Lincoln's Birth | Orlando Birth Photographer

About a year ago I was at dinner with some friends who were in town. I looked down at my phone and realized I had missed a few text messages. They were from Julie. It said she was having contractions but she wasn't sure if she was in labor or not. She was going to pay attention, time them and let me know. I could hardly concentrate at dinner because I kept thinking about whether she was in labor or not, what I needed to pack and who I was going to leave Greyson with. Finally at the end of dinner I jumped in the car and called her. She asked, "How will I know if it's really labor?" and then all of a sudden a contraction came. I could hear the tears in her voice as she breathed through the contraction. 

"That the real thing, Julie! I'm packing my bag and will be on my way." It was 8:30pm by the time I started the 4.5 hour drive. I've never felt like I needed to get somewhere so fast! I would have been devastated to miss it. By the time I got to Naples she was resting pretty comfortably with an epidural in place. She was insistent that I get some sleep since it seemed like it would be a while. There was no way I could get any rest! We spent lots of time "trying" to rest with the lights off but we couldn't. Every few minutes we'd start talking to each other, anticipating what was to come. 

Once morning time came around she got herself ready…. a little makeup goes a long way when you're stuck in a hospital bed. Around one o'clock it was finally time to push. I remember them saying she'd be practicing for a while so I started to get my camera ready and figure out exactly where I wanted to stand. After one practice push the nurse told her to stop. Her push was effective and it was actually time to have him. She didn't need to practice. If you know Julie, thats just how she is. She is efficient… no practice necessary. Why would labor be any different for her?

A few minutes later she was pushing again and seconds later he was born. What a moment. It was so surreal to be in the room and watch that sweet baby take his very first breath and meet his mommy and daddy for the first time. My best friend became a mom in that very moment and life as she knew it changed. Life really is such a miracle and this moment was such a great reminder of that. 

Julie and Paul, thank you for letting me be a part of this special day. It truly was an honor to capture these moments for you!  

I blogged sweet Lincoln's newborn session here. 

{Where have I been?}

My life has been cluttered with to-do lists for months. Blogging is one of the things on my list(s) that just hasn’t been crossed off in a while. Instead I keep transferring it from one list to the next. Am I the only one that does that?

Regardless, blogging has been on the top of my list for a while. I realize I never showed off sweet little Kherington who I was able to capture in her mommy’s tummy a few months before she arrived. It was decided that I would try to be there for her birth if all things worked out (time, babysitter, etc.). Well, while climbing into bed one night I got a the text that said things might be happening. So, I was on alert. Not long after, around one in the morning Megan said ‘we’re heading to the hospital.’ I told her to let me know once she was there, checked and had made some serious progress. There was a quick text back that said to come now. I was a little hesitant but knew Megan knew her body. I was on my way, and made it with little time to spare. You should have seen me running through the hospital parking lot in the middle of the night, quietly hoping no one was going to snatch me up.... I watch Criminal Minds a lot!

Megan made labor look so easy. She was able to use her breathing techniques and stay so in control of her body. I teared up a few times watching her husband love on and support her through the pain. He was right next to her wiping away tears, holding her hand and constantly giving gentle encouragement. I could tell it was hard for her mom to watch her daughter in pain. Luckily, it all went by so fast. They had a few pediatricians in the room, knowing that Kherington would be quickly swept away and examined. So I stayed back in the corner, out of the way.

 Here are a few pictures of the day she was born. And here are a glimpse of what we captured a week later. The one of her and her brother might be one of my favorite pictures ever!