Lifestyle & Newborn Photography
Back in May I had the pleasure of meeting this beautiful new family of three. Britt & Brett made being new parents look so easy – they were complete naturals. & Elwood is as handsome as ever, just look at him.
For this post I decided to turn their beautiful gallery into a video – a keepsake for them to watch back and cherish. Especially when this little man grows up way too fast. I would recommend watching it in HD.
I had the wonderful opportunity to meet these new parents last August and capture some beautiful moments as a family of three. Considering Mr. T is almost 9 months now and has like 4 teeth, I’m pretty sure I can’t actually call them new parents anymore. Plus you could also say that I am way behind on my blogging………………
Anyways! I have been receiving a lot of interest in lifestyle newborn shoots and would like to provide a little insight into my unique process.
So I am FINALLY getting around to blogging about my latest session with this beautiful family. Last spring I had the amazing opportunity to capture their maternity photos and late August beautiful Harlee arrived. These two are so in love with: one another; their new babe, and their old babe, Otis the maltese. It’s always a treat to have them in front of my lens. I can’t wait to share my favourite snaps with you!
This week my Mom and I took the girls to the Muttart Conservatory. I’ve realized that planning activities in the morning – whether it be a special outing or a quick trip to the park, makes life with two kids much easier. I’ve recently made it a priority to stick to routine and be back home by nap time. This is because Brynlee experienced a significant sleep regression when we switched her to her big girl room and again when Jess showed up. Nap time was hit or miss for a few weeks in our house and it was extremely hard on all of us. Now with a newborn, I definitely count on Brynlee’s afternoon snooze to catch up on some zzzzz’s myself.
Anyways, back to the Muttart. I had only been there once before but knew it would be a hit with Brynlee. While we toured the pyramids, I wrapped Jess up in our Solly Baby Wrap and had an amazing time checking out the pretty flowers and cool and interesting trees and plants. Unfortunately we had picked a time where the feature pyramid was undergoing a change so it was filled with a bunch of beautiful flowers. Brynlee insisted on having a tea party with Lola complete with milk and fishy crackers in it since there were wrought iron patio sets scattered throughout. She is just too adorable.
Brynlee’s favourite parts about the Muttart:
– hanging out with Lola [always a fav]
– watching the water falls
– spying on other children
– and the koi fish in the pond to which she said “takeit … home”
Perhaps we will look into getting her a pet goldfish.
Jessica Olive is now 5 weeks old and is as sweet as can be. She currently has bright blue eyes just like her sister did as a newborn and the most amazing smelling chocolate brown hair. I am convinced she’s going to end up looking just like Brynlee with her long eyelashes and little button nose, but people keep saying they can see more of me. Ya well, I’m not going to get my hopes up just yet.
Jess is a fantastic sleeper… as long as she’s tucked into our bed at night. Right in the middle of our king size. This is the total opposite of Brynlee who slept in her crib in her own room from day one. Once again breastfeeding has been wildly successful and at one month she weighed 11 lbs 9.6oz, which is 3lbs 7oz more than her birthweight of 8lbs 3oz. She has already outgrown our limited selection of newborn clothing and is filling out 0-3 month onesies. Whoever came up with “big babies are happy babies” was bang on.
We introduced a soother pretty early this time and Jess has now taken a bottle from Craig twice. Our fav bottle is the Comotomo because it’s super easy to wash and is suppose to be great for breastfed babes. Brynlee was never great at taking a bottle so it was extremely difficult to get any baby-free time. One of the most important things I’ve learned since becoming a mom is the value in taking time to focus on yourself. In the end, that time you spend away from your babe absolutely makes you a better mom. Plus who doesn’t enjoy getting a well deserved pedicure 😉
This little girly is growing up so quickly… here’s a little update
– says she wants to be a doctor when she grows up
– obsessed with singing “happy to you” and getting people to blow out “cannels”
– has stopped jamming the soose in Jess’ mouth
– when we ask her what color something is, she always says pink… followed by blue?
– has successfully escaped her crib twice. Time to take down the railing
– loves being outside and “wunning” in the backyard with her pup
– will accept crackers as cookies and thinks yogurt is ice cream
– requests songs about dinosaurs and choo choo trains before nap and bedtime
This past weekend was Easter and we spent the Sunday out at the lake. It has also been the last few days of Craig’s time off. I am so thankful that he was able to take four weeks off to help adjust to a life of four. However, I have no idea how I’m going to manage a toddler and a newborn without him. Thank goodness for Peppa Pig and Paw Patrol… and hopefully some sunny days ahead!
We took Brynlee to meet the “Easter wabbit” at the mall earlier in the week. At first she was soo excited to see him, but then he got too close and she was absolutely petrified. She refused to leave Craig’s arms and only agreed to sit next to him for the picture because he bribed her with a sucker. Currently, this picture with the Easter bunny is the only one we have of all four of us.
Sunday morning Craig set up an Easter egg hunt for Brynlee while I got the girls ready. Brynlee came down the stairs holding her basket with a huge smile on her face yelling “eggs! eggs!”. Every time she found another egg she squealed with excitement and held it up for Craig and I to see. At the lake, Craig’s mom had set up an egg hunt as well and because my parents had joined us for dinner, both sets of grandparents were able to partake in the excitement. It is truly remarkable being able to relive your childhood traditions through your own children. I seriously can’t wait until both girls can hunt for eggs 🙂
So it appears I’ve taken a 9 month hiatus from blogging. In fact, my last blog entry was July 31st, 2016… five days after we found out I was pregnant. From that point on, looking at a computer screen made me woozy, I was barfing six to ten times a day requiring IV Gravol and fluids, plus I was in charge of chasing around our busy toddler. Read More
Last week we took some family friends to Churchill Square to the Street Performers Festival. Brynlee had a total blast leading Simon and Estelle around the square and splashing in the pool with Lola. The weather was amazing… and so were the mini doughnuts and lemonade! Definitely a must-see with littles for next summer if you missed it 🙂
Melissa Hunt 