Baby Colton

Jennifer and Todd were surprised and overjoyed when they discovered they were having a third child. While not planned, they had always thought they wanted three children within a short time frame and this certainly was that. Big sisters Tessa, who is three and a half, and Keira, who is nearly two, were thrilled to have him join the family and love to help change nappies and put him to sleep. I was so pleased to meet him having photographed Tessa and then Keira when they were each the same age, as well as their mama bear when she was pregnant. Keira doesn't quite understand how gentle she needs to be just yet and must be watched to keep her from "petting" her little brother a little too roughly, while Tessa is an old pro at this and is quite a little mummy, forever instructing Keira on how to behave around Colton and loves to help whenever asked.

It's funny as I have been dying to shoot a newborn in a cute hat forever but never had a hat of the right caliber. This darling one was a baby gift for Colton from some family friends and was hand crocheted by Sarah of Crocheted Creations and is simply adorable. Recently I watched this rather amusing (but also verging on cyber bullying) series of videos by a woman who was clearly mocking a type of newbie photographer. It was so sickly sweet it was scathing and one thing she pretended to love, but obviously doesn't, is newborns in cute hats. So I did shoot despite seeing her video and yes, perhaps it has been done before a ton, but perhaps there is a reason for it - they look darn cute! So I am proud of my first newborn in a cute little newborn hat - I just adore Colton in it and how it adds a whole new element of cute, even is she is not a fan, I am.

Despite usually being a great sleeper, Colton was awake for the entire shoot which does not happen to me often, but of course the atmosphere is completely different when there are older siblings around so we just ran with it. He kept making this little scowly face so I said I was waiting for him to soften. His mama told me that adorable little scowl is his little face most of the time and she loved it and wanted to be sure I captured him looking cross too. She said she can just hear the questions he must be asking himself about this noisy world around him And noisy it will always be with his tow big sisters - no hope for quiet for this little guy. His expression made me smile, for our son, Oslo, frowned for the first five months of his life and I was tormented that I couldn't get a good picture. I wish that I had had Jennifer's heavenly attitude and accepted that this was just him at that age and loved the pics of that little sensitive-to-light expression. Jennifer says the scowly ones are her faves and I have to say, I think I agree.

I had photographed both girls with the rings on their toes too so Jennifer was keen to be fair and capture Colton's little feet in the same way. My sister does photo books and I just love the idea of all three shoots being in one album to show the ways in which they were similar and those in which they were different. So delicious to have been organised enough to capture all three babies in their first weeks - kudos to Jennifer and Todd!

At 26 weeks, Jennifer had a scare and because Keira had come at 30 weeks, she was sent to Canada with the family for procedures to prevent preterm labour. But after six weeks, she was given the all clear and they returned to Bermuda and this perfectly healthy baby boy was born at full term at 8lbs 5ozs adn 20 inches long. All the earlier stress and worry evaporated and the family feel so blessed to have him in their lives at long last after having thought he would arrive at any moment for 14 weeks!

Thanks to the five of you for a lovely shoot - I adored the little hat, the grumpy expressions and the madness of a houseful of children - it is what expresses love most in my mind. I love your saying you shared with me that "the days are long but the years are short". That really sums up what having a family is about - such juxtapositions of feelings and I am so happy we were once again able to hold on to these precious newborn days with Colton. Congratulations on your family finally being complete. xxx

DeVika's Maternity Session

Expecting her first child has come with a host of emotions for DeVika and she wanted to capture this special time in her life. Most overwhelming has been the complet unconditional love and adoration she already feels for a person she has not even met yet, nor does she even know if this little love she is so smitten with is a boy or a girl. But DeVika believes life is a story and what better way to begin this new story than by capturing it from the very beginning. Sadly, DeVika's lovely hubby, Mark, was not able to come to the shoot as we had to reschedule so many times due to weather, and on the day that it was sunny, Mark was buys, but in retrospect, DeVika thinks this may have been a blessing, for she feels the images express her personal bond and connection she has with her unborn child and although this feeling is something she has not been able to express in words, she feels these images capture it precisely.

DeVika's paternal grandmother sadly passed away in 2009 and this baby would have been her first great grandchild. Keeping her grandmother close to her, as well as close to her unborn child, during this process was immensely important to DeVika. One of the last things her grandmother gave DeVika was her wedding dress which represents a very happy moment for her husband and her, and to some extent, her grandmother's presence in their lives forever. The expecting mother brought her dress to the shoot in the hopes of somehow incorporating it even though she obviously could not wear it while so heavily pregnant. I wrapped her gorgeous dress around her bump, enveloping the baby in all that happiness and everlasting love and I simply adore the result.

DeVika brought along loads of pearls for the shoot - some were from her beloved grandmother and others were loaned to her by Mark's Aunt Janet, who they are sure will be instrumental in their child's life. An extremely important aspect of raising their child is keeping family close at all times, no matter how far away they are.

DeVika's grandmother also gave her this beautiful and deeply sentimental emerald ring. While pregnant, DeVika's wedding rings no longer fit her finger so she wore this special ring to hold the place of all that love.

I was so excited when DeVika brought along the scan - these funny little print outs always make it so real - that there really is a person actually growing inside, and it is not just a beautiful bulbous bump on its own!

DeVika - I love these images we made together and so I am so so happy that my art form and creativity matched so perfectly what you had wanted to evoke in these photos. It means so much to me that we were able to achieve that ideal and I really appreciate your total trust in my artistic vision. Wishing you much love and luck with the birth and look forward to meeting the little love bug for our newborn session! xxxx

Cousins

Sisters Lindsay and Laura decided to get some shots of their children for the grand parents for the holidays. After five long months away for medical reasons, Vovie and Vavo, what the kids call their grandparents, were thrilled to be back spending time with their four grand children and loved the photos. Lindsay and Laura decided Fort Scaur would be a fun location for the kids to run around and play and we were blessed with a gorgeous day. All four have their own strong personalities but when they are together, you can feel the love shared among them.

Brandon is a great big brother to Sydney. He is so great with all the little ones and loves to get them hyper. Sydney looks up to her older brother and loves it when he is around. You may recognise these two from Laura and Andrew's wedding!

These two are much closer in age and love to ham about together.

Brandon is very artistic. At sixteen, he is all about loving his bike and socialising.

Five year old Sydney is the mother hen of the group. She is nurturing and likes to be in charge and is full of sweetness.

Kyra plays well with others but prefers to be in her own space playing with arts and crafts. She tends to be shy and reserved but she is quite the comedienne as well.

Seven is the youngest of the four. His mum says he was just meant to be here - that he is an old soul adn is very loving. His name means born in July and complete. He is the last of the grand children so there are two girls and two boys and each sister has one of each - perfection.

Sydney and Kyra are just three months apart, with Kyra being the older of the two. Lindsay and Laura always joked about how fun it would be if they were pregnant at the same time and it actually happened and was quite a surprise as Lindsay was told it would be difficult for her to have children at all and Sydney was a surprise to her mummy and daddy too!

Thank you all for such a playful afternoon. Loved that we captured so much of what childhood and the relationship between cousins is all about - enjoy this closeness you all share - you are very lucky! xxx