My son just recently turned a year old, so naturally I have done a lot of reflecting on this past year of my life. It has been the biggest learning experience, the fastest year by far, and the most fun.. but a very different kind of fun. Not the Sigma Kappa sorority, late night pizza, wake up whenever you feel like it fun, haha! So, speaking of reflecting, when I had Harrison’s newborn photos taken, I hired this AMAZING photographer, Erika Brown. She took the most gorgeous photos ever and asked me to write a post about what motherhood meant to me. Here is what I wrote, unedited, exactly 9 months ago.

‘Becoming a mother to Harrison has been such an incredible and eye-opening experience. I found out I was pregnant just a few weeks after my 30th birthday. I will never forget that moment of sheer excitement. When my husband arrived home from work, I was upstairs and told him I had a surprise. He came upstairs saying, “What did you paint now?” But there was no paint, just a little newborn onesie hanging on the door of the future nursery. I tried to catch it on camera but I was too busy crying.

I loved being pregnant, and was counting the days until our baby boy arrived. When that day finally came, I was terrified. I had so many doubts and fears, about labor, about my ability to be a mother, about his health, but once he was in my arms all I could do was think about how much I loved him. How could I possibly love this little human so much? I know time flies, and trust me I am cherishing these moments with my little baby but I am looking forward to watching him grow into a little boy. Sometimes I just picture him running around the house and I wonder what he will look like, or what kind of personality he will have. He makes every day exciting, and when he wakes up smiling in the morning, so do I.

Becoming a mom has also brought me so much closer to my own mother. We may live ten hours away from each other, but we are closer than ever. She was able to come stay with us for a couple weeks, and having her there was such a blessing. Not only to help out around the house, but she gave me the confidence I needed to feel like I was doing a good job.

Photography has always been a passion of mine. Our home is filled with photos of family, friends, and vacations. So of course having a newborn session with Harrison was a must. I also knew I had to hire Erika. I wanted someone to simply capture us, as a family, in our home..and every single photo was gorgeous.’

We had these photos taken when Harrison was 3 weeks old. I’ve read a lot of recommendations that say you should have the pictures done as soon as possible so that the baby is really sleepy and easy to work with. Now, if any of you currently pregnant mamas plan on being in these pictures, trust me you are not going to feel like having your picture taken 1 week postpartum. Sure, it depends on your birth experience. I personally was on IV fluids for 4 days because I had to have a c-section, so when I came home from the hospital I was SO swollen. As in none of my shoes fit, my legs were the same size from thigh to ankle swollen. Luckily I did not have any swelling while pregnant, but afterwards, yes.

So that is my one piece of advice when it comes to scheduling the newborn photos. Okay, I also got my hair colored and cut the day before.  You aren’t going to have a lot of opportunities for pampering so go ahead and take this opportunity to do something for yourself. Actually, I had to bring my son to the hair salon (so many chemicals, I know..he seems okay so far) because my husband ended up having to work. Thankfully, I was able to bring a friend along and she helped take care of Harrison and the salon was super nice about it.  Next time, hubby stays home from work.

{ photographer: Erika Brown }