Mi Amor

Update...

We spent most of the night in urgent care.  Croup led to stridor, which is by far the single most horrible sound I've ever heard coming through the baby monitor.  It sounded like her lungs were just 'stuck' and we'd dash back there to snatch her up and make sure she was breathing.   Turns out, she has freaking RSV again + croup + now two ear infections.   A steroid shot and some breathing treatments have us back to just "sick" now, which is good.  

I had an itty-bitty newborn session scheduled for today, though.  Poop!  

Do you hear that?

That's my sweet girl wheezing and coughing.   It's got that distinctive croup-bark sound to it, and it's stressing me out.  

We've even resorted to taking her outside to 'reset' her lungs (I read it online and figured it couldn't hurt) and it worked...  she stopped coughing, caught her breath, and Jason's now getting her back to sleep.  

If she wakes up in a horrendous fit again, she's coming into our room where I can make sure she's okay all night long.  Even if it means none of us sleep.  

Her doctors appt is at 9am tomorrow... I made it at 4:27pm, right as they were closing up for today - and there must be something to Mommy/Daddy intuition - because she wasn't near this bad then.  

Being a mom is HARD!  

Sweet Sara

So as it turns out, Sara is big enough that I couldn't trick her into sleeping the entire time... and she also didn't find my shenanigans entertaining, in the least.  She is, however, beautiful - and she ADORES her Mommy, Katie... you can see it in her eyes when she looks at her.   So sweet!   She has the most perfect dimple in her cheek, but didn't really feel up to sharing it whenever my camera was in my hand.  That's okay... we're going to go back next week and I'm going to trick her into liking me.

Isn't she beautiful, though?  *sigh*  Was my baby ever this small?

McKay session...

A few of my favorites!  This family is so fun, so kind and I lovelovelove capturing them with my camera.

Curren's story...

 

Things with my  little photo gig are starting to really blossom, and I'm so excited by that.  We're starting to look at websites, business names, etc.  I'm deliberately trying to go very slow with it, though - I want to learn, not just 'do'.  Does that make sense?  I've been learning since early on in High School, when I would spend hours and hours in the darkroom - but it's still fun and interesting to me.  I would rather do one session, step back, look at what I could've done differently, better - and then go to the next one.  I'm rambling.  

I really, REALLY loved the experience of being the birth photographer for my friends, this week. I feel like the field, while small, is the perfect combination of my photojournalistic style/experience and my love of babies.  (Who DOESN'T love babies, though, really?).   

Aron & Suz posted the slideshow I made them on their blog, so I'm going to take that as a sign that it's okay for me to do the same...  As I watch this, I see the shots that I missed - and shots that I wish had turned out a bit better, but I feel like the story is there.  Suzanne was so incredibly strong and determined, and Aron's absolute love for his wife was palpable in the room.  And then there was Curren...  so sweet, so new, so obviously annoyed that he was out in this cold, bright world.  But so obviously loved.  

(and keep in mind, YouTube makes everything so grainy... )

What a day!

I did my first birth session this morning...  Suzanne called me at 3am, headed to the hospital.  Her goal, that she had been pursuing passionately, was an unmedicated VBAC - and she did it!  Her sweet baby (until she posts his name, I won't) was born at 6:20am, and I was home in time to have Charlotte to her 845 pediatricians appointment.  

What an amazing experience!  I'm so grateful for the opportunity to document this for her and Aron.

Charlotte's stats: 27 inches long, 18lbs 3.5oz.  She's an itty bitty!