Keep on Truckin'

I feel uncomfortable. Being pregnant is kind of like agreeing to give someone a reverse piggyback ride everywhere you go.

Some days I have enough energy to clean and reorganize for hours, while other days I can barely get off the couch. Today was a VERY lazy day. I had little energy to give piggyback rides, so I chose to sit.

Thank God for chocolate and Lifetime movies. AND the ability to sit.

Dear Baby,

It took two years and many prayers to concieve you...



Month after month, I was left with a heavy heart after getting a negative pregnancy test result. People told me to stop 'trying' to conceive, and by doing that, I will get pregnant. The problem with that way of thinking was that it was impossible for me to stop trying... to stop being hopeful. When your heart wants something so badly, pretending that you don't is just not feasible.

Adoption was always an option in my mind. In fact, your Big Sister did not start her life in my womb... and sometimes I forget that because she is no less my daughter than you are my son. I love you both with equal parts of my heart and soul. With that said, I've always wanted to go through the 'whole' pregnancy process since I can remember, so I could just 'know' what it was like. This became my mission soon after marrying the greatest man I've ever met... your daddy.

The month I was to find out I was actually pregnant, I began to research local adoption agencies. I began to come to peace with the idea that YOU were going to start your life 9 months somewhere else before I got to become your mother, and I was okay with that. If I could not hold you in my belly, I vowed to hold you in my arms for the rest of my life. To my surprise, you were there, nesting within me the whole time.

I have now reached the sixth month mark, and I am anxiously preparing for your arrival into the outside world. As my feet and back are starting to ache on a regular basis, and I'm losing all access to touching my toes, I do get frusterated. It's not so fun, and I secretly fear what the third trimester has in store for my joints. BUT without fail, when I feel you wiggle and kick inside me, indescribable joy prevails over these frustrations. I LOVE that I can feel you nestled so close to my heart... a place that longed for you all my life.

Love, Mommy

Productively Bored

Arizona is hot right now. The summer is upon us, which means most outdoor adventures are put on hold for a few months. While most Americans are embracing summer's warmth, us Arizonians are shielding ourselves from it. It's okay though... we have some perks to help us cope the scorching season. Night swimming, tropical monsoons, and good ol' productive boredom.

Productive boredom may not sound exciting, but it has paved the way into some of my favorite ventures. I learned the ins and outs of photography one summer due to being confined to the indoors with just a camera and a really adorable kid to follow around. I spent a summer once visiting my grandparents almost daily to just 'hang out'... and little did I know, I would lose them both soon after that. Summer in Arizona may not be a sandy-toed, ocean breeze dream, BUT it has blessed me every year with something wonderful.

This summer I'm expecting a baby! The heat is especially not fun when pregnant, so staying cool is on the top of my list. With the great indoors as my only destination, and a maternal itch to start nesting, I have begun an intense (and slightly OCD) journey into re-organizing my ENTIRE house. I have cleared out so much stuff so far that Goodwill pretty much knows me by name.

It feels good to purge 'stuff' we don't use, as well as to organize the things we do. I feel like it's not only a great way to welcome the baby into his new home, but it gives a sense of catharsis to each family member here. Thank you summer for keeping me productively bored... and thank you second trimester for the energy boost.

The Phoenix Children's Hospital Benefit Session

Valentine's Day isn't just for lovers. It's a day to show our LOVE to all people. That's why our annual Valentine's Photo Session was so spectacular... all proceeds went to the Phoenix Children's Hospital as a gift of love. Here's some pictures from that day (click on picture for larger view):

Schoen Family

There's many reasons why I love my job, and the biggest of them all is getting to know my community one family at a time.

The sassy Schoen Family was a lot of fun! They were full of personality, and had me laughing the whole time. Here's some pictures from the session...

Tooth Fairy Code Blue

I've been moonlighting as a Tooth Fairy lately.



My kid has been dropping teeth like crazy, so I've been prancing around in the wee hours of the night sprinkling glitter (aka fairy dust) and bartering teeth for money. It's a weird job... but someone's got to do it.

The other night I ran into a Tooth Fairy emergency. No cash. My hubby and I rarely ever carry around anything other than plastic, so typically we hit the bank up on special occassions like this. Unfortunately, it was 1am... far too late for a road trip.

So, I did what every other mother would do. I went into panic mode. I channeled my former college self, and began to scrape the bottom of my purse for every coin I could find.

"What's the going rate for top teeth these days?"I silently screamed, "Does the Tooth Fairy HAVE to give money? What about gum? Or some chapstick?"

Right when I was about to shove an 'IOU note' under her pillow, I found gold. And by gold, I mean quarters. Eight of them.

Halleluiah.

Mestyanek/ Tomaszek Wedding

I must say Melissa's dress was DROP-DEAD-GORGEOUS. The classic style, the prestine fabric, and the elegant draping... OH MY! I hope I didn't drool on it.

Technically I was a bridesmaid, not the photographer... but in all honesty, my finger began to twitch, aching to start snapping away the keepsake moments. It has a life of it's own sometimes.

Here's a few photos I captured prior to the ceremony:







Ain't she a beauty? YES!