This little beauty is Seren. Claudia and Martin cannot really remember life without her and she has only been with them a few short weeks. She has added a whole new light in their lives. Seren's personality is already shining through. She loves her food just like her parents and takes after her mama in that she loves being pampered. A warm bath followed by a nice massage is all she needs. Martin says he already has extra grey hair just thinking of all the spa visits Seren and Claudia will be going on in a few years time.
I have a special affection for this baby as Claudia is the daughter of my son, Oslo's teacher, who is just the most wonderful teacher in the world. And Seren is her first grandchild so there has been a lot of anticipation about her arrival.
I generally try to shoot newborns in the first two weeks to ensure they will be asleep for the shoot as they tend to look more relaxed than when awake. But Seren's umbilical cord had not fallen off so we rescheduled for when she was two and a half weeks old. When I arrived at the house, sweet Seren had just woken up. And she was not going back to sleep. Poor Claudia had finished all her expressed milk which was the sure fire way to get the baby to go back to sleep so we tried all sorts of tricks trying to sooth her.
After teaching Claudia the old pretend-your-finger-is-a-breast trick, and it didn't work, I had a chance to snuggle the sweet little sausage while her mama expressed some more milk. And such a snuggler she was. I came home from this shoot begging Ben that we have more babies but sadly it was a no-go.
Look at that delicious rosette - is that what those swirls of hair are called?
Since Seren was still awake, it was a little tricky getting a shot of her feet as they were wriggling about, but I managed this one.
I think the spa isn't the only luxury Martin will have to worry about - look at all these gorgeous clothes - yet another reason to get more grey hair!
Martin came home from work just in time for a nappy change - he was great and it made me think of back in the day when dads weren't so involved and perhaps missed out on so many moments. Modern day dads are the best! Both mummies and daddies change nappies these days and it is every bit as rewarding as all the cuddles.
Since Seren was not sleeping, I couldn't get the traditional newborn shots. But what I did capture was her parents witnessing their new baby's first smile. It was a heart breaking scene and I felt so honoured to be there while they enjoyed these first moments of Seren smiling in reaction to their faces. I was so excited and it just reminded me yet again of how incredibly lucky I am to have such a cool job.
The couple met over 12 years ago when Martin was putting a security system in the office where Claudia was working for the summer holiday from university. Martin was under Claudia's desk and she thought he was utterly gorgeous. She tried talking to him and he didn't say anything so she assumed he did not speak English. But it was the strangest thing, for in that moment, she knew that they would get married - it was just a feeling she had. They look back today on where they are now after all these years and they are just so happy.
The family go for long walks with their beloved dog, Belle. The four of them doing things together is something the couple had always dreamed of and now it is finally happening.
I had already packed up my things and was leaving when Martin called out to tell me that Seren had finally fallen asleep. We quickly placed her in a beautiful wooden bowl they have and at last I was able to capture those classic newborn shots I so adore! Look at that sweet little sleeping baby.
Martin and Claudia can't stop watching her - those early weeks as a parent are just incomparable and the bliss these two feel is so apparent.
Martin is from Wales and he was keen on giving their baby a Welsh name. They struggled with this until one day, they came across the name Seren, which means "star" in Welsh. It was perfect for Martin as he loves to say "my little star" and now their baby really is his little star. Her middle name is Eve, after Martin's mother.
Seren woke up again after a minute so I thought a few confetti stars added for good measure was just what the she needed.
And then sweet Seren really had had enough of her first modeling session and let us know how she felt! So her mummy rescued her from all the star bindis and I left them to be their happy threesome (foursome with Belle!) once more.
Claudia, Martin and Seren - thank you for inviting me into your home and sharing these special moments with your family. I was so happy to have captured you seeing your baby's first smile, and all her delicious babyliciousness! Congratulations on your beautiful baby girl xxx
