Baby photography is, in so many ways, about preserving time. I’ve had the privilege of documenting this family through several chapters - from maternity photography during both pregnancies, to photographing Juliette as a baby for her 1-year photo session and newborn portraits, and now capturing Clayton alongside his big sister. Watching a family grow through my lens is one of the most meaningful parts of what I do, because each session becomes a piece of a much bigger story. When I photographed Clayton and Juliette together, we were preserving another small chapter in theirs. Below, their mom shares what this first year as a family of four has really looked like - the beautiful parts, the challenging ones, and why time has taken on an entirely new meaning.
One Year, Two Children, and Never Enough Time
"We welcomed Clayton, our second and final baby, just under one year ago. This year has been so challenging - you would think the work simply doubles going from one to two kids, but it actually feels like four times that amount - but it has also been so beautiful.
I’ll start with the beautiful. Having already been a mom for almost two years before Clayton was born, I was able to enjoy him right away without any of the “identity crisis” that I experienced becoming a mom for the first time. I didn’t have to figure out who I was as a mom while simultaneously trying to keep a baby alive. Clayton may have been new to the world, but I was much more confident welcoming him into it.
Another beautiful thing - our first born, Juliette, could not have been sweeter or more helpful with her brother. The first thing she did after they were introduced at home was bring a bunch of her toys over to “share” with him. She picked up my nursing routine almost immediately and would help bring me my pillow and water when it was time to feed Clayton. Even now, she loves to help him with whatever she can. They are just under two years apart and I can’t wait to see how their relationship grows as they get older. I hope they remain close.
As for the challenges - there are so many, but I think the one thing they all tie back to is time. Time either passes by too quickly or too slowly; there is never enough time, but we also somehow have to fill the time with activities to keep the kids busy or, let’s be honest, tire them out. Time is our most treasured resource and also our worst enemy. Both my husband and I try to live in the moment as much as possible, but inevitably feel guilty at times for wishing the current circumstances looked different.
Being so conscious of time and knowing how precious it is, makes these baby portraits of Clayton and Juliette so important to us. We knew we wanted to capture this moment for our family - to be able to look back and smile, and also to see how far we’ve all come."
Leave a comment
0 Comments