Jonah Paul Shellaway... born at 2:54am on September 30th, 2013
You're here! You're here, and life is fuller and more wonderful than we ever imagined. I have been so completely overwhelmed with love from the first moment I held you. You are just the sweetest, cuddliest, sleepiest little guy and I can't imagine a more perfect addition to our family.
It's time for your old mom to get a little sappy on you... We're so close to meeting you and I want you to know what a privilege it has been to be on this journey with you. That's really the whole reason for doing these photos and letters every week - so you can someday see how blessed I felt to be pregnant with you. That no matter how uncomfortable I've gotten, and though some weeks the last thing I want to do is lug out my tripod and take a self portrait, I know that someday you'll be able to look back through this series and see how much I loved you - from the very beginning - and how very lucky I have always felt to be your mama.
This is my last letter to you before you become a big sister. Your brother's arrival means big changes for all of us... joyful but tiring times for me and your dad, and maybe some frustrating times for you. You seem very excited to meet your baby brother, but we know it won't always be easy to have to share us with him. Your brother will need a lot of care and attention in the early months... he won't be able to be as independent as you for a while.
All I can do is promise you that we'll do everything we can to make sure you never doubt how very much we love you. You are so special to us, so uniquely you... and nothing will ever change that.
I am joined in this “Letters to our Children” blog circle by an amazing group of photographers and moms. Together, we’ll be writing these letters every month in honor of our love for our sons and daughters. I encourage you to head over to Kelly’s blog to read her letter to her son.
Today is my and your dad's 4th wedding anniversary! Every year I take a photo in my wedding dress, and this year it was quite a feat to get it on (and even harder to get it off!) With only 2 weeks to go, the last thing I wanted to do was squeeze into my wedding dress, but tradition is tradition and it ended up being a rather hilarious endeavor. I'm very happy to be typing this in my far more comfortable pajamas, and even happier to be another week closer to meeting you.
You made it to full term! Yay! Your dad and I celebrated by going to the Phillies vs. Nats game for what was one of our last date nights for the foreseeable future. You come from a very long line of Phillies fans, and we hope you love them as much as we do. By the time you're old enough to care, they might actually be good again. We can only hope.
I had my baby shower this past weekend, and while I didn't think I wanted a shower this time around, I'm so glad your Nana and Titi insisted. You deserve to be spoiled, too, and it was wonderful getting together with family and close friends to celebrate your pending arrival. Only a few more weeks and I'll get to put you in all your cute new outfits!
Sorry it's taken me so long to share these with you! Life has been busy, busy, busy, but I'm thrilled to finally show you three new brands I've developed over the past few months. My design clients are nothing short of awesome and each one brings an exciting new challenge... First up is the super talented Emily Blackmore out Edmonton, Alberta. Emily came to me for help with the branding for the boudoir side of her photography business, Muse Boudoir. I absolutely love her take on boudoir - natural, feminine, and incredibly tasteful... it feels like it's as much for the women as it is for their husbands. Her goal for her brand was to create something that reflects that style, but also adds a little glamour and luxury. I love what we came up with...
Next up was Allison of Allison Fay Photography, based in Memphis, TN. Allison and I know each other through Clickin Moms and I was thrilled when she asked me to help her with her branding because I love her work. I was even more thrilled when I saw her Pinterest inspiration board because her design style was right up my alley. She wanted her brand to be preppy with a slight vintage industrial feel. There were so many little touches that made this branding feel unique and personal - particularly the custom silhouette of her sweet dog, Phoebe.
And last, but certainly not least, is the branding I did for my dear friend, Renee, of Life by Renee Photography, based in Brisbane, Queensland. Renee wanted her branding to be a reflection of herself - bright, fun, and cheeky. She made my job super easy and it was probably the fastest branding has ever come together for a client. It all just worked, and I love love love what we ended up with...
Lots more design work to share with you this fall, including maybe my favorite logo to date and my very first custom ProPhoto site. So excited to be able to start offering that for my clients! Stay tuned...
Not much new to report this week... just trying to get everything ready in case you decide to make an early appearance. It's so exciting to see your nursery finally coming together. I hope you love it as much as we do.
Only 6 more weeks to go! Your birth is feeling ever more imminent, and I'm officially in big time birth-prep mode... It's hard to be fully prepared for what I know will be one of the hardest, yet most beautiful, days of my life - but I'm trying. I'm re-reading my favorite birth stories, drinking lots of red raspberry leaf tea, listening to my hypnobirthing tracks, working out, doing lots of inversions and ligament releases, and basically doing everything I possibly can to ensure our birth journey together is safe and gentle (and hopefully much much faster than your sister's birth). As I spend time each day getting ready for your birth, I feel the bond between us growing that much stronger and I know it will all be so worth it.
We're finally getting started on your nursery! We moved all the furniture in from your sister's room and now I get to work on the fun stuff - like your very special name quilt. I have lots of other stuff I want to get done, too, so I better get moving. You'll be here before we know it!
Oh my sweet girl... it's a time of BIG changes in your life and you are handling them all so gracefully. This week starts your first official week in Pre Primary, and despite our fears about new teachers and a new classroom, you've been nothing short of ecstatic for this new adventure.
