Tag: Lake County IL Newborn Photographer

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Becoming a Mommy {Lake County IL, Newborn Photographer}

Becoming a mommy…has been the most amazing thing I’ve experienced so far in life. I know I’ve been a little quiet lately and truthfully I’ve sat down over a hundred times to post something or write about something but my little man has pulled me away; a distraction that I eagerly give my full attention. During these past few months I’ve learned how much one’s life can change.

Becoming a mommy…has showed me how quickly time goes by. One day he’s tucking his legs up under himself and falling asleep against my chest and the next day he’s stretching his little legs out as far as they can go. Every day I wake him up and realize he’s learned something new or has grown in some little way. Time feels like it is on warp speed some days.

Becoming a mommy…has showed me that you can love more than you ever thought possible. I never thought I would be happy to be awake at 4am or smile as I’m wiping baby puke off my shirt. Hearing little baby chatter or seeing his big grin as I sleepily walk into his room are moments that fill my heart fuller than what I thought possible.

Becoming a mommy…has made me realize that you can’t plan anything because a little 13lb, 24inch, drool covered boy has the real control. You can try to force him, try to trick him…but in the end it’s better to just let him drive and you join the ride.

Becoming a mommy…has made me an expert on google. I’ve realized that with becoming a new parent you will search everything possible on the internet, even after people tell you not to. You need reassurance that your baby’s poop is normal, that your hair will eventually stop falling out, that your child doesn’t have some crazy illness and instead just a little cold. For some strange reason, there is comfort from a stranger online.

Becoming a mommy…has showed me how much stronger I am than what I thought. I knew I could be stubborn and a fighter but after going through delivery and recovery my perspective on what I can do has been altered. I am one strong woman.

Becoming a mommy…has made me feel proud in my body. I have accomplished a dream of mine that I’ve been working towards for almost 5 years and I’ve put my body through so much and in the end it brought me my little man, perfect and safe. What more could I have ask for?

Becoming a mommy…has changed my marriage. The change though, has been for the better, a better I didn’t even think was possible. I have fallen in love with my husband all over again, but in a different way.  A way that showed me how amazing he can be with our son, how helpful he can be while recovering from delivery, how loving he can be while my emotions are adjusting from becoming a mommy.

So I ask that you please forgive me for being quiet lately…I’ve been experiencing this crazy life change of becoming a mommy.

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To-Do List {Lake County IL, Photographer}

Life is messy…life is crazy…life is stressful…but most of all life is beautiful.  Do me a favor and stop for just one second and think about a few things…is your sink full of dirty dishes, is there a pile of laundry outside the hamper waiting for the washing machine, are there toys laying in the hallway that you stubbed your toe on? We all get behind on daily cleaning or get upset when we trip over little John’s toys, but what if you think about things differently?  What if the sink full of dirty dishes means you chose to spend time with your family over doing those last few pots and pans? What if that toy you tripped on means a house full of giggles and silly faces?

We all get caught up in feeling we are running a race that will never end and instead of feeling defeated, feel empowered.  We have the ability to make choices every day that affect our happiness. I want you to today to choose happiness and being present versus being overwhelmed by your to-do list. What will an extra few hours do those already dirty dishes? What will an extra action figure on the floor do to floor?

Honestly, this is a big struggle of mine. I struggle with putting my to-do list before my family. I struggle with being present with my husband and we don’t have any little kiddos to take my attention away. I feel like there is always something to be doing, a box to unpack, a floor to be sweeping, a load of laundry to be folding…but what I forget is that doing these things takes away from time I can spend with my husband enjoying each other. There will always be time for the to-do list, but life shouldn’t be fully mandated by that list.  Today I want you to choose to do something that isn’t on your to-do list…or even better yet, re-write your to-do list to include something that will make you happy like have a tickle fight with your kids, pop in a favorite movie of yours and enjoy it snuggled up on the couch with your family, go for a little walk enjoying the beautiful sunset… pick something that will make you happy. Be present during that time and let go of the to-do list and life’s craziness to enjoy it…I’m pretty sure your heart will thank you!

What are you going to add to your to-do list?

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New House Update {Lake County IL, Photographer}

So we’ve been in the new house for two and a half weeks and I thought it would be fun to share a little update on how things are going, what I’m learning about, and what I’m struggling with…

What I’m struggling with:

1. I live in Sherwood forest! It’s official…nature and I need to become one with each other. In the short time period we’ve been at the new house I’ve experienced two deer in my backyard, Steve the snake in the front yard, and was introduced to Moochie the muskrat when he got stuck in our egress window. I’m not really a nature person so getting to experience these lovely creatures has been quite the treat.
2. Unpacking boxes is a never ending struggle and if I never see another piece of cardboard in my life it would be amazing. I never realized how much two people can have until faced with the daunting task of opening millions of boxes just to find that one power cord we tossed in a box marked “Office”. Ok, so maybe I’m exaggerating a bit…but trust me, the boxes are still all over with no end in sight.
3. Silence, they say it’s a golden thing but I’m struggling with embracing the silence of our new house. We are located on the outskirts of town with a beautiful little wooded area directly behind our house so quietness is ever present and with a house that doesn’t have much furniture, I can hear the cat’s claws click on the wood floor when they walk by. I’m sure there will be a time I miss this silence, at least that’s what I tell myself to keep my sanity.

