Round 1

Of many...

So I was feeling better today and decided to attempt a little photo shoot with Emery this morning. I turned the heat way up, fed her, waited because she always spits up and poops after being fed - she did, cuddled her up and let her sleep for a little bit and then took her diaper off for some naked baby pictures because we all know there is nothing cuter than naked babies! :) Well, the top picture is the very first picture I took. The second picture I took in this series has poop spraying out of her butt - seriously! It is pretty funny thinking back at it now and looking at the picture (which I will spare you guys, but definitely kept for when she is a little older perhaps!) and Trevor was just dying laughing at the time. She also peed at the same time, so there was this nice mixture that puddled in the bowl right where she was laying - big mess! After we got her cleaned up she didn't want to go back to sleep and didn't want to be naked...and I was actually kind of nervous to take her diaper off again after that! So pretty much the only other two pictures that turned out from our "session" were the next two. Good thing she is my kid and I can just keep on trying!!!

Meet Emery

Wow - I think I may have forgotten how much the c-section surgery takes out of you. I actually have had no desire to come down and work on the pictures we took at the hospital (which we all know is not like me at all!)...mainly b/c it entails walking all the way downstairs and I just don't have the energy for that right now! So I apologize it has take so long for pictures and there aren't very many. I'm sure once I am up and moving well again, there will be plenty more, so don't worry! :)
We are all doing very well. Teagun seems to have adjusted very well to his new baby sister. Last night he asked if we could read his favorite book, Barnyard Dance, and we told him we would when we went to bed. The next thing I know Trevor is calling me out to the living room and I come around the corner and Teagun had run back to the bedroom and gotten the book and was sitting in front of Emery, who was in her swing, reading the book to her (he pretty much has that one memorized). Total "awwww...mommy moment". Loved it!
Another little funny story. Teagun is a typical two-year old and gets very hyper and comes running at you out of no where. He did that to me last night and I had to quickly stop him (he is at the perfect height where my surgery was). I told him I had an owie and asked him if he wanted to see it. He said he did and I showed it to him and explained that was where Baby Emery came out of. He looks at me with this totally concerned look and says, "Ohhh, no - that poor baby!" I asked him if he meant "poor mommy", but he insisted it was "poor baby!" lol...not sure if he now thinks my stomache is called baby since that is what we referred to it for so long as or if he just felt sorry for that Emery had to be pulled from that little of an area??? Kids are funny!

On to the pictures!

THE BABY IS HERE!!!!

and it's a GIRL!!!! She decided to bless us with her presence a little ahead of schedule. I guess all that Black Friday shopping got things moving. At least she was a polite enough little girl to let her mom shop all day long! :)
I started having contractions a little before midnight on Friday the 23rd and really debated whether or not I was really in labor or not (I knew I was, but I always get nervous that I am being paranoid and they are just going to send me home once I get to the hospital!). This one moved along quite a bit quicker than with Teagun. We got to the hospital shortly after 1am and I was dilated to a 5 already and contractions were less than 3 minutes apart. They had to give me a shot two separate times to try to slow things down so that the doctor could get here. The first shot worked for a short amount of time and the second one did nothing. After the c-section, the doctor said I had already dilated to an 8+ by the time they pulled her out. I kept wishing she would arrive before the scheduled c-section (and am still glad she did), but I kept asking Trevor during the contractions "Why did I want this to happen??? I could be having NO pain if we had made it to Tuesday!" :)
Both baby and mom are doing very well! She is just adorable and so dang sweet. I am still waiting for my MIL to bring Teagun in to meet her - can't wait!
My friend dropped off her laptop for me so I could update you all while in the hospital - thanks, Holli! No pictures yet - sorry!

So here's her name and stats:

Emery Lynn Baker
Born 2:53am 11/24/07
6lbs 15oz
20 inches long

The R. Family

I had the pleasure of taking pictures for a good friend this weekend. Brook and I used to work together and I miss that we don't get to chat and hang out like we used too! Hopefully once I am home a little more after the baby, we will get a chance to visit more often. Here is a "sneak peak" at your pictures!!! It was great to see you all!

