loulou::1 month

this is not an original idea. thanks to pinterest, i discovered a photographer mom with a brilliant method for keeping up with her son's development. i thought this would simplify some to the record-keeping i want to do as a mom... i haven't been as good to do this for charlottes., but, i'm going to start documenting more of what she is saying and doing in a similar fashion.

Age: 1 month
Weight: 9lbs. (gained 19.5oz in 14 days!)
Length: don’t have a current measurement… 20.5in at birth
Size: 0-3 month clothes; started wearing size 1 diapers today
Eyes: Blue, and a little crossed since they don’t focus well yet. So cute.
Hair: You were born with angelic, shiny blonde hair, about a ½ inch long… it has grown some this month.
Teeth: none

Nicknames: LouLou, Louisa-Greys., the loulounator, loulou lime, and louritto [when swaddled and resembling a burrito.]
Sleeping: knows nighttime from daytime… sleeps well with noise around… has a long stretch in the morning, shorter naps throughout the afternoon/evening, and a longlong stretch at night. I am still pretty sleep deprived because we have an hour nursing stretch around 3am then our morning starts around 5am, nursing, then getting up with charlottes… you prefer to sleep on your tummy, but, unless you are closely monitored, i put you on your side.

Naps: throughout the day [see above]. nothing scheduled as of yet.
Eating: breastmilk, and loving it.
Movement: you are a mover… like to be put on tummy; you try to kick and hold head up. When being held, you hold up your head and look around some, bobbing lots.
Milestones: being born! nursing.
Outings: first outing with just mommie and charlottes. was to mail some things at otter coop; you slept the whole time… first outing as a family of four was to Krause berry farm w/ aunty karla and JB… first time out just the four of us was to get ice cream in ft. langley one evening; you had to nurse while we were at both of those places.
Favorite toys/activities:  eating and sleeping, being swaddled, being talked to and kissed!
Words/sounds: we call you “snorts” sometimes because it tends to be something you do a lot. You get hiccups a few times a day. You coo and grunt… your cry is louder and more intense than charlottes. was; i wonder if you are particularly passionate.
Memorable moments: one moment, memorable for being scary, was your first night home. You choked on mucus and didn’t breathe for about 15 seconds. Daddy and I were starting to get very concerned ‘til you coughed out the flem and proceeded to burp a bunch… sort of heart-stopping for a few moments. There’s so much in your first month to remember!! The first time we saw your face, found out that we had another girl (just what we wanted!), when charlottes. met you in the hospital, introducing you to many friends and loved ones. Mimi and Grandy and LeaLea have been here a week and it has been wonderful to watch them enjoy holding you.

langley, BC, family session:: british and beugelink

as a photographer, there are some people you meet who you secretly [and sometimes, not-so-secretly ;-)] wish would hire you. this session was definitely one on my inner "wishlist" for a while now... we met earl and sue a few years ago when we first moved to BC; earl's brother is marks.' business partner, roy... marks. and i always love crossing paths with them and their kids; we would love our family to be as wonderful as theirs' in another 20 years or so [and let's be honest, we wouldn't complain if we look half as good as earl and sue at their age.]. so, what finally compelled sue to contact me about a session together? she is a brit and her folks hopped the pond late this winter for a visit, so, they wanted to document the event with family portraits. hooray! so, it became one of my favorite kinds of family sessions, with extended relatives, and i had the opportunity to capture a variety of family interactions... the day itself was incredibly unpredictable, snowing at the beginning of our shoot, then bright sun, and finally a little cloud cover. thankfully, it wasn't too cold to be out, and we had some fun with the blankets sue brought from home. so, without further ado, here's a little taste of my time with the beautiful, the british, the beugelinks... cue masterpiece theater theme... :-)

maggie is the family dog. she's a really good listener!

if you're ever wondering who actually won the genetic lottery, i know them personally....

i love these girls. their friendship is absolutely genuine.

please click on this shot to view it larger. such hilarious photos. even now i laugh out loud when i see them.