this past year, i read a beautiful article about a ‘mom book’.  in lieu of scented candles and slippers, an entry (letter or drawing depending on the age) in a book was made from each child to her mother and was the last gift to be opened each christmas.  i’m not quite sure if i’d ever heard anything more ‘melanie’!   i kept my eyes open for my own special ‘mom book‘ and when i found it i explained the idea to audrey (who has snuck in a few drawings already and then says over her shoulder as she leaves the room ‘you might want to check out your mom book’ with a wink) – we’re both in love.

her art is a huge gift and here’s a place to keep a little bit of it.  right now, the drawings of her and i under rainbows in fields of flowers are just the ticket to the happiest mom heart i can imagine.

As new parents, my husband and I found ourselves in what is now lovingly called “survival” mode for the first few weeks as we went through what every new parent has climbed through, “baby boot camp”.  But as we slipped into the glow of being parents; and our son, Pierce, began his smiles, squeals and babbles I have constantly found tears of joy in my eyes.  There is nothing like watching my husband zoom him about the living room, or seeing his little smile from his crib when he wakes up in the morning.  I found the biggest piece of advice every parent wanted to give us, as I walked around very pregnant in the heat of the summer, was to “enjoy it, because it goes by quickly”.  I don’t think anyone can truly understand how time flies until you watch your baby change daily.  George and I wanted to be sure to heed this advice as we started to see time slip away before us.  He coined a phrase we use often now, “Make the extra time for your older self”.  Not only is being a new parent exhilarating, it is equally exhausting.  However, we try to remind each other how much we will miss this time when Pierce is older.

With that in mind, we practice taking just a few extra moments for each other:  Holding Pierce for an extra moment before laying him down at night.  Treasuring moments in the early morning with a quiet house.  Ignoring the laundry to have an extra few moments of playtime.  Getting out the video camera even when we were tired (or recording for a few extra minutes as he plays in the tub or