And last weekend we moved all your old furniture into your brother's nursery and you got your very own big girl bed, which you LOVE. We were worried how you'd react to handing down your furniture, but you simply said, "That's for the baby. I'm a big girl." and that was that. You love sleeping in your new bed and haven't once attempted to leave your room when you were supposed to be sleeping. You haven't even tried to get out of bed! (Knock on wood.) :)
I worry about you a lot because I'm your mom and that's part of my job, but you are showing me every day that you really are a "big girl" now. This was more clear to me than ever when last weekend you saw these gigantic slides at a new park we visited and immediately wanted to go down the tallest one. It had to have been almost 2 stories high, but you marched right up those stairs and proclaimed "wheeeee" all the way down.
Your dad and I really are so proud of the big girl you're becoming, but if you still want to be my baby every now and then I'd be okay with that, too.
I am joined in this “Letters to our Children” blog circle by an amazing group of photographers and moms. Together, we’ll be writing these letters every month in honor of our love for our sons and daughters. I encourage you to head over to my dear friend Kristy’s blog to read her sweet letter to her daughter, Makenna.
I'm putting a very special package in the mail today...
Yes, that's right... sometimes I still sew. I'm actually doing a lot of sewing lately, but this particular project was at the top of my priority list. One of my best friends, Heather, recently had her first baby. It was a difficult pregnancy and while it was expected that she would go into early labor, going into labor at 26 weeks wasn't exactly something you can prepare for. Her baby girl stayed put for a couple more weeks, but decided she couldn't wait any longer to meet her awesome parents and made her grand entrance at 28 weeks.
Early.
Scary early.
She was so tiny, but man was she a fighter. From day one, that much was clear. And that's why her parents named her Eloise - which means "warrior." I've honestly never heard of a more amazing premie... aside from being small and needing to develop a bit longer, she had zero serious complications and has been home for a few weeks now.
I was actually hoping to have this done by the time she got home, but let's be honest, I'm rarely ever that on top of things. Anyway, here it is... a special quilt for a very special baby girl. I hope it brings her comfort in those rare moments when she's not feeling so strong.
(For those that are curious, I used this tutorial as my starting point, and the fabric is Lotta Jansdotter's Glimma collection. The font is Janda Elegant Handwriting, and I used a narrow zig-zag stitch to applique it to the quilt. I also used a machine binding technique for the first time, thanks to this tutorial. I think I prefer finishing the binding by hand, but machine binding is definitely a huge timesaver.)
It's been a super tough and stressful week, but I'm so grateful I have your kicks to remind me of what's really important. I don't have much more to say than that this week... just know that I'm counting the days until I get to hold you in my arms.
Your dad and I just got back from our "babymoon" to Oregon, where we spent 4 days camping in the woods for the Pickathon music festival. Camping at nearly 8 months pregnant was a bit uncomfortable, but the amazing music we got to hear more than made up for it. Based on your kicks, you seemed to like the harder rocking stuff more, so we'll see if you end up being our little rocker man. :)
My first session with parents-to-be, Ashley and Scott, included their sweet pup, Dax, but this session was all about the two of them. So we headed into downtown Frederick this past Saturday, whose historic charm was the perfect backdrop for this sweet couple...
They are so stinkin' cute together, which made my job crazy easy. And look at Ashley's gorgeous bump! Only a few weeks away from delivery and she could not be more beautiful.
Congrats, Ashley and Scott! And thank you so much for letting me be a small part of this journey with you.
I've got to be about the luckiest mama in the whole world... you know why? Because somehow I ended up having you, your sister, and your dad as my family. I'll be honest, I felt lost for a long time when I was younger - and then I met your dad and knew I was home. And then your sister came along, and now you, and my heart is more full than I ever thought possible. If I wish one thing for you in your life it's that you find people who make you as happy as you all have made me.
You and your dad have become ridiculously cute together lately. You've always been a bit more of a mama's girl, but you're starting to realize how awesome your dad is. No one can make you giggle like he can, and watching you two together makes my heart all kinds of happy.
You got pretty lucky in the daddy department... not only does he take incredible care of you, but I know he's going to be such a great example for you of what a good man is - how a man should treat the people he loves, how involved he should be as a father, and how he continually puts the needs of his family ahead of his own. He'll be a pretty tough act to follow, but I can only hope you'll find someone as wonderful as he is someday. (Your dad would prefer that day be a long long time from now.) :)
I am joined in this “Letters to our Children” blog circle by an amazing group of photographers and moms. Together, we’ll be writing these letters every month in honor of our love for our sons and daughters. I encourage you to head over to my friend Carrie’s blog to read her honest and heartfelt letter to her kids.
You are getting so big! My belly better start stretching out more because you're running out of room in there. Your movements are getting stronger by the day and your feet have found a new home in my ribcage. But as uncomfortable as I'm getting, it just means we're that much closer to meeting you.
We're in the home stretch now! I'm officially in my 3rd Trimester and can't believe how close we're getting to your arrival! The bigger my belly gets, the more protective Rocco gets of me. Hopefully you'll like our crazy pup as much as your sister does.
Ashley and I met a couple of months ago at prenatal yoga and discovered that not only are we due within a month of each other, but we also live in the same neighborhood! She and her husband, Scott, are so excited to welcome their little boy next month and I was honored when they asked me to take some maternity photos for them.
This session is actually Part 1 of 2... they love their sweet dog, Dax - their first "baby" - and knew they wanted to include him in their maternity photos. So we did this little session right in our neighborhood, and then we'll head into Downtown Frederick in a few weeks to do more photos of just Ashley and Scott. I can't wait!
