I have been the absolute worst at sharing in this space since we found out we were expecting. I go through phases where I’m completely on top of things and can churn out four or five posts a week, but other weeks I’m struggling just to put my shoes on in the morning. Maybe it’s the heat of summer or maybe it’s that all of those first trimester symptoms return at this point in pregnancy, but I am sloooow and hot and tired and swollen and all I can think about is food and clean sheets. We haven’t started the nursery yet, I’m in the middle of moving offices at work, and we’re getting ready to head out of town for a few days this weekend. I do have lots of fun baby and family content to share, so hopefully I’ll have time to edit and upload photos while we’re on the road this weekend. Everybody cross your fingers!
I knew that I wanted Kamin to photograph this pregnancy — one of the things I regret most about my previous pregnancies is the lack of documentation. With Ella, I have a hand full of snapshots that we took over the summer, a few photos from my baby shower, and a last minute capture on our front porch as we headed in for our induction. While I did take weekly bump photos with Sophie’s pregnancy — which I cherish — we waited until the night before our scheduled c-section to take any maternity photos. I was HUGE and uncomfortable and had a really unfortunate haircut. This time around, I know definitely that it’s my last pregnancy, so in addition to enjoying every single second of it — good and bad — I wanted as much photographic evidence as possible. I’ve been taking my own bump photos every Tuesday or Wednesday, we’re planning to have photos taken during delivery and the hours after, and I knew I wanted a beach side maternity session while my belly was a manageable size and I still felt like myself!
We typically take family photos while we’re on vacation anyway, so we picked a new-to-us area of the beach and did a combo family + maternity session during our first week. We all had a little sun on our cheeks, but no one was burned or fatigued or ready to go home yet! It was BLAZING HOT the night we took these and it was probably one of my most uncomfortable experiences of this pregnancy. I literally had sweat running down my legs and I eventually tied my dress up to keep from dying of heat exhaustion. Thankfully, Josh and the girls were about as cooperative as they could be and aside from Ella being very embarrassed that I held my dress up over my waist, everyone was happy after our hour in the sun.
I’m so happy with how these turned out — both the maternity session and the family photos. These girls are the light of my life and these photographs perfectly capture their style and personalities at this moment. Ella is very minimal when it comes to clothing, preferring skinny jeans and simple tops. She loves her hair curled and pulled out of her face and wears the tiniest bit of pinky peach makeup. Sophie still loves her Matilda Jane dresses for special occasions and she deemed this one instantly. She’s been learning to do her own hair this summer and practices at every opportunity, but she let me offer some assistance for photos. She requested “Minnie Mouse Buns” and we added a fun glittery bow on one side. I can’t even look at these two without tearing up right now.
I’m so thankful for this sweet family and for how good they are to me, even when I can’t return the favor. I’m thankful for this little life we’re growing, who at this very moment is moving around like an alien and has had the hiccups off and on all day. I’m thankful for my little sister, who takes the most beautiful photographs and is always willing to endure my hair brained ideas. I’m thankful that she’ll get to join us in the operating room and in those first moments after birth when the girls get to meet their little brother or sister. I’m thankful for those of you still check in on us every day, even though I’m struggling to produce content worth reading at the moment. I’m thankful for how beautiful I feel in these photos — despite the heat and heavy belly — and for that tiny sailboat that just happened to be in the right place at the right time.
