Happy Birthday, Georgia Lynn!

I had the absolute pleasure of photographing both of the births of Kara's nephews, so when she contacted me about capturing hers, I was over the moon! Having known Kara and Mark since back in our PR agency days (and where they first met!), this birth was a particularly special event for me and one that I was eagerly anticipating from the moment Kara approached me. As the due date grew nearer I began obsessively checking my phone every time it made a peep. With each day that passed my heart went out to Kara a little bit more as I knew the anticipation of meeting her first born had to be increasingly agonizing. On October 24 at 5:33 AM, 9 days post due date, I finally received an elated text from Kara alerting me that she was just admitted to the hospital and was already 4-5cm dilated. Little did we know at the time that 12 hours later to the exact minute, Georgia Lynn would be taking her first breath!

Initially Kara progressed very smoothly, but as the day went on her cervix began to swell hindering baby from dropping. This was likely the result of the baby's posterior position in the womb as well as baby being slightly on the bigger side. After a few more hours of monitoring, it was determined that baby's route into the world would be via Cesarean. I was hopeful that I would get to be in the operating room with Mark and Kara as some hospitals are more flexible than others, but unfortunately it was a no go as this particular hospital will only allow one person in the OR with the mother. We were all pretty bummed. Thankfully, the delivery happened very quickly and I got to capture the first glimpse of the proud new parents as Kara was rolled out of the OR with baby tightly cuddled on her chest. Adding to the excitement, Kara and Mark waited to find out the sex of the baby, so when Mark turned that corner with a big pink bow attached to his scrub hat, everyone squealed, "It's a GIRL!!" Immediately proceeded by Kara's announcement, "Her name is Georgia Lynn!" Naturally streams of joyful tears soon followed along with clambering of family members trying to get the first peak of Georgia up close. 

From the moment she entered the world, little miss Georgia was wide-eyed and calm as can be! Such a little beauty too. It's a good thing she has two older boy cousins to watch out for her! It certainly seems likely that Georgia inherited that sweet and laid back nature from her mama because Kara was SUCH a trooper from the beginning to end. Despite all of the setbacks and exhaustion, she had a smile on her face through nearly the entire process. It's probably fair to say that most women would have been hysterical if they were told they regressed (yes, regressed!) a whole cm after hours of laboring. Not Kara! Disappointed? Most likely, but you'd never know it based on that upbeat attitude. She honestly made childbirth look easy, and motherhood never so beautiful.

Oh, and what's with the cake at the end you ask? Kara is an insanely talented cake designer and the owner of The SweetSide in Seattle. Of course it only made sense that the day of Georgia Lynn's birth would be celebrated with a (seriously delicious!) birthday cake!

Mark and Kara, thank you from the bottom of my heart for inviting me to be a part of this incredible event in your lives!

Baby Trigg's Birth Story {Seattle Birth Photographer}

Of all the different genres of photography that I've had the opportunity to capture, nothing can compare to that of documenting a new life entering this world. It is such an incredible experience to encapsulate those very special, yet quickly fleeting, moments - like baby's very first breath or the expression on mom and dad's face as they hold their tiny baby for the very first time. The emotion throughout the process is so raw and the love is practically tangible.

Having photographed the birth of their first born, I was so honored when Lacy and Toby invited me to photograph the arrival of their second bambino as well! Much like their first, this delivery was also scheduled induction. When I arrived, things were pretty slow moving, but then picked up dramatically once Lacy's water broke. Due to a blood clotting disorder, her epidural had to wait until the medical team was satisfied with her platelet count. That meant a few blood draws and a whole lotta waiting in the process! Once the epidural was administered, things slowed back down again, leaving Lacy at a 6cm for a good chunk of the afternoon. Then, at about 5:45pm, the nurse announced that it was go time! Everyone in the room was giddy with excitement, and nothing but smiles between contractions. Things were moving fast, like, if the doctor doesn't hurry the baby is going to beat her here, fast. Adding to the anticipation and excitement of the day, Lacy and Toby had decided not to find out the sex of the baby. Well they didn't have to wait much longer at that point because within moments of the doctor's arrival, baby BOY Trigg made his grand entrance! As the result of Trigg's super speedy delivery, the little guy hadn't quite expelled all of the amniotic fluid from his little lungs, so he made a brief trip to the NICU where he was further evaluated. While there, Toby really got the opportunity to interact with Trigg for the first time. This daddy was absolutely glowing with pride. I don't think he could have hid his smile if he tried! Then, as I headed back down to the delivery room, I saw the most adorable little red-headed boy bouncing down the hall. I quickly recognized this handsome kiddo from Lacy's images on Facebook, though the last time I actually saw him in person was when I photographed his birth, two years prior. My heart was in a sentimental puddle on the floor as I captured him racing down the halls looking for his mommy, daddy and new little brother.

I am so excited to share this birth story with you! I would like to point out that my approach is tasteful documentation, not graphic details. So to put it bluntly, you will not see... well, you know... lady parts. :-)

Thank you Lacy and Toby for allowing me to be part of this amazing experience!