Teagun's ABC Book

Wow - I have been a bad blogger. I seriously think it has to do with the time change and weather. I really just haven't been taking as many pictures as I normally do. It is dark when I get home and I haven't quite mastered my speedlight (or even come close to mastering it), so I just don't even bother. And I am pretty much in bed between 7pm-8pm every night now too. I could very easily be a bear and just hibernate ALL winter and be completely happy doing that!
Did you notice over there on the right how many days left until the baby arrives??? So super excited. I am actually secretly (or not so secretly) hoping s/he decides to bless us with her/his presence early. I am soooo done! I honestly don't remember feeling this way with Teagun. I think I just figured he was going to come late, so we he came a few days early it was just a nice surprise. The doctor hasn't even done one check on me so I have no idea if I am even progressing or not, but I like to think I am...just to keep my hopes up! :) At least I do have a deadline - cannot go past the 27th! 8 more days, 8 more days!!!!
So I have been busy Christmas shopping so I don't have to worry about it after the baby comes. I only have one person left, so I have done pretty darn well (Oh, and the baby too - I am waiting to buy anything for the baby until we know the gender...see Jo and Jaclynn - I DO NOT know the gender) - my younger sister's called me the other night yelling at me that I knew what the gender was and just wasn't telling anyone. My youngest sister was actually at my ultra-sound since Trevor couldn't make it and so she saw/heard exactly what I did, but apparently I called back later that day and found out. They think the nursery looks very boyish - apparently sage green isn't a gender neutral color - it is a boy color! Who knew! Love you guys! :) Sorry - little off topic there...
Anyway, I made Teagun an ABC book using pictures of him and it will be one of his Christmas presents. It turned out very cute and I hope he likes it! Here are a few of the pages.

Cat Pictures

I had a session this afternoon with a friend/co-workers cats! They are beautiful (and quite big!). One of the cats was pretty shy and did not want her picture taken, but the other was quite the poser! :)

Nursery Pictures

The nursery is finally complete! Here are some pictures of it - well, a lot of pictures since I don't have a lens on my camera that goes wide enough to actually take pictures of an entire wall; I had to take pictures of individual things.

Lei Aloha = Beloved Child




Diaper Stacker. A friend made this for me along with a matching crib bumper and the crib skirt - so cute!





A picture taken by a fellow photographer friend - check out her etsy site, she is an amazing photographer!

Pretty Petal Studio

Online Baby Pool - A Fun Little Game!

I only have 3 weeks left until my scheduled c-section, so I figured I'd set up a fun little on-line game for you all to participate in. And I am willing to send the winner of the game a $10.00 starbucks gift card (just give me some time since I will be recovering from a c-section afterwards!)!!! If there are multiple winners, I will have Teagun draw a name out of a hat and that person will get the gift card. If I don't know you or don't know how to notify you that you are the winner, please leave me a comment on how to do that (and be sure to sign up with a name in the poll that I will recognize).

So here's the scoop:
- I have had 3 ultra-sounds and all three set the due date as Dec. 1st.
- My c-section is scheduled for Nov. 27th (4 days ahead of due date).
- Teagun came 4 days before his due date.
- Teagun weighed 7lbs. 13oz and was 20.5 inches long

And I will include a 36 week picture of when I was pregnant with Teagun and a 36 week current picture for comparison.

Good luck! :)



36 week belly picture of when I was pregnant with Teagun:



36 week current belly picture:



So, I'm curious if people think I am carrying way different just based on these pictures? With Teagun I was constantly told I looked like I had a basketball under my shirt. People keep telling me I am carrying way different with this baby, but I personally think it looks the same. I think people are just trying to convince me it is a girl this time! :)

Karissa

I had the pleasure of taking pictures of Karissa last weekend (and her little brother, but was being camera-shy that day!). Here are a couple of the collages I created from the session. (click on picture to enlarge) Isn't she just gorgeous???