Back in the fall, I had a portrait session with this sweet family in downtown Charleston. At the time, this mom was just coming to the end of her first trimester and let me know they would be getting in touch with me after the holidays to schedule a newborn session.

I have been looking forward to the birth of this little guy for a couple of reasons-

First, I love fresh babies. Obviously.

But second, I was so excited to see this big sister again! She has personality for days, and she is still one of my favorite kids I have ever photographed. 

One of the best parts about lifestyle newborn sessions is that the older siblings can be relaxed in their own environment. Newborn sessions take a while because we often need breaks for feedings or diaper changes. When I'm in the client's home, however, older children can take breaks whenever they need and play with their own toys in their own space. As you'll see, I even spent a little time taking some photos of just big sister while her new baby brother was being fed and changed.

Since I don't bring tons of props or big studio set-ups, it's really easy for me to travel to clients' homes for these sessions. Unfortunately, the day before was the day the Wando Bridge was shut down I-526. When I arrived at this family's home, Dad joked that this ended up being a pretty convenient time to be home with the baby. Staying home and snuggling your new baby instead of sitting in awful traffic? Definite win.

I just want to say a quick thank you to this family for trusting me, yet again, to photograph this sweet time in your family! 

Now for the part you're all really here for anyway....

An adorable baby fix!

Find out more about lifestyle newborn sessions and the other services I offer here.

Mom.

Rocker of fussy babies.

Kisser of boo-boos.

Keeper of the keys (to the minivan that is).

And notoriously the taker of pictures instead of the subject.

I know you hear it all the time - "Moms! Get in the pictures with your kids!"

Like you need one more thing on your plate to worry about, right?

Listen, I'm a photographer and even I struggle with getting in the pictures. It's so much easier to just take the cute photo of my kids than to find someone else to take the picture with me included.

However, I do think it's important for us moms to get in the pictures when we can. Our kids will thank us for it one day - I promise!

In honor of Mother's Day and to encourage you to find value in photos of yourself, here are my 10 favorite photos of moms:

1. The First Look
The look on a mother's face the very first time she sees her baby - whether it's her 1st baby or her 5th - is always mesmerizing to me. This moment was so sweet - before the baby even made it to her chest, mom was already overcome with emotion for her precious girl.

2. Still her baby 
This photo is from another birth photography session, but the mom here is actually the new grandma. He is her youngest child and her only boy. He was coming out of the OR to announce the healthy delivery of his baby girl, and his mom just wrapped him up in a bear hug. 

3. Man on a Mission
This little guy was having a cluster feeding day when I showed up for his lifestyle newborn session. His sweet momma was trying so hard to get him to snuggle up high on her chest for photos, but he only wanted one thing. Shout out to all the breastfeeding moms out there laughing because you've been there before too.

4. Birdie Kisses
This cutie pie gave the sweetest kisses I have ever seen. She would open her mouth like a little baby bird and kiss on the nose. Her mom told me she's so happy she has this photo now because her little one stopped giving kisses like this just days after our family portrait session.

5. Big Brother
What's not to love? Gorgeous mama-to-be. Super sweet big brother. Belly kisses.
It was such a quick moment, I'm so glad I was fast enough to catch it!

6. Smiling Newborn
Baby girl obviously loves​ kisses from her mommy. Look at that little smile!

7. Momma's Boy
There's just something about a mom and her son. You can see it in the big smile on this gorgeous mom's face!

8. Hello Baby
This little nugget is my goddaughter and her momma is one of my best friends. This photo may not look like much more than a sweet photo of mom and her new baby to you... but if you only knew. If you knew the long, heart-wrenching journey that beautiful woman traveled to get to this sweet girl, you would know that this is a photo of a true miracle.

9. The BEST Mom
If we're talking about the best mom, then clearly we're talking about MY mom. I can't have a favorite mom photos post without sharing a photo of my own mom! She is the most incredible woman I know and she's an even better Nonnie! I love watching her let loose and play with my kids. Sometimes I'm even lucky enough to sneak up and catch one of those sweet moments on camera...

10. Just Me
It would be a little hypocritical of me to try to tell you the importance of getting in the photos without following through myself, right? So here I am - in all my mom-bun-and-gym-clothes glory, loving these precious babies of mine.

Happy Mother's Day to all of you beautiful moms out there! Give yourself a gift this year - get someone else to take a picture so you can be in it!
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I know what you're thinking...

You think I forgot about the Life in 52 challenge. 

I haven't been posting my challenge photo each week like I have been doing all year.

Well, I actually have been participating in the challenge still. I just reached a point where I decided to group my photos into one blog post a month. That way you get 3-4 photos at a time instead of just one each week. This will also free up more time for me to write more blogs related to birth/maternity/motherhood awesomeness. 

So without further ado, here are my Life in 52 lifestyle photography challenge photos from the last few weeks:

Week 14
Okay... I have a small confession. I didn't exactly forget week 14, but I had other priorities. I had surgery that week, so I was focused on getting my family and household ready and then... ya know... having surgery. I hope I can appease you with this adorable picture of my kiddos on Easter.

Week 15
The gorgeous, warm weather finally arrived here in Charleston, SC during week 15. One of Bug's favorite things to do on warm weather days is have a picnic lunch in the yard. This was our first official picnic of 2018.

Week 16
If you know anything about my son at all, you know he's obsessed with "vrooms." In his little language a "vroom" is pretty much anything that goes: tractors, construction equipment, trucks, cars, etc. He often runs around and pretends to be some sort of "vroom." 

Week 17
I don't even really have an explanation for this one. Bug and I were being silly and this idea struck me suddenly. I didn't tell her what I was doing to her hair. I just told her she had to wait and see the picture when I was done. She has always had quite the expressive face...

Week 18
You have no idea how long we wandered around the garden center to pick the perfect flowers. Bug is very particular about what she likes, and we had to make sure we looked at ALL of the options before she could decide. She had fun planting them with her daddy though - and really, that's all that matters anyway.

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