It is the very last day of August!! (Wow!) That means that my newborn promo is over after today. Just as a reminder, if you know anyone who is pregnant and due before November 1 or if *you* are pregnant and due before November 1, I am offering a great newborn promo! I started advertising too late and still have a few slots left 
A lot of photographers don’t like shooting maternity because, well, it’s a belly. I personally love them. Did I always? No, definitely not! But I have grown to appreciate what I am really shooting. First off, it is the time that, I think, a woman is at her most beautiful. And it’s not just a belly – it is the last few times of sanity, the last few moments of quiet, of intimacy, of romance before a new baby joins the family. Whether it’s the first child or the fourth, it is a time to step back and focus on what is coming. And to focus on the relationship. It is a session often full of emotion – we laugh a lot, sometimes there is a little tearing up, a lot of smiles, joy, nerves and a lot of pre-nostalgia if you can call it that.
I met A and J down at Narragansett beach last night for a little sunset mini-maternity session. They signed up for the newborn promo I am running because A. is due in a few short weeks and let me tell you, it’s going to be HARD to narrow down the photos from this session. Momma-to-be was beautiful, the light was absolutely delicious as you will see, and the sky got just incredibly gorgeous towards the end. Not to mention that they themselves were SO MUCH FUN! (I mean, hello?!?! She climbed up the side of a lifeguard stand for a picture!) But seriously, they have known each other since they were born (literally, their families have known each other since way long ago) and you can tell. There is an ease, a peace, a connection between them as they wait for their baby boy to join them. I feel so honored that they chose me to capture these moments and I can’t wait to see them again in a few weeks and meet their son!!!
I know this is similar to the shot I did in my last maternity but it’s such a gorgeous classic shot – and look at the color we got!!
Sometimes I get to throw everything out the window and do a shoot for a friend where I can truly relax, have fun and really do my thing. I mean, I do this to an extent with regular clients, but when it’s a friend, it is a world of difference. I met up with Dani and her hubby Steve on Sunday night to do some maternity pictures for their little munchkin. Munchkin is due in five weeks and I cannot believe how quickly the time has flown!! Dani and Steve had their engagement photos done at Sakonnet Vineyards in GORGEOUS Little Compton, RI, so it was wonderful to come full circle and do their maternity pictures here. (Now if only I could figure out how to get the newborn shots done there, too! Hehehe) Dani looks amazing for 35 weeks and I can’t wait to meet munchkin in a few short weeks!! I keep going back and forth whether it’s a boy or a girl but I think I have settled on BOY. My favorites. A lot of my favorites…
Gorgeous Dani
Having fun
1. A little peek at what I got to do Sunday evening. In a VINEYARD no less!! Some fun editing, too.
2. Speaking of, I still have a few spots left in my maternity and newborn promo!!! Let me know if you or someone you know would like to book; it’s over in 7 short days.
3. Layne has her first official cold right now. This is slowing things down drastically at the moment for me editing-wise. Seven and a half months and her first fever. Poor thing. Her brother got it and gave it to her. Looks like she is going to run like her mommy – goes up fast and very hot. 
And Matt is sniffling while I try desperately to fight it off!!
4. My holiday mini sessions are all set and ready to roll out. Yay!! I just have to figure out where on earth I am going to hold them! Anyone have a gorgeous house and lands they’d like to donate for a day?? 
5. Another shot from my first-ever engagement. Sigh. I just love this session and keep coming back to it to edit more. And more.
6. I have decided I realllly like evening light. My engagement session was evening light. My maternity Sunday was evening light. And my maternity this Thursday (at the beach, no less!!) is scheduled for evening light. It just has a look. A glow. A special intimacy almost. Now if only babies liked evenings as much as I do life would be SO much easier.
7. Who else is with me and cannot WAIT for the season premiere of “Glee????” I know there must be some other dorks fans out there really looking forward to this. If you have had a session with me (a kids session) you have likely heard me sing. I used to sing a lot. In school. In church. Everywhere. So this show holds a very special place in my heart. Not only that but it’s really freaking funny.
8. I can talk about two things now that I have been waiting to talk about — I have two ads coming out in the next month or two. One will be on the my02818.com website which is targeted towards the good citizens of East Greenwich, RI and one is in The Baby Guide which is a huge publication that goes out all over New England. Matt and I went back and forth over the ads, since I had never had to put money into advertising in Philly. He was for it, and I was against it. But we both realized that ads were the way to go. So now with the hard (and I do mean hard) design work behind me, I am just waiting for them to appear! The web ad is scheduled to start on Sept 01 and the Baby Guide ad, well, whenever it comes out in print. I’m having an ad in print! Can’t wait to see both of them. And yes, I am definitely taking a picture of the print ad for my files. And probably keeping a copy. Or ten. And possibly sending them to family. And friends.
9. Nolan’s birthday is rapidly approaching. Four years. My baby will be four. years. old. in about 15 days. That is CRAZY. His birthday party theme is Disney’s Cars. At first it was Roary (on PBS), then Cars, then Mickey, then Dora, then ???. I really wanted a cool race car party so I waited a day until he forgot and then asked him if he wanted a “Lightning McQueeeeeen (how he says it)” party and he said yes. SCORE. I get the party I wanted. I mean that he wanted. I am so excited too because, for the first time, he will be getting a REAL birthday cake. I don’t mention it on here much at all, but Nolan is allergic to eggs. Eggs in any shape, any form. Seriously, emergency room, epi-pen allergic to them. (Though we are hoping he will have grown out of it at his next testing) So restaurants, baked goods, birthday parties, etc are not a commonplace occurrence in our lives. But we found A and J Bakery here in Rhode Island that specializes in nut-free and egg-free foods. Finally, my son will have a real honest-to-God birthday cake. Just like all of the other kids. And that makes me a little teary. If you have a child with any kind of allergy, anything that makes them different, you can understand just HOW amazing and special it is when they get to do something that makes them “like all the other kids.”
10. Have I mentioned yet that I am going to the Outer Banks in a few short weeks???? I am SO excited!! I am going with about 12-15 other professional photographers from around the country and we are staying for three days just hanging out, sharing ideas and spending a relaxing long weekend on the ocean. So any no-hurricane thoughts for mid September in NC would be greatly appreciated.
I spent an unbelievably warm incredible morning with the little misses M. and C. this past Saturday in Roger Williams Park. These two beauties were a little over 18 months and SO cute!! They definitely gave me a run for my money – literally! I love this age because they just run and run and run. They want to explore SO many things but at the same time can almost be stopped in their tracks by a simple game of peekaboo, or finding an interesting trinket / handle etc to stare at. We had a great time grunting at swans and running laps around the Casino porch and of course eating the requisite Cheerios! (There is a reason I tell parents to bring snacks!!) Thanks C. and C. for coming out in the heat and humidity and being such great sports through all of it Enjoy!
For those of you not local, no worries, we did not take them gambling – it’s one of the GORGEOUS buildings in the park
