Miss Hadley Jane | Seattle Birth Photographer

Everything about this birth story was very special to me. Mama and I have been friends for some years now and we have always talked about whenever she became pregnant that I would photograph her birth story. So it was the best day when she called to tell me that she was expecting. 

There was a bit of uncertantiy throughout her pregnancy on whether or not I'd actually be able to make it because we no longer lived in the same place. As mama's due date got closer the more unsettled she and I became. I felt I surely wasn't going to be there for her as I had promised. Luckily I ended finding a flight and booked it. Then a week before her due date my husband found a cheaper flight and told me to pack my bags as I only had a few hours before I had to get to the airport. Little did mama know, but I was arriving sooner than what she thought. 

Talk about a SURPRISE! she almost cried! 

It was finally game time to get this baby out! 

(not really, we all know babies make their own agenda)

A week went by and into the wee hours of babes dude date, mama sent the text saying "I'm officially admitted!" 

I told mama to labor peacefully and to call me when she was 4-5cm so I could head her way. Got a phone call from dad saying she was about 6-7cm! Freaking out, I grabbed all of my gear and hurried down to the hospital.

I made it just in time to see little Miss Hadley come earth side.

There is NOTHING else on the planet quite like witnessing a mama give birth. 

watching mom and dad fall in love all over again. 

 falling in love with this new little life, completely smitten. 

& there is nothing like being asked to tell the story. 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY HADLEY JANE <3

02.11.15

Letters To Our Sons || Vol 2

MY DEAREST WILD ONE, 

IT HAS BEEN QUITE AN INTERESTING MONTH.

I WAS ALWAYS WARNED ABOUT THE "TERRIBLE TWOS". I'VE EVEN WITNESSED SOME OF THE MADNESS WITH OTHER CHILDREN. BUT SON LET ME TELL YOU, YOU'RE SOMETHING ELSE. HAHA 

YOU TURNED TWO AND ALL OF THE SUDDEN DECIDED NAPS ARE NO LONGER A THING FOR YOU. (MOMMY REALLY NEEDS THAT NAP TIME WINDOW) 

YOU'VE ALSO DECIDED THAT THIS WOULD BE THE PERFECT TIME TO LET ME KNOW THAT WHAT I COOK FOR YOU ONE DAY MAY BE "SOOO GOOD" AND THE VERY NEXT DAY THAT SAME MEAL IS NOT SUITABLE FOR YOU. 

TALK ABOUT ROUGH DAYS AND LOTS OF TEARS. 

BUT, MOMMY MADE UP FOR THOSE TEARS WITH GIVING INTO "SNOW MAN" (FROZEN) 

SO MUCH "SNOW MAN" THAT MOMMY LEARNED THE WORDS TO ALL OF THE SONGS IN ONE DAY. NOW MOMMY WAKES UP SINGING 

"ELSA?!" (KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK) 

"DO YOU WANNA BUILD A SNOWMANNNN?!!" "COME ON LET'S GO AND PLAYYYY!" "I NEVER SEE YOU ANYMORE, COME OUT THE DOOR, IT'S LIKE YOU'VE GONE AWAYYYYYY!"

THIS MONTH YOUR FAVORITE THING TO SAY IS "OH MY GOODNESS" AND "WOW! THIS IS AMAZING"

YOU CRACK ME UP E V E R Y TIME.

YOU'RE  (ALMOST) ALWAYS HAPPY, LOVE SAYING "HEY! WHAT'S UP" TO EVERYONE AND HAVE BEEN TURNED ON TO SAY "THATS RIGHT!" WHEN SOMEONE TELLS YOU YOU'RE CUTE LOL

SERIOUSLY THOUGH, YOU'RE GROWING UP SO FAST.

I JUST HOPE TO DO YOU RIGHT AND CAPTURE IT ALL. 

I HOPE YOU KNOW I ALWAYS SEE YOU. 

