetbabyluke. I will try to stop. Anyway, a few weeks ago I drove up to Delaware to see my cousin Laura and her husband David and meet Luke, their newest addition.



When you already have two daughters this beautiful and sweet, it's hard to imagine that your family could be any more perfect.







And then this little guy comes along, and you realize he is just what your family was missing.







Proud momma









It was extra special because my grandfather drove in from Pennsylvania and got to meet Luke and my Brody at the same time! He was really excited when they were born because they evened the score- he has five boys and five girls. Here is Gramps with his 9th and 10th great-grandchildren.



I'm listening to my kid babble in the other room and thinking about what every mom has always told me- they grow SO fast. I shot these when Luke was two weeks old (which was about five weeks ago- yep, I'm behind.) He is growing like a champ, which I think makes newborn photo sessions all the more special. It's such a fleeting time, and it's so easy to lose in the chaos of sleepless nights and constant feeding. Laura, thanks for being patient! Can't wait to see you and David and the kids again!

Well hello

Oh, what a precious little reason to get behind the camera again.



Meet two-week old Luke, my first client of the fall. I love him. Still working on the final edits, but I couldn't resist a tiny preview!

Things I don't remember

I don't remember giving anyone permission to grow out of his newborn clothes.

I don't remember being this good at doing things one-handed.

I don't remember saying it was ok for anyone to pee and barf on my bed.

I don't remember what my parents were like when we were born, but I bet we got a lot of kisses.





I don't remember teaching my two-week-old how to roll over. Not cool.

I don't remember anything more entertaining than watching the faces this little baby makes while try to wake up from a nap.

I don't remember if I brushed my teeth today.

It's been less than three weeks, but I don't remember what my pregnancy-induced coffee aversion was like or how I've lived the past six months without it. I DO remember years ago when I said, "I like coffee but I will never be one of those people that has to drink it every morning," but I don't remember why I thought that was a good idea.

I don't remember how I was ever able to fit into my regular summer clothes last year.

I don't remember how many times a day this child eats. Is "a lot" a number?

I don't remember ever being less concerned about the state of my house. I am happy if it gets cleaned, but still shockingly ok with an unmade bed and dust bunnies larger than the cat.

I don't remember ever taking a picture this cute before:





I don't remember why I decided to blog instead of eat lunch, because I hear the baby waking up, and he certainly isn't going to sit around and wait for me to eat...

Brodito

Sorry Chipotle, you've been knocked out of first place. I have a new favorite burrito.





A Brody burrito. My Brodito.











Cilantro-lime rice has nothing on this. Couldn't you just gobble him up?

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!