Charli's Here!

The prettiest baby girl in the whole world arrived Monday, March 19 at 11:04 pm. She weighed 6 pounds, 9 oz. and measured 19.5 inches long.

Heather smiled most of the way through her 12 hours of contractions. This was taken shortly before she delivered Kayleigh Charles ("Charli"):





Heather was able to hold Charli briefly before she was taken to the NICU for evaluation. (Level 2 ultrasounds for the last 10 weeks of pregancy revealed a duodenal atresia (aka "double bubble"), requiring surgery.)

Charli's First Bluebonnet Pictures...

...well sort of. Charli isn't here yet, but the bluebonnets are! I took some portraits of my daughter Heather in some nearby bluebonnet patches recently:

38 weeks

I took a night off painting Charli's room (seen here) to go in search of bluebonnets to take more of Heather's maternity photos in the fields of flowers. I'll post photos of her in the flowers next. When we returned from our flower finding, we set up the guest room with a black cloth and took some indoor photos. Slightly more intimate, these are the kind of pregnancy photos I adore. There is something beautiful about a pregnant body, sustaining the life of an unborn baby that is beyond description. That's what I hoped to capture with these:

37 Weeks

My daughter's maternity sessions seem to be "mini" sessions when we can squeeze in the time for some shots, when the weather cooperates, and when she feels like being a guinea pig for more practice shots for me. Sunday afternoon we took a few shots, not many, for the sun was too bright for great shots. Here are a few we decided would be keepers:











We are ready for baby "Charli" to arrive! We've been busy washing and folding her tiny pink clothes, painting her pink walls, and refinishing her furniture. Photos of the nursery to come as soon as all those projects are completed.

Baby Cameron

It's been a while since I've had a portrait photo shoot. My camera acts up and I haven't publicized my photography overly much for a while. A couple of weeks ago one of my daughter's new friends had a baby boy. Like my daughter, she is a single mom and I offered to take portraits of her son. I've been wanting to experiement with infant photography and she was willing to let me practice with her son. I've learned infant photography is time consuming and requires a lot of patience but the results can be so darn cute! Here are a few of my favorites:















Because Cameron's "Pappy" is a biker I decided to find a "do-rag" and take some photos that might just appeal to his grandpa:

Kayleigh Charles

It's a Girl! My daughter Heather had another ultrasound yesterday and it appears that my first grandbaby is a girl! My husband will continue to be outnumbered by girls and all things PINK! :)

Kayleigh, or "Charli" as Heather plans to call her, weighs about 8 ounces and appears to be growing just fine and healthy. Heather is just over 18 weeks along in her pregnancy.

I am completely smitten with this tiny wonder and am in awe of the technology that allows us to see in such detail what she already looks like:

Heather chose the name Kayleigh Charles to use my mother's middle name Kay, Heather's middle name Leigh, and Heather's dad's middle name Charles. She has always loved nicknames and plans to call the baby "Charli." I can't wait to meet you this spring Charli!

My First Glimpse of Our Grandbaby

I had the privilege of going with Heather to her first sonogram today. I was touched to have been asked to go. The technician pointed to a screen on the wall where I could view the images of the sonagram or she said I could just look at her screen over her shoulder. I found myself glancing back and forth between the two, and over to watch Heather's face as she watched as well.

As I watched the screen a tiny image appeared within a dark space. I expected the image to appear more kidney-bean shaped or alien in appearance but instead what I saw made my eyes fill with tears. Heather and I both exclaimed "awwww...." in unison as her baby filled the screen.

There on the screen appeared an image the shape of a tiny baby. I could make out the head, arms, legs and even the place where an ear will grow. The technician was able to see fingers and toes but those I could not see. Imagine my wonder as I watched and the baby woke and began to move. The arms were moving about and the legs were kicking! Oh wow I did not expect to see that! I was completely smitten with the images I was seeing on the screen. The baby quickly settled down again and the technician said it's already asleep again. Then its whole body seemed to jump at once, but only once. It was almost amusing to see and that we were told was a hiccup. Heather and I laughed together and another "awwww" moment.  Within seconds the baby was awake and moving again and the technician explained her/his hand movements were almost as if she/he was swiping at his/her face.

This is a day I want to brand forever in my memory. Today created even more excitement for the new baby that will soon arrive. The due date is near April 2, 2012. Oh the fun ahead as we plan and prepare for this tiny new addition to our family! Thank you Heather for sharing such a special sweet moment of your pregnancy!

Jeremiah 1:5

Before I formed you in the womb I knew[a] you, before you were born I set you apart;