I SEE THE WAY YOU DROP YOUR SAUSAGE AND CRACKERS OFF OF THE HIGH CHAIR SO THE DOG CAN EAT IT.

I SEE HOW YOU DANCE AROUND THE ROOM WHEN YOU HEAR A GOOD SONG. 

I SEE YOUR EXCITEMENT WHEN WE GET DRESSED TO GO OUTSIDE AND PLAY.

MOST IMPORTANTLY THOUGH, I SEE HOW YOU LOVE. 

HOW YOU RANDOMLY KISS MY FOREHEAD AND SAY I LOVE YOU.

HOW YOUR LITTLE FACE LIGHTS UP LIKE A CHRISTMAS TREE WHEN YOUR DADDY COMES THROUGH THE DOOR. YOUR LITTLE ARMS WRAPPED AROUND HIS NECK SO TIGHT. 

I LIVE FOR THOSE MOMENTS!

MY HEART IS FILLED WITH YOUR LOVE. 

YOU GIVE ME LIFE BABE. 

WHEN YOU'RE DONE HERE, PLEASE CHECK OUT PHOTOGRAPHER FRIEND COURTNEY AND SEE WHAT SHE WROTE HER SON..

Trip to Petco

WE HAD TO TAKE A LITTLE TRIP TO PETCO TO PICK UP A FURMINATOR FOR OUR DOG. I DECIDED TO BRING MY CAMERA ALONG, AS I DON'T TAKE IT OUT ON ADVENTURES AS OFTEN AS I KNOW I SHOULD. 

