Saturday, December 29, 2012

IT'S A GIRL!

A "brief" story of the birth of our newest baby girl:  On Tuesday, December 11th, 2012, at approximately 6pm, I decided that I should call my midwife for a heads-up as the Braxton-Hicks contractions I was having were feeling a bit stronger than usual.  I had no clue 10 minutes earlier when my husband got home from work, and as I stood in the kitchen making dinner, that I was about to go into labour.  At around 6:20pm, I knew for sure it was labour - contractions were very painful and strong and not very far apart.  My husband began filling our birth pool with hot water, and I made a couple of other phone calls.  That afternoon, incidentally, I had decided it was a good time to ensure everything was in order for the birth - there were just a few more things I had to put in my birth supply basket, and I set up the video camera in a good spot, made sure there were candles everywhere, made sure my birth playlist was ready, etc.  Strange how the universe works sometimes!  Something was telling me I better get prepared!

At around 7:35pm, I was labouring in the tub, and contractions were coming on STRONG and only about a minute and a half (or less) apart. Our midwife was coming from Victoria, and since she wasn't there yet, I decided I should see where I was at with my labour.  I was shocked to find that the head was right there and was about to crown!  For a few sweet seconds the pain disappeared and there was only excitement... then another contraction came.  Our midwife arrived a few minutes later, but my husband and I basically delivered the baby ourselves.  :)  She got there in time to check the water temp and tell me that we had to get more hot water in the pool or I'd have to get out and deliver on the bed... and I begged for more hot water because I wanted a water birth so badly!  Didn't matter though... because the next contraction sent the baby flying!  I was in such shock because it happened SO quickly!  Out baby came at 7:44pm, a mere 3 minutes after our midwife got there!

I believe my husband got to do the honours of finding out she was a girl.  I sat in the pool with baby in my arms for about 5 minutes before we found out.  My husband rocks - he had had a pretty bad day at work, but I didn't know it because I went into labour about 10 minutes after he got home. He made sure he did everything he could to make this the birth experience I really wanted.  He was running around making sure the kids were ok, making sure my birth plan was covered, making sure I was ok and that I took sips of water in between contractions.  Even though we've done this three times before, I'm pretty sure it must have made him more nervous when he heard me say, "Oh my God, the head is like, RIGHT THERE!!" lol. But he never buckled under pressure, he just kept doing what he needed to do.  He cut the cord, as he did with our other three, and he got to find out what baby was first.

Little Hailey was born a healthy 7lb 4oz and 19" long, at 37w6d.  She came about a week earlier than I'd thought.  I knew she would be earlier than 40 weeks, as all my kids have been, and I knew she'd be fast, as all my kids have been (thank goodness!). Just not quite that soon and not quite that fast!  Not that I'm complaining! :)

We had two of my very good friends with us to help with labour, taking photos, and of course, looking after our other three kids.  They were all very excited to be there as baby was being born, and I have to say it was pretty awesome to have my kids there.

So without further adieu, here are some photos I took during our first two photo sessions at 8 days and 12 days new, as well as two or three from the birth (thanks to friends!).





Sunday, December 9, 2012

My Own Maternity Shoot

With the help of my hubby, I was finally able to get some decent maternity shots of my own!  I have gone through 4 pregnancies now without ever getting a "professional" shoot done... and today seemed like a good day to hand my camera off to my husband for him to get some photos of my belly... before it's too late!  I'm about 37 1/2 weeks along, and my babies always come early and fast!  I'm guessing we will be meeting this new little one within a week to 10 days??  I'm very excited to be having another home birth, and I have my birth pool all set up and ready to go.  In the meantime, I'm still hoping to get a few more with my kids (my son was completely uninterested in participating today) and with just my husband and I, but these peeks below are from what we did today.  Love them! :)  Love the maternity sashes by Peek-a-Boo Crochet {Prop Shop & Couture}!!  I've been waiting to use them, they're so pretty!

(For the record, any of you ladies out there who are pregnant and wanting a maternity shoot done, we can definitely make use of these beautiful belly bands in your session!) :)

Here are some of my favorites from our little "shoot" today.







 

I cannot WAIT to take newborn photos of our little bundle!  I've been busily crocheting some new hats and other items.  The great thing about having your own baby when you're a photographer is that you can do as many sessions as you want, whenever time permits!  :)  We're not finding out the sex of the baby until he or she is born this time... so what I get to use in our newborn sessions will depend on whether we have a boy or a girl. So excited! :)

Stay tuned......

Monday, November 5, 2012

Christmas Sessions

Yes, it's that time of year!  I couldn't believe it when I walked into a store on November 1st... Halloween was over only hours before, and already I was hearing Christmas music playing on the store's radio.  Craziness!

