The best gift of all...

Isn't there something extra special about a new baby this time of year?  Christmas is a celebration of a special new baby, a gift to the world.  What a perfect reminder of that when I held this precious little gift last week!

Big sisters adore her too.  They are so sweet with her and couldn't wait to show her off to me.  These girls make my heart happy.

Merry Christmas and congratulations on your new gift.

Baby boy...

Scheduling itty bitties for their first session can be a bit tricky because they have their own idea of when they will enter the world. This little man arrived a few weeks early so when he came to meet me for the first time he was already 4 weeks old.  Not quite the squishy, sleepy, posable type of baby I'm used to for a first session.  He was so snuggly and in spite of being sleepy, he tried awful hard to keep one eye opened just a tiny bit in case he were to miss something.  After a few sips from the bottle and cuddles in front of the space heater we did manage to get him to that milk-coma and ready to work.

He is one lucky little guy to have such a caring big sister.  She couldn't wait for pictures with just the two of them and just HAD to see them on the back of my camera before they left.

I always say that having portraits made is such a personal experience and I think that is especially true when families come for a new born session.  I get to see how a family interacts both in front of the camera and while they are waiting in the wings.  Dad quick with the pacifier or bottle, Mom close at hand to ensure Baby is safe and warm, big sis excited to show off her new little brother and to show how helpful she is.  Welcoming a new baby is such a special time in the life of a family and I am so very blessed to see it in such an up-close and personal way!

Beautiful baby girl!

I have been so excited to meet this little one!  She was a perfect little lady for her first portrait session.

She was pretty bright eyed at first so we had to coax her into dream land.  But once we got her there, she was up for pretty much any pose I folded her into.

And it was such a beautiful evening that we decided to move outdoors for a different look.  She truly is a living doll in the vintage doll bed I found at a yard sale awhile back.  Perfection!

Congratulations again, Amber & Matt!  What a sweet little blessing, I couldn't be happier for all of you.

Dreamy Cowboy

Oh my, the squishy sweetness that I had in the studio this week!  This little guy was zonked out when he came through my door a few days ago and he was perfectly content to stay that way even with me moving him around, turning him this way and that.  Such a good baby!  And those squishy little cheeks- I could eat them up.  I talked with his Mommy a bit when we scheduled the session so that I could get a feel for their style- what his nursery is like, what colors are in their home, etc.  When she told me that his room is cowboy themed with hankie patterns, I just knew that I had to find a saddle for some of his images.  I have to thank my friend, Amber, for bringing hers to me on such short notice.  It could not have been more perfect for him!  So here he is, a tiny little cowpoke...

Perfect little peanut...

I had another wee one in the studio this week...

Miss Sophia is so tiny, so alert, so expressive and SO sweet.  She is just perfect.  She was plenty sleepy but was worried about missing out on something fun.  She likes to have her hands by her face, which is completely adorable but adjusting them even the slightest bit to be sure they were just right would pop those eyes open in a hurry.  Miss Sophia also loves to be cuddled- which I would have been more than happy to do, but then how would we have gotten any of these precious little moments?

I think her parents are very blessed with this sweet little bundle.  Congrats again and thank you so much for bringing her in to meet me!

And special thank you to my friend Kristen at Baby Time for connecting me with this family!  One of the many perks of having a doula & baby boutique as my studio neighbor.  Be sure to stop in to her store if you haven't already, she has great gift ideas for Baby & Mom.

A new life to start the new year...

Happy New Year!  I hope you had a happy and wonder-filled Christmas and New Year celebration.  I for one, am very much excited for what 2013 is going to bring!  I already have some exciting events on my calendar, including my first Bridal show that will be in Manchester, IA later this month.  Lots of great new products in the works for this year too that I'll be rolling out over the next few weeks.

Since this is my first blog of the new year, I thought it was so fitting that it featured new baby, Emma.  She was born just before Christmas {is there anything more sweet than a new baby at Christmas time?  Maybe I just feel that way because my own babies were born in that season}.  She is tiny and precious and simply beautiful!

Special thanks to BabyTime for letting me borrow the tutu dress!  She has others in lots of sizes as well as other great baby items so stop in to see if if you haven't already.

Emma is {welcomed} by a big brother- although when it came time to lay with her for pictures, he seemed less than impressed.

Sweet baby girl & her adoring brother

This little one sure is loved!  I can already see that her big brother is going to take very good care of her.

She was simply perfect.  She only needed a couple of little breaks to eat and to get a dry blanket under her.  Once she was ready to sack out I moved in to get some sweet, snuggly poses.  

Such a little love!  I could have cuddled and played all day long.  Love those new little ones.