Ages & Stages

The storm came in hard and fast rolling right over our yard and house and disappeared just as quickly. All that was left was the menacing cloud hanging overhead like in a cartoon. The afternoon sun was already peeking out from its edge, illuminating the last rain drops and rendering the world in HDR. (High Dynamic Range, i.e. super colorful and detailed, for all you non - photography nerds). Inside, Jake was giving me grief. His pitiful cries were not quite so pitiful after 30 minutes straight, and my frustration level had reached a climax. I snatched him up and walked outside to sit with him on the swing on our patio. I knew that being outside always calmed him...

“You’re hiring a what?!” was the most common reaction I got when I mentioned I was hiring a professional birth photographer. And I was living in Austin at the time…you know, the place where people ride around topless on purple unicycles (slight exaggeration), and yet I was the weirdo who wanted to record my baby’s birth. This Louisiana girl just trying to keep Austin weird, y'all! Yes, most people thought I was crazy to even consider this. Birth photography is a fairly new trend that has become immensely popular over the past few years. As someone who has utilized this service, here are some answers to a few questions I often get asked on birth photography: So what exactly is...

For a brief moment after my daughter was born, a scary thought swept through my mind. I envisioned myself on the side of the road holding up an “anywhere but here” sign. Am I awful? I know I am. What kind of person lands her dream life, and wants to run away? It’s amazing what a lack of sleep and normal human interaction causes one to think. In fact, it’s amazing how basic our needs become shortly after baby. We revert back to survival mode where safety, food, and water are all we need. Important things lost their priority. Clothing was questionable. Sleep was optional. Relationships were nonexistent. If I was in survival mode, my marriage was figuratively on life...

I have written a few times previously about my struggle with my son’s sleeping. I don’t think he is the worst sleeper ever, but he’s certainly not the best. Now that he’s over a year old, I’ve been reflecting on our journey toward a full night’s sleep and I’ve found that I can break it up into a few different stages. Every baby is different, but I bet a lot of parents can relate to these: Stage 1: You are in the shiny new baby phase: you are in awe of this life you and your partner have brought into the world. You can’t believe what you’ve created and they are so. freaking. cute and they smell SO good. And you...

When I was pregnant with my first child my husband and I eagerly prepared and anticipated my pregnancy ending with labor and delivery.  I read countless books, articles and blogs, and we even attended an extensive labor and delivery class to become knowledgeable.   Much to our surprise (and a little disappointment on my part) our 36 week ultrasound revealed that our daughter was in the breech position and the safest delivery option would be a scheduled cesarean section.  So, I delivered a beautiful, healthy baby girl via scheduled c-section without ever having a contraction, feeling my water break or going into labor.  I was overjoyed to finally meet my baby but felt like I had missed out on...