Don't wait!  There are only 2 spots left for the Santa Experience this year!  It's always lots of fun!

I haven't shared a recipe in a while!  Since I LOVE Oreos (they are awesome) and this looks like fun, I decided I'd share this recipe for you to try with your favorite little monsters!
 
If you try it I'd love to hear how it goes!  What are your plans for Halloween this year?  I have a couple of mommas due around then, so I will just be handing out candy and waiting on a couple of little pun'kins to arrive!  LOL 

Having had 3 of my 4 children at home, I have a soft spot in my heart for midwives.  My respect and love for midwives has only grown these last several years as I have had the honor of working with them in the birth space.  As National Midwifery Week comes to a close I wanted to do my part to say thank you.  I have been piecing this together over the last week and a half and I'm so pleased with how it all came together.   

​To the midwives I have had the honor of working with, and those I hope to work with one day.
To the midwives that held my hand, wiped my brow, ​

​Take it from me and the other moms who learned the hard way, you want to think about pregnancy and babies before you even start trying. If you are planning on starting a family soon, consider everything you haven't considered yet. You don't want to decide at 34 weeks into your pregnancy, that you think a homebirth midwife is a better option than an OB (which comes with a hefty price tag without the right insurance!). Or that you want to hire the best birth photographer in town to come take pictures of you while you welcome your baby into this world. Birth and baby related expenses can add up fast, and before you know it, you might find yourself choosing which items matter most to you because you waited until last minute to plan. Making big decisions late in your pregnancy can be stressful, financially impossible, or even heartbreaking if you fall in love with something you can't have. 

Isn't it funny that (in most cases) the bathroom is where you get the biggest news of your life?  You wait anxiously perched on the edge of the tub, your eyes switching back and forth from the clock and that stick sitting on the counter.  Seconds tick by... they may as well be years.  You start daydreaming about how your life will change, a fog of what ifs... and all of a sudden you see it.  A line.  You're going to be a mom!  

I remember the first time I met Angelica and Josue.  Love just radiated from them.  We sat in a Bill Millers and talked about what they envisioned for their story.  I had the honor of telling their story from the moment they announced that they were expecting a boy, all the way through his first year.  I figured it was time to tell his story, since he is almost 2 and a half now!  LOL  I have LOVED watching him grow!  I hope you enjoy reading Valentin's birth story from their perspective.  I know I did. :)  

Only a few days left to take advantage of this offer!  You do not have to be due in Jan to book.  I look forward to hearing from you!  Also - I am currently looking for a maternity model for a concept shoot.  For the purposes of this project I need someone that is of Asian descent.  Preferably due in April or later so we can ensure planning goes smoothly.  Please contact me for details.

I am finally making some time to blog!  Yay!  I have been gathering some birth stories that I wanted to share and today I am sharing Kennedy's birth.  I met Destiny a couple of years ago when I was working on my "seasonal mommas" project for my studio.  Basically I wanted to photograph one woman for each season, and since the seasons are so different, I wanted to use different ethnicities to represent each season.  DJ was exactly what I was looking for to represent my spring goddess, and she accepted.  As we planned for the session she became interested in a birth story.  Before long I was on call for her! 

The morning of March 22, 2015 I was getting ready to head out for a pregnancy reveal session when DJ let me know that she was at the hospital.  We still figured it could be a while so I told her to keep me posted and notified my clients that we may need to reschedule depending on when baby decided to come.  I was en route to the session when DJ's mom called to let me know she was 6cm!  I called my clients and let them know what was going on and headed back towards SAMMC.

I walked in and DJ was happily visiting on the phone with friends and family and enjoying the company of her mother.  Things were moving right along, I think I was as excited as she was to know that we would be meeting miss Kennedy soon!

I asked DJ to share her birth story with me so I could tell it from her perspective.    :)