What a joy it is to have TWO daughters. All I know is, do not ever rely on my intuition to tell you, or anyone, the gender of our next child. Ha! I have been wrong both times. Both times, I managed to convince myself, and several others, that I was having a boy. Either God has a sense of humor, or I have no clue…I think it’s both.
It was one of the happiest moments of my life when Matthew excitedly told me, “We have another girl!!!”. Secretly, I wanted a girl over a boy (I’d say about 60% of me wanted a girl and 40% wanted a boy). I just knew it would be easier to have a girl, considering we already have one, and I knew Kat would adore having a little sister. Boy, was I right! Our family has settled into have four of us very well. I wouldn’t say it comes naturally, because anything that deprives you of this much sleep is not natural. However, we have been so surprised at how well Kat has taken to Ella. It’s like she’s always been here. When she wakes up, one of the first things Kat asks is, “Where is baby Ella?”. She is constantly being loving to Ella, kissing her, stroking her head, and wanting to hold her. She even brings us a pacifier every time Ella starts crying, because in her mind, that is what should fix her. So sweet!
If you can’t tell, my heart is full. I am sleep deprived, but I wouldn’t trade it for the world…although a little extra sleep would be nice. 🙂
I was somewhat ashamed and nervous about being induced, but honestly, it was a great experience, and I am grateful! I had an even easier delivery than I did with Kat. I pushed for less that 10 minutes (only 3 pushes), then, she was here! Our sweet daughter! I was overwhelmed with emotions, to say the least. She immediately went onto my chest for skin to skin time, and it was beautiful. I did not have that much skin to skin with Kat, so it took me by surprise, and I loved every second of it. I got so much skin to skin time that Matt didn’t get to hold her for a loooooong time! He was so generous with her.
My favorite pictures in this collage are the one of me holding Ella and squinting with pure joy/emotion, and the one right next to it of Matt and I snuggling our newest daughter. Ella amazed us and she latched on right away and nursed like it was nothing. I’m so serious, this kid just went to town. Ahhhmazing, and it made my job so much easier! It took us days to make that progress with Kat.
Ella getting all of her newborn stats in check. She did not like this part! Like I said, they let me have a ton of skin to skin time with her before they did this. It was so wonderful!
Some shots of Elizabeth in our recovery room. She is so precious, and I didn’t want to forget those sweet moments. Check out those lips, and all of her hair! Can you believe I made her?!? How did I do that?!? I didn’t! God’s miracles are so present in moments like these. I cannot say it enough, bringing a baby into the world makes my faith in God so much more comprehensible. SO MUCH! I cannot understand how He gave His son for me. Wow. Thank you God for your great sacrifice!
Meeting so many beautiful friends and family for the first time. I did not remember to photograph everyone who came to our house…so sorry friends! I love you all, but my brain is not as sharp as it once was! Ha!
Snuggles with Ella from her mom, dad, and sister. Loved these moments, and I am SO happy we captured them! I have a wonderful family!
Now, we are going to steer clear of the collages and showcase my sweet girl. Matt made this moon prop just for Ella. We both worked on the staining, painting, and sanding, and I adore how it turned out. Elizabeth was the most challenging newborn I have ever worked with, but she sure did pull through for me.
Those cheeks! So sweet!
Just a fun fact…Kat wore this crown at her 2 year session. I love that Ella wore it for her newborn session. Sisters are SO sweet!
SISTERS! I am so in love with these beauties. I always wanted a girl…little did I know God planned for me to have TWO beautiful girls!
The set Elizabeth is wearing here was made out of a sweater that belonged to my mom. I sent it to an awesome prop vendor who upcycles clothing into newborn props, and she worked her magic on my mom’s sweater. I got back way more than I thought I would, including several head bands, four hats, and these darling pants.
I love Ella’s hand and arm position here. She is so precious!
Again, OH-THOSE-CHEEKS! I have been itching to do this cheek pose with a newborn for some time now. I finally got the perfect model, Elizabeth! I love her!
I think they will be great friends. I pray they will get along, even when they are older. Kat loves having Ella around. Thank you God for my family!
Had to have a little Georgia Tech flare going on. Such a sweet girl!
That grin gets me every time! She is darling in purple, just like Kat (and if you didn’t know, it’s my favorite color too)!
My sweet baby girl! I love this tie back because it reminds me of spring. She has the most adorable lips here! Just want to kiss em!
One of the great things about using multiple props, like tie backs and wraps, is they give a completely different look, but you don’t have to go through a ton of difficult outfit changes/poses. It’s relatively easy, for a photographer, to change out a head piece and a wrap, and you have multiple options for your client. Now, when your client is your baby, it’s just plain fun!
What you don’t know is that these shots took our family THREE days to complete. I don’t do that for clients, nor will I ever! It took me longer because of a few reasons:
A. I just had a baby (so it was not easy for me to make the time for multiple hours of shooting, nor did I have the energy).
B. It is never easy to work with older children, especially when they are yours (and I bribed Kat with a lolly pop during her shots).
C. Ella was the most difficult newborn EVER…so it took much longer than normal (and I am certain that had to do with me being uber stressed).
This is probably my favorite shot out of all of Ella’s newborn pictures. I got the most wonderful surprise package from a vendor I have been ordering from for years, All3Sons. She sent us this lovely purple bonnet and purple cloud stuffer as a gift to welcome Elizabeth. I knew it would be perfect for the outdoor shot I was hoping to get. SUCCESS!
Needless to say, we have sooooooo many perfect images of our darling Elizabeth Anne! From her first moments outside of my womb, to the adorable posed pictures, her life has been well documented! We look forward to capturing her growth, as we did with Kat. Life is so sweet!
