,

FIN IS ONE!!!

,

It is absolutely crazy that my little baby is already a year old.  It has been the wildest most rewarding adventure that is just beginning. This year has been one of major growth and change not only for me becoming a mother but also in evolving as a person.   When Finley was born I could not even begin to imagine the way she would change my life for the better but I also couldn't imagine the overwhelming feeling of peace she would bring me.  From day one she has pushed me to be more patient and to savor every single second of life.  Lord knows she has tested my patience daily and been a feisty little thing from the beginning, but she is the epitome of everything in a kid I could have hoped for.  She is spunky and full of curiosity. She is fearless and strong, and I know she is destined for greatness.   Days and some months have really been rough but we got through it.  From healing after to delivery and learning to juggle being a stay at home mom and a full time photographer Fin continues to remind me of the strength I have and the ability to tackle on anything life throws at me.  I always told Jeremy she was our good luck charm from the first time I saw that heartbeat and I know she always will be. 

This past month Fin has really become a full fledged toddler. Not wanting ANYTHING to do with photos and her walking is now more of a run/jog.  She is 22lbs of sass and even today the nurse giving her her shots commented on how weirdly strong she was LOL!  She is a little gun fighter for sure.  She is talking up a storm and I think is very eager to get into some sort of activity.  So any mamas out there with recommendations that would be awesome!  I dont want to make this post to long so I will end it with our 12 month milk bath and a recap of her 12 month pictures!  She HATED her cake smash and I made sure to include some of those ;)  Happy Birthday my little beauty!!

BABY ELLIE | NEWBORN PHOTOGRAPHER | STAFFORD, VIRGINIA

Meet baby Ellie!  This little peanut is such a sweetheart and was a joy to photograph.  She was SUPER sleepy and gave me some adorable newborn smiles.  She has the prettiest little features and seriously gave me the worst baby fever!  We did a ton of setups and she slept through them all! I cannot wait to photograph her in a few weeks for her 6 month sitter session!  Here are my favorites.

SARAH MATERNITY | MATERNITY PHOTOGRAPHER | MANASSAS, VIRGINIA

I have no clue how I got so lucky this winter to have warm weathered days in January, but here was another RIDICULOUSLY gorgeous January maternity session!  The light was amazing, the temp was cool but not too cold, and this family was INCREDIBLE!!  These 3 boys were rockstar models as we celebrated mama's gorgeous bump and their last family photos before their baby sister arrived.  Sarah was glowing and we could not have found a better location.  Here are a TON of my favrotie images!!

,

FIN IS 11 MONTHS!!!

,

Happy 11 months love bug!  How is it possible that we are 11 months in on this journey of parenthood!?  It feels like Fin has been in our lives forever and yet it has only been 11 short months.  She has changed our world in the most magical way and yet each month I get a little more emotional as my baby grows up and this little human fireball has really started to emerge.  This past month Fin has perfected her walking and is really cranking up the speed.  She hasn't figured out holding mommy and daddy's hand yet but one day she will. :)   Her personality is off the charts and frankly I cannot even begin to imagine what she is going to be like when she gets more vocal.  Jeremy swears she is me in a tiny body, and well he may be right.  She is extremely determined to do what she wants and wont let anything stand in her way and I hope that is a quality that will take her far in life.  She may have my determination but my goodness does she have her daddy's curiosity and facial expressions.  Sometimes I swear they're clones of each other and it's the most adorable thing I have ever seen.  Fin is still such a happy kid and when she enters the room it is almost like she knows that she owns that room and it is hysterical.  Her personality is def big and she will melt your heart with one smile.

This month we did have our first low grade fever and our second little cold but like a true stud she continued to terrorize the dogs and never skipped a beat of playing and running all over the house.  She has her 2 top teeth working on her and one broke the gum this morning and it's going to be a little sad when that 2 tooth smile changes.  Luckily I grabbed some fantastic photos of it this past month.  We even got another great milk bath on the books and am happy to say she did amazing.  Some of our studio photos were a little dramatic but don't worry I made sure to include some of the alligator tears ;) Check out a recap of this past month below!!  Happy 11 months Fin! We love you!!