What I’ve learned:

1. My husband and I make a pretty good team.
Example 1: We went shopping for the first new piece of furniture for the house and the clerk was impressed with how efficiently we are able to make a decision. Little does she know we spent 10 hours prior looking everything over before going into the store…but that tiny detail doesn’t matter.
Example 2: We managed to save Moochie the muskrat from dying with a little 5 foot piece of wood, a chunk of carpeting, a few screws, and a couple tablespoons of peanut butter. He ran the drill and I ran the peanut butter knife. It was a rough 48 hours that also included a broken broom, packing tape, a bucket, and numerous carrots but those were just casualties of the expedition.
2. 5 extra stairs really start to add up when you constantly forget things upstairs. Opps, my glasses are in the bathroom…opps, my shoes are in the closet…opps, my phone is charging on my nightstand. At the rate I’m going, I will have buns of steel just from doing a thousand trips up and down the stairs every day.
3. Planting roots feels pretty amazing. I never realized that buying a house would bring with it so many wonderful feelings. I have waves of calmness flood over me when I realize this is where our future children will grow up, this is where my husband and I will grow old together, this is where so many memories are going to be made…the feeling of uncertainty is gone and instead a feeling of peace and excitement for what our future holds.

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Sweet Baby S {Lake County IL, Newborn Photographer}

Being a big sibling comes with responsibility. You have to look out over your little sibling, spend time reading to your little sibling, and tell them it will be ok when they cry. Sweet Baby S’s big brother also added being 100% smitten with your new little sister to the list. Just saying his little sister’s name brought out the most adorable crinkly nose smile I’ve ever seen. This entire family was so smitten with baby S and after meeting her it was hard to resist her charm!

The minute I saw sweet little S’s creamy skin and light hair I knew just what colors would be perfect on her. She also just loved being all curled up by tucking her little feet up tight and scrunching up on her tummy showing off her most adorable little baby rolls. In truth, every baby has the most adorable little baby rolls that I just can’t resist! Baby rolls just scream squishy baby goodness.

Now that summer is upon us I loved capturing a few family outdoor photos. We only get a few beautiful months of outdoor worthy weather and I’m in love with bringing in some beautiful sunshine and greenery to an already gorgeous little family.

Take a little peek at our time together…can you guess what football team Dad loves?

Interested in seeing more?  Checkout my newborn portfolio!

Want to book your own personalized newborn session?  Checkout my newborn session information!

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The Perfect Little Book {Lake County IL, Newborn Photographer}

I love seeing your images captured forever in print…whether that be a matted photo in a beautiful frame, a canvas hanging on the wall, or a perfect little 8×8 book sitting on the table or in the nursery for everyone to enjoy.  Photos are meant to be cherished memories that you can share with others and look at years later with a little smile on your face as you remember how tiny Stacey was as a newborn.

In my house I can remember that the front hall closet housed albums upon albums of our pictures.  With having two siblings we had our fair share of photos. I can also remember sitting down with my sister and brother for hours looking over the photos inside the albums. We would laugh at how dad looked with a beard, or how chubby Kim’s little face cheeks were when she was a baby…we still tease her about how she didn’t quite look like my brother or I as infants. These albums brought back so many memories for us as we grew up. Did you have any albums in your house that you would look over?  I bet you all had the picture with the washcloth strategically placed on top of you in the bath.  Whoever started that photo trend likely never realized the embarrassment it would bring as parents felt the need to share that photo with significant others years down the road!

I want your little one to have the same experience I did when I grew up of being able to look back at photos of them as a little one. Today we have gotten so hooked on sharing photos online, and while that’s fun and easy…what happens if the computer crashes? Or you forget to sync your cell phone before your little one gets ahold of it and accidentally erases photos? We all have those toddlers that have erased that one app that you can’t remember what it was!

The great thing about this book is that you can use it for more than just newborn memories…you can use is as the perfect gift for Grandma & Grandpa or the start of a milestone collection (newborn, pushing-up, sitting-up, kneeling, standing) with your little one as the star.  I love being able to customize the cover to match the nursery or color scheme of the session and it allows me to include all the great photos from your session as a beautiful story, the story of your new little one.

Here are some of the details on this little book:

  • Customizable cover
  • 20 pages – 10 spreads
  • Holds 20-30 photos
  • 8×8 in size
  • Magazine style pages
  • Discount with purchase of a digital package

I would love to put together your little one’s first memory book!

Interested in seeing more?  Checkout my newborn portfolio!

Want to book your own personalized newborn session?  Checkout my newborn session information!