Ruiz Family Maternity | Mikaela Joy: Savannah Portrait Photographer

I really love maternity sessions.  It is so amazing what a woman's body can accomplish in just 9 short months.  The changes a woman goes through, both physically and mentally are astounding.  There isn't much more beautiful than the curve of a pregnant belly, the strength in a new-mom-to-be's gaze as she thinks about her future child.

Like I said, I really love shooting maternity.

So I was obviously thrilled when the Ruiz family wanted to do a studio maternity session.  We had a good time from the moment we started shooting.  Both of these beautiful women have the type of personality that puts you at ease instantly, like we were already long time friends. Because of this we were able to jump right in and get some really great shots!

These two have the most handsome baby boy now.  I'm so happy for them, and excited to see their little one grow up.  And someday in the future I hope they can look back on these photos and remember this wonderful, fleeting time.  It goes by so quickly.

Congratulations Ruiz family!

Pregnancy Week 27

Getting bigger!  I'm almost through the 2nd trimester and it's about time for another update.  Everything is going by so quickly. I only have 13 weeks to go and it feels like there is so much to do.  The nursery is nowhere near close to done (not that I'll be using it right away, but I'd still like to have it done), and I still really haven't caught up on this whole housework thing.  Its amazing how messy a house can get when I decide to sleep for 3 months straight.  Funny how that works. I'm running on an energy burst today, but that's nowhere near common for me.  I'm still generally exhausted and only expecting it to get worse.  But I did accomplish quite a bit today.  For instance I found out there is a store in Pooler called Taterbugs that sells all kinds of cloth diapers. So I decided to start my stash today.  Aren't they cute?!

I'm hoping the cuteness will outweigh the stink.  In all seriousness though, Robert suggested the idea of cloth diapering when I very first found out I was pregnant and, while logically and monetarily it seemed like a good idea, I've been a little overwhelmed by it.  I had looked some things up online and kind of figured out how it works, but there are so many types of diapers and so many opinions of how it should be done, that I was pretty lost.

But the woman working at Taterbugs was great in helping me understand the different types of diapers and what they are used for etc.  She walked me through their whole wall of products and helped me pick a few out.  So now instead of being overwhelmed, I'm just excited by all the cute designs.

Of course I may change my mind about all that when there is actually a baby pooping in them.  Who knows.  If anyone has any experience/advice about cloth diapering it would be much appreciated.

In other news, Robert and I finally started painting the nursery.  I've only been bugging him about it for months now.  What can I say, I'm a bit impatient.  We went to Lowe's with a plan in mind about how we were going to paint- and then ditched it almost completely.  We ended up with three grey walls and a bright blue chalkboard wall.  I'm pretty excited about how it's all turning out. It doesn't really go with my original color scheme plan, but I'm loving the new plans.  Grey, blue, and orange is my new color pallet (kind of like that chevron diaper, actually).

Other than that I'm just doing the usual, working and photo editing, cuddling with the dog, and sleeping. A lot.  Just three more months to go until I get to meet baby Riley, and I'm so excited!

Pregnancy Weeks 21-23

I've been getting requests from family and friends for a new bump picture, so I guess it's time to update a bit. I will confess though, this photo is a bit old.  I'm actually almost 23 weeks now and this was taken at 21.  Still the bump hasn't grown that much in the past couple of weeks... at least I don't think so.

I seem to be still in the happy glowy ohmigosh the baby is kicking stage of pregnancy that everyone keeps telling me is so great (and oh boy is there a lot of kicking). I'm hoping to hang on to that as long as I can.  Everyone keeps reminding me that things are all downhill from here in terms of pregnancy ailments, but I think I'll just live in blissfull ignorance for right now.

Oh! I haven't shared the latest new yet have I?  I had an ultrasound at 20 weeks and found this little tidbit out:

Yup, I was wrong and the hubby was right.  It's a boy!  I thought I might be disappointed by this, just a little, but the truth is that I'm just happy for a healthy baby (who is normal in size, apparently, which is quite comforting).  And then I started looking at clothes for little boys and oh my goodness are they cute. 

So for now it's all about the baby shower and nursery decorations, and of course buying all those cute clothes that I really don't need!

Renata Maternity | Mikaela Joy: Savannah Lifestyle Photographer

This was another early morning shoot with the beautiful momma-to-be Renata.  Renata is a photographer herself, so I was a bit nervous about doing her photos.  I was determined that they had to be perfect.

That said, the morning lighting was absolutely great, the location beautiful, and Renata was about as gorgeous as pregnant ladies get.  I didn't have anything to worry about.

My only challenge here was teaching myself about maternity photography.  I'm used to positioning my models to make them look skinny, but in maternity that is out the window.  Everything is about showing off that belly!  The poses are different than what I'm used to, the model doesn't get around as well, and babies and bellies move! But working with Renata was great because we were able to pool our experience a bit and come out with some great photos.

Renata is now the mother of a beautiful baby girl.  It doesn't get any better than that!

Pregnancy Update Week 18

Well, now that the big news is out (along with the big belly), I suppose it's time to start doing some pregnancy updates. At 18 weeks pregnant I'm officially and unmistakeably showing.  I'm to the point where strangers now feel comfortable enough to comment on the small orb that is my stomach. It pretty much happened overnight. Speaking of which, since when are people so bold about asking a woman if she's pregnant?  I'm of the philosophy that you should never ask.  Even if she's got a giant 3rd trimester belly.

I think I'll start acting confused whenever people say something.  I'll lead with a, "What? I'm not pregnant," and then act very offended that they think I'm fat.

Since this is always everyone's first question, I should probably mention that no, I don't know whether it is a boy or a girl yet.  I will be finding out in less than two weeks though (how exciting!) I've started to feel movements fairly regularly (at least once a day), but no significant kicks yet.  Definitely nothing that anyone else would be able to feel.  I had my first appointment with the midwife today (after the long battle of trying to get off post with my care) and heard a strong healthy heartbeat and confirmed that both baby and I are healthy and happy.

As for cravings, at this point I pretty much want to eat my weight in cherries.  So if anyone has the hookups on where to get large amounts of cherries for cheap please let me know.  I will be oh-so-grateful.

So that's the news for my 18 week update.  I haven't quite decided how often I plan to do these (maybe weekly) but expect more to come soon!

Announcement Time!

Alright, I know, I disappeared for a bit.  My last post was in April and that's not okay.  I abandoned the 365 project in favor of getting some (much needed) extra sleep.  But guys, I promise, I have a good excuse. Are you ready for this?***

So you can see why I've been a bit sleepy lately.  And hungry.  And nauseous.

But even though I haven't been posting much I have been shooting, and I have a lot of great sessions to share with y'all. So if you've stuck around this long, thank you.  Supposedly I'll be getting a "second trimester energy burst" here in the future (today would be great, please), and I have a lot of big plans for my future photography endeavors.

So stay tuned! There is lots of great stuff coming.

***for all honesty's purpose, I totally stole the idea for this from pinterest.  Here's the original.