BABY GREYSON | NEWBORN PHOTOGRAPHER | STAFFORD, VIRGINIA

Meet sweet baby Greyson!!  This little beauty was one of the sleepiest nuggets and we got a zillion setups!  She rocked her family, sibling, and solo portraits.  She had the squishiest little cheeks and was so laid back, yet gave me a some smiles too.  I loved every minute of her baby snuggles and had a really hard time narrowing down my favorites from her session.  So enjoy a ton of them :)

AMBER 9 MONTH MILK BATH | MILESTONE SESSION | STAFFORD, VIRGINIA

I absolutely adore these gorgeous gals!!  I met Madeliza almost 2 years ago when I photographed a mutual friend's birth.  Little did I know we would shortly both become pregnant just a few months apart and that I would be following along her pregnancy and mommy hood journey.  Her beautiful baby girl Amber is such a fun little girl and absolutely GORGEOUS.  She is full of personality and sass and so much fun to photograph.  We had sa great time capturing her 9 month milestone with a milk bath.  Here are a few of my favorites!

ASHLEY MATERNITY | MATERNITY PHOTOGRAPHER | MANASSAS, VIRGINIA

Pregnancy is one of the most beautiful moments in life.  It is something so incredibly unique and special and is one of my favorite seasons of life to capture.  It becomes even more memorable when you are able to capture the pregnancy journey for someone else who has played a significant role in your own life.  I met Ashley in 2016 when Jeremy and I were starting the IVF process.  She was part of the incredible team that helped make our baby dreams come true.  She was one of the phenomenal nurses we met along the way I will never forget her upbeat and compassionate energy from day one.  She wasn't our main nurse and yet I felt like we connected instantly.  She guided us through the scary process of IVF injections and truly went above and beyond to make us feel comfortable and confident through the entire IVF process.  When she contacted me shortly after Fin was born to tell me she was expecting I instantly started bawling.  I was so honored that she remembered I was a newborn photographer and that she chose me to  capture this season of her life. 

I met her and her hubby in one of my favorite locations in the middle of January.  When we were planning her session we expected a FREEZING cold day and made sure we would have a location close enough to the car in case we needed to warm her up midway through.  Well the universe smiled down on us that day because we were blessed and shocked to have 70 degree weather.  Yes you read that correctly 70 degrees in the middle of January!  I do believe I was sweating by the end of the session! HA!! We had the most incredible light and they were an absolute blast to explore the woods with.  I loved celebrating this time with them and LOVED every single photo we took.  Here are some of my favorites (yes there are a lot :) )

,

FIN IS 10 MONTHS!

,

10 months!!!  10 months!??!!  How am I already planning this kids first birthday? But happy 10 months my gorgeous girl!! This past month has had some BIG milestones!  At 9 1/2 weeks to the day Fin took her first solo steps!!  I was on the phone with Jeremy and she took 4 steps towards me.  It was one of the most exciting moments so far.  Then the next day she climbed the entire stairwell.  (Don't worry mama was right behind her).  This girl will not be slowed down!  And every day since the walking has been increasing and the crawling is decreasing.  It is absolutely surreal to have this little human toddling around but it is so much fun to watch. 

Fin is weighing in at around 20.8lbs and seems to be getting more muscles everyday lol! Her hair is also FINALLY long enough to put into a pony tail and shes looking more like a kid than ever before.  Her favorite foods include tacos, avocado, scrambled eggs, and blueberries.  She is ALL over the place and has discovered the cabinets and drawers in the kitchen and also likes to try to open the oven (lord help me).  She continues to enjoy playing in the dog's water dishes and her favorite game is to put blankets in the water then starts flinging the wet blankets all over the kitchen.  And we do this game every. single. day.  She loves her puppies more than ever and I think they have really been enjoying all of the food she now shares with them during her meals. ;)

Overall this month has been a really exciting one and Fin is definitely not a baby anymore.  As much as it breaks my heart to see her becoming a little kid it really is incredible to watch.  Her personality is truly shining and I cannot wait to see the sass that this next month brings.  Pictures are getting harder to take but thankfully the smiles are still off the charts.  Here are some of my favorite images from this month!

BABY CONCETTA | NEWBORN PHOTOGRAPHER | STAFFORD, VIRGINIA

Meet Concetta!!  I had the pleasure of meeting this little beauty right before Christmas last year!!  She was one of the squishiest little babes and was definitely a cuddler.  Loved being able to incorporate some holiday shots and end the year with an amazing newborn session.  Here are some of my favorites!