Raleigh Birth Photography - 2018 Review

Woke up New Years Day to a whole new year; a reset; an opportunity to take on something new or squash bad habits. My husband and I tried a little something different at midnight and scooped ourselves a bowl of ice cream and enjoyed it as the seconds ticked down to midnight. It was low-key, but we also had just put our baby girl down for bed upstairs. I was asked earlier that day if we had any NYE traditions; we didn’t. Closing out the year and starting anew on a sweet note sounded like the right thing to do; hopefully it was the start of a new tradition. Side note: Gave the kids a scoop for breakfast!

All too often I skip over personal goals and focus on my business in the coming year. But I wanted to ensure I have a solid grasp of what I want for 2019 for myself, my family and my business. How about a little 2018 review...

Personal

• The first 8 months and 15 days were spent pregnant; expecting our 3rd baby. 71% of my year I planned and prepared for a homebirth with the most amazing midwife and best support from family and friends. HBAC (Home Birth after Cesarean) is a novelty in the triangle. I am thankful every day that my midwife was by my side throughout. I had the healthiest pregnancy to date, I credit that to BIRTHFIT!

• The sweetest little girl was added to our family. I’m utterly enthralled with her. Fiona was born the morning of Hurricane Florence, and a whopping 9 lbs 7 oz! Birth Story coming soon! I really can't tell you how hard it was to find the perfect person to document our birth. I wish it was possible for me to photograph my own birth - but obviously it just wasn't possible! Thankfully Hanna [Hanna Hill Photography] moved to the area and her work spoke volumes so we nailed her down! AND she is now my primary backup - yay! 

• After finding out one of our vehicles was unsafe we bought a new (to us) car. We had been lucky enough to go 10 years without a car payment and now we are a slave to a car loan. Its what we call a land yacht, and I am very much enjoying all the features of a 'modern' car!

• Took our very first family vacation in August. We rented a house on the beach at Emerald Isle and it was nothing short of amazing. My best friend and her family joined us and we found our forever vacation partners. I prepared food for 5-7 adults, and 6-7 kids for the whole week and Julie came prepared with crafts, and activities to do with the kids each day to give me an opportunity to rest (being 35 weeks pregnant). Crafts and activities aren't my specialty, but for her it comes naturally as a homeschooling mom. We spent nearly every morning and evening at the beach and not a single person got burnt. It was wildly successful and we are planning another one for 2020!!

  

• The beach trip was unfortunately tainted two days in when we learned that out water heater at our home had burst. It was on the third floor (naturally) and by the time my mom had (on a whim) walked into our house, it was 'raining' in our kitchen (her description - but I can only imagine)! It had soaked through our brand new bed (not even 2 months old) and the carpet of our bedroom into the kitchen. Thankfully my mom immediately kicked into gear and called a restoration company and they were there starting the drying process that day. The pictures were horrifying, and the house was inhabitable. The damage was extensive BUT not as bad as it could have been. We stayed with my mom at her townhouse as our house was being repaired. We are so lucky that a family friend was able to prioritize our job. With countless bumps along the way, so many tears and sleepless night we managed to move back in on Sept 9th, one whole week before Fiona was born. Those 5 weeks were undoubtedly some of the most challenging, testing me in ways you wouldn't believe. In late pregnancy you have this urge to nest and I couldn’t do a thing. My sanity was hanging by a thread and I learned a whole new meaning of just letting go. You know when they say, you'll look back and laugh one day... I'm not there yet!

• In July we took our dog, Aria, to the vet and learned she had liver cancer. We chose to not do chemo and enjoy her while we could. Ten days before Christmas, I had a sinking feeling that we’d reached the end. She had done relatively great up until December and then had a rapid decline. I am forever thankful that we hired Carolyn & Geof [Carolyn Scott Photography] (TWICE) and they made sure we had images with our sweet pup. 9 whole years now sit in a tiny little box...

Business

• Last year was BIG growth for videos! I filmed and created 10 family films. And one short business promo. The films are so fun to put together and I really enjoy seeing how they take on a life of their own. Most films were of families in their home just doing the day-to-day. One was outside at the park. One was a documentation of a sweet little girl who spent 145 days in the NICU - her journey home [Watch it HERE]. Truly honored to be a part of so many moments!

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• I photographed my very FIRST set of twins! Hard to believe that I’ve been photographing births for 7 years and hadn’t had a twin birth up until now! It was amazing and the day was a blur as I captured both babies simultaneously.

  

So what is to come? I wanted to breathe my resolutions; personally and professionally, and really feel them. I wanted to ensure what I wrote here was something that I felt in my heart. An opportunity to do more good in the world.

Whats to Come for Raleigh Birth Photography:

• More Videos! My passion is storytelling. Often that is with Birth, I love documenting births. Given the opportunity to photograph an addition to any family is the core of what I do - and it is truly life changing. This year, I want to also recognize all that happens after birth. The family dynamic changes, the older siblings somehow feel just a little bit bigger. The way your toddler talks, it's a language only you understand. Kids bounce, did you know that? They do - watch them! When you let them run free, you will see they have an undeniable sense of confidence. Watch as their hair flips when they turn quickly afraid you're on their heels about to tickle them. The laughing is contagious, as they plop onto the couch, legs in the air. You want to hold onto those moments. It's easy for us to replay them in our minds, but how amazing would it be to have that in a film for you to enjoy forever?

New Year special on Documentary Films - $100 off!

If you or someone you know is interested in having a family film this year, I would love to be considered! Contact me here!

• Blogging more - I think I said this last year and I did in fact blog more, but it still wasn't all that much. So what things should you look out for other than blogged sessions? 

  - 10 on 10 - This sort of falls under personal, but on the 10th of every month I will be posting 10 photos from my day. I am pretty confident that this will be mostly of my kids, but it also will highlight my documentary style.

  - Birthy Features - 3rd Monday of the month I will be featuring birthy stuff in the triangle. Midwives, doulas, chiropractors, placenta encapsulators, programs etc. If you have a suggestion send it my way!

And personally...

• My top resolution this year is to consciously compliment someone each day. More specifically, strangers. Sure there may be days where I don't see or talk to anyone new, but if and when possible I want to go beyond my friends and family and make someone smile each day with a directed compliment. I remember sitting at the dentist office and this woman was sitting in the waiting room with me. Her complexion glowed, her skin was beautiful. I wanted to say something to her but wasn't sure if she'd find it weird. On the flip side, maybe it would have made her day, at the very least giving her a reason to smile in the moment. Fuck it, I looked her straight in the eye and just told her she had beautiful radiant skin. She smiled, big, and thanked me very much. Worth it!

• Less social media - isn't this a common one? Seriously though, I have now set a time limit on my phone for social media, 1 hour per day. I am 5 days into it and I can say that this will be one of my biggest challenges. Especially nursing a baby, it's so easy to just pick up my phone and peruse facebook or instagram. Totaling up all the time I spend on my phone is outrageous, and its hours that I spend away from my family. Plus its an unhealthy addiction to teach my kids. So what does this mean for my 'online presence'? It just means when I post something, it probably is something I really wanted to share since it meant it took time away from running through my feed.

Bring on 2019!!