It reminded me that before long, people will be getting Christmas cards in the mail.  More and more these days, people have been giving up on the old stand-by Christmas cards that you pick up from department stores, and going with something a little more modern and personalized.  I love the idea, and so does someone like my husband's Nana, who lives far away, hasn't even met our youngest, and probably won't have a chance to meet our newest addition, due in just 6-7 weeks, for quite a while.  She LOVES getting photos in the mail of her family members.  If you have family members who live far away, which many of us do in this day and age, wouldn't it be wonderful for them to receive a more personalized Christmas card in the mail, with a photo (or a few photos) of your family right on the card?

Book your family session with me today so you have plenty of time to create your unique cards, and have them ordered and received in time to send out before the Christmas rush sets in.

Here are just a few samples of the many different cards available:




There's still some time left to get some great outdoor autumn shots in the Sooke or Victoria area!

Email me today to schedule your family's session.  Fees are only $150 + hst for approximately an hour and a half, at an outdoor location that is suitable for you.  Package includes 1-8x10 and 2-5x7's, an online gallery and a cd of fully edited images.  Cards can be selected, designed and ordered right from your private online gallery.

SPECIAL: Book with me before November 15th and get 10% off your order of cards!


Saturday, October 13, 2012

More Sooke Family Mini-Sessions

I've decided to run another afternoon of mini-sessions on Saturday, October 27th.  Families in the Sooke area, come on out and get some family shots done just in time for Christmas cards, or just have some nice Autumn family photos done.

Session times are, again, available on a first-come, first-served basis, but must be booked in advance.  Available time slots are:

12:00pm
12:45pm
1:30pm
2:15pm
3:00pm
3:45pm

Sessions will be held at Ed McGregor Park, where there is a wide variety of beautiful backdrops and areas to take photos.  If the weather is unsuitable, we will reschedule, but let's cross our fingers - sometimes we can get some really beautiful fall days in October!

Fee is $75 + hst and includes about 30 minutes of session time, 1-8x10 and 2-5x7 prints, and a private online gallery of all edited images.

Please email me for more information and to book your time slot!

I look forward to seeing you there!

Thursday, October 11, 2012

{D} Family Sneak Peek

I had the pleasure of doing an Autumn family session this past weekend here in Sooke.  It was a gorgeous day, perfect for a photo shoot!  Here's a little peek of some of my favorites - hope you enjoy them, {D} family!





















Saturday, August 25, 2012

Autumn Mini-Shoots for Families

This is a great option for those that don't have a whole lot of time or money to put into sessions, but still really want to get some cool family photos done!

On Saturday, October 6th, I'll be doing mini-sessions at Ed McGregor Park and Broomhill Park (the big playground in Broomhill area), both in Sooke, BC.  A mini-session is only $75 and will include the following:

- 30 minute session time
- one 8x10 and two 5x7 prints
- online gallery of edited images where you can order more prints and tonnes of other goodies (calendars, puzzles and photobooks make fantastic gifts for other family members!)

That's all there is to it - a quick session for half the cost, and you still get some awesome family shots!

I have only 6 session times available for the afternoon of October 6th.  Sessions must be booked ahead of time to guarantee your spot.  Please email me for details and to book!

Times available:

Ed McGregor Park: 12pm, 12:45pm, 1:30pm
Broomhill Park: 2:30pm, 3:15pm, 4pm










Looking forward to seeing you out there!

Saturday, August 11, 2012

New - Proposal Photo Shoots!

GUYS - are you planning a surprise proposal for your girlfriend?  Being a girl myself, I can tell you that she will LOVE, LOVE, LOVE you for booking this session in advance!

Picture this - you contact me to schedule a "couples photo shoot", which she will love you for.  You lay out the details of how you plan to propose to her.  We begin the photo shoot in a special, favorite outdoor location with some couples photos, and then, you work your magic, and I'll be there to capture the amazing moment for you!  Instead of just having a story to pass on to family and friends, you'll have the photos to go along with it!  Not a lot of people are lucky enough to have their actual engagement in photos, so book now and get a unique photo shoot that's all your own!

Imagine the look on her face when you pop the question - and being able to show it to her afterwards!






The price for this session is $150 + hst.

Package includes a 1.5 hr photo shoot in the outdoor location of your choice in the Victoria/Sooke area, all digital images on disc, free online photo gallery, an 8x10 print and two 5x7 prints.

Contact me today to book your session and don't miss out on the opportunity to get it all in photos!


In other news...

I've not done a whole lot in terms of photography and selling my crocheted photo props lately.  The first trimester for baby #4 was absolutely the most exhausting pregnancy thus far (especially with three littles under the age of 4 running around!), and we also had some visitors for a while.  Now, I'm looking forward to getting back in the swing of things again.  I'm booking all kinds of sessions and have lots of openings still for the end of summer and in the fall.  I'm also working on some new items for my prop shop, Doodlebug Designs.

Book your session now (see packages and prices in the tabs at the top of the page) and let your friends and family know about my website!  Couples/engagements, family, kids, newborn, maternity, birth, small-scale weddings, etc.  Stay tuned for details on some upcoming mini-sessions this fall!