Weight Loss P|365

I DON'T PLAN ON SHARING MY JOURNEY OFTEN, BUT FOR THIS PARTICULAR POST I WANTED TO SHARE A LITTLE.
I'VE ALWAYS HAD FLUCTUATING WEIGHT SINCE I WAS ABOUT 12 OR 13. GROWING UP I WAS ALWAYS "SKINNY" AND WAS SURE I WOULD NEVER PUT ON WEIGHT .. WELL LIFE HAPPENED (PUBERTY LOL) AND THAT ALL CHANGED VERY QUICKLY.  
THROUGHOUT HIGH SCHOOL WAS SORT OF THE SAME. I ALWAYS PUT WEIGHT ON AROUND THE SOFTBALL SEASON AND THEN IT KIND OF DISAPPEARED AFTER, AND THAT CARRIED ON A LITTLE AFTER I GRADUATED. IN 2009 WHEN MY HUSBAND AND I GOT TOGETHER I BLEW UP! WE WERE ALWAYS EATING OUT AT THE TACO SHOP, IN N OUT BURGER, SIT DOWN RESTAURANTS, ETC. IT WAS BAD. BEFORE I KNEW IT, CLOTHES WERE BECOMING TIGHT AND IT WAS LIKE WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?! I DECIDED TO GET ON THE SCALE ONE DAY AND THE NUMBER I SAW MADE MY MOUTH HIT THE FLOOR. THIS WAS AFTER GETTING OFF AND ON A FEW TIMES. THE NUMBER SAID 189. THAT WAS THE BIGGEST I HAD EVER BEEN IN MY LIFE. ALL I COULD THINK IS HOW THE HELL DID I GET HERE? HOW COULD I GET THIS COMFORTABLE AND LET MYSELF GO... 
MY HUSBAND (THEN BOYFRIEND) NEVER SAID ANYTHING ABOUT MY WEIGHT BUT I COULD SEE THE CHANGE AND OTHERS STARTED NOTICING TOO. UP LATE ONE NIGHT I CAUGHT AN INFOMERCIAL FOR P90X AND SAID ONE DAY I'LL BUY THAT AND TAKE THE PLUNGE. I WENT BACK AND FORTH OVER A COUPLE OF WEEKS AFTER CONSTANTLY SEEING IT AND DECIDED TO BUY IT. MY HUSBAND HAD DECIDED TO JOIN THE SERVICE AND HE WAS LEAVING FOR BASIC SOON SO I FIGURED WE COULD WORK OUT TOGETHER. WE DID ONE WORK OUT AND THEN IT WAS BOXED UP AND SAT ASIDE. ONE DAY WHILE HE WAS GONE I SAID TO MYSELF YOU'RE GOING TO DO THIS. 
IT WAS ROUGH THE FIRST 2 AND HALF WEEKS OF IT. I COULDN'T MAKE IT THROUGH ONE WORKOUT WITHOUT STOPPING. I HAD TO STOP AFTER EVERY MOVE WE DID. TAKE MY INHALER A FEW TIMES AND GUZZLE DOWN WATER BECAUSE I WAS SURE I WAS GOING TO DIE. BUT AT ABOUT WEEK 3 I COULD MAKE IT THROUGH WITH ONLY STOPPING DURING THE ACTUAL BREAK. I WORKED OUT CONSISTENTLY, COUNTED CALORIES, AND PORTIONED LIKE CRAZY THE ENTIRE TIME MY HUSBAND WAS GONE. IN TWO MONTHS I HAD LOST 59LBS! 59LBS OF ME WAS GONE! TO BE 130LBS AND LOVING EVERY INCH OF MYSELF WAS ONE OF THE MOST LIBERATING TIMES IN MY LIFE. WE EVENTUALLY MOVED TOGETHER AND AGAIN WE WERE EATING OUT AND DRINKING WITH FRIENDS. I SLOWLY STARTED PUTTING SOME OF THE WEIGHT BACK ON. IN MAY OF 2012 I FOUND OUT I WAS PREGNANT. ALL OF MY HARD WORK WENT OUT THE WINDOW. I DIDN'T GAIN A TON OF WEIGHT DURING PREGNANCY. I'D SAY ABOUT 35-40LBS. SO A BIT MORE THAN WHAT MOST DOCTORS WOULD LIKE YOU TO GAIN. AND THOUGH I LOST SOME AFTER HAVING MY SON, SOME STUCK AROUND AND SO DID BAD EATING HABITS. 
SO HERE I AM STARTING OVER AT THE SAME WEIGHT. ITS A CRAPPY FEELING TO NOT LIKE YOURSELF. SO I'M MAKING A VOW TO TREATING MY BODY THE WAY IT WAS MEANT TO BE TREATED. TO BE FED GOOD FOOD AND EXERCISED. 
GOAL: I WANT TO BE ABLE TO LOOK AT MYSELF IN THE MIRROR AND BE PROUD OF WHO I SEE AND HOW FAR I'VE COME. 

{3/365} "RESOLUTION" 

SURE, THE AMOUNT OF WEIGHT YOU SEE THERE MAY BE SMALL. BUT IN DUE TIME IT WILL GROW. MY BODY DESERVES TO BE TREATED THE WAY IT WAS MADE TO BE, I SHOULD ENJOY PICKING OUT CLOTHES AND GETTING DRESSED, BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY I SHOULD BE PROUD OF THE REFLECTION I SEE IN THE MIRROR. HOW CAN I ENJOY AND LOVE OTHERS IF I CAN'T LOVE WHO I AM. 

P|365

{2/365}

 BECAUSE A PROJECT 365 WOULDN'T BE COMPLETE WITHOUT THIS LITTLE GEM. IPHONEOGRAPHY HERE I COME! 

Project 365

BECAUSE I'M CRAZY! KNOWING THAT THIS IS A TASKING PROJECT. ONE THAT MOST GET HALF WAY AND  THEN THROW IN THE TOWEL. BUT I FEEL THAT IF I WANT MY PHOTOGRAPHY TO GET BETTER, THIS IS A JOURNEY I NEED TO TAKE.

 {1/365} "HAPPY 2ND BIRTHDAY BABY BOY! I LOVE YOU TO PIECES! IT'S BEEN AWESOME WATCHING YOU GROW, CAN'T IMAGINE LIFE WITHOUT YOUR CRAZINESS!