Welcome baby Shanaiya!

Shanaiya is the cutest little girl, isn't she? She has beautiful curly hair and the most expressive brown eyes I've ever seen. She was quite cooperative as far as newborns go, and she was so much fun to work with!

Welcome Gavyn!

This is Gavyn, born July 20. He was so well-behaved and cooperative for our photo session, and such beautiful dark eyes!

3-month old Avery

Avery is the newest member of the Little Lovebugs VIP club. She's three months old and already a little cutie! I love her blue eyes, they are such a gorgeous color.

Baby Connor - an honor for me.

This past week I had the honor of photographing the arrival and first hours of life for baby Connor. Connor is a miracle baby - he has a chromosonal defect that often causes babies to be stillborn, or to die within minutes or hours of their birth. Many babies with this problem don't ever get to leave the hospital.

Connor is a fighter, though - not only did he survive his birth, he was able to go home with his parents. Nobody knows how long he will be able to stay here with them - but every single minute is a precious gift that is appreciated by his family.

I have always felt that every NILMDTS session I have done is an honor for me. These babies are on earth for such a short time - and yet their parents allow me into their lives during that short time. Every baby that I have met through NILMDTS has been loved and has made an impact on those around them. It's not how long they are here on earth that matters - sometimes, even the smallest of tiny feet can leave imprints upon our hearts.

Update: Connor was able to spend several days with his family at home and passed away on July 22. Please keep his family in your thoughts and prayers.

At last - a girl!!!!!

After all of these boys, I finally got to photograph a little girl this week! She was only 9 days old when she came in for her newborn session. It was fun to break out the pink stuff, since all I've been working with lately has been baby blue. She sure is precious, with such beautiful pink lips and a cute little nose.

Look how they've grown!

I first photographed these little miracles back when they were only a few months old. Now they're 18 months old and getting into all sorts of mischief!

Multiples are one of the trickiest subjects a photographer can work with. There will always be one (or more!) child who doesn't want to cooperate with the camera. It can be very frustrating if you're not used to dealing with twins, triplets, etc. - it's easy to fall into the trap of expecting "the perfect shot" with all babies smiling and looking at the camera, then being disappointed when it doesn't happen. I'm lucky to have two surviving triplets of my own, and I can say for the record - you will never have ALL the babies happy or sleeping at the same time! It's an unwritten law for multiples that at all times one child MUST be contributing to his/her parents' impending loss of sanity.

Another little boy on the way!

The trend of little baby boys continues! I've worked with so many couples this summer and it seems that the majority of them are expecting boys! This couple is expecting their first child in a couple of weeks, and it's going to be a boy.

Four boys in one day!

Saturday was a busy day - four sessions, and ALL of them were baby boys!

First up was this couple. They are expecting a little baby boy who will be called Hayden. That's a cool name for Arizona, there used to be a ferry that ran across the Salt River to get to the Tempe campus. It was called "Hayden's Ferry" after the owner. Most people nowadays have no idea that was the case, largely because the Salt River no longer has water in it. Well, not enough to require a ferry.
Second up was a first-time mom who is due to have baby Steven this week.

Third was a sweet little newborn named Zaire. He's such a cute little guy, and only 9 days old! I love them when they are so tiny and scrunchy.


Finally, baby Braylon who is not so babyish anymore! He's 6 months old and has the cutest smile, we you can get him to show it!

A new crop of babies coming!

I've been busy with maternities lately - LOTS of maternities! These three couples are all due around the same time, and I can't wait to meet their little ones. There are two boys and three girls, can you guess who is expecting the girl and which two couples are expecting the girls?

They always tell you ultrasounds aren't foolproof. But for every customer I've worked with (so far!), the ultrasounds have been correct. I'm sure one of these days mom and dad will be surprised, but I don't think it happens often.

Best wishes to all three for a safe labor and delivery. I just can't wait to meet your little ones!

Happy Independence Day!

Yes, it's the 4th of July - and yes, I'm working today! It's so hot here in Phoenix that I'd just as soon stay inside and get some work done than try to do anything remotely festive. Sure, we'll have our hot dogs and hamburgers for dinner, but as far as going outside to watch fireworks? We'll probably be better off watching them on TV! A better view of the festivities and a comfortable 83 degrees - unlike outside, where it is supposed to hit 116 today.

This little guy is just about 4 months old. I posted about him several months ago when I did his newborn session. He's gotten a lot bigger, but he still has the beautiful blue eyes he was born with. It's so much fun to watch these babies grow up, and time always goes so fast for me. I'll get a call from a mom saying "hey, it's time to set up my 4/7/12 month appointment!" and I'll do a double take, since it just doesn't seem possible that the time has gone so quickly.

A boy's dream comes true...

For the past year or so, my son Adam has been obsessed with airplanes. His two favorite movies are Flyboys and Pearl Harbor. He doesn't care too much about the story aspect of it, he just likes to watch the airplanes flying around. His favorite Wii game is Blazing Angels, and he loves to use the flight simulator. He dreams of being a pilot someday.

When we were in Hawaii a couple of weeks ago, we had the chance to send him up in a Stearman biplane. We didn't tell him ahead of time where we were going, because we knew he'd get way too excited about it - and we didn't want to be talking about planes for hours ahead of his flight! Our first trip to Dillingham Airfield didn't go so well - it was way too windy for a flight, so we had to postpone it a few days.

We returned June 19 to the airfield where Adam got his chance to go up. He was so excited, he had the biggest grin on his face the whole time. He got to wear the little cap (and goggles, if needed). He sat in the front and enjoyed seeing Oahu from the air. He came back with some nice pictures taken from the air, and a renewed determination to become a pilot someday.

Since we've returned from our trip, he's been diligently working to learn to "fly." He's been landing 747s on the flight simulator, "just in case" he needs to help out the pilots next time we fly somewhere. He knows the rules for getting a pilot license (16 to solo, vision 20/40 corrected). Only 8 more years to go, and he'll be pushing us to take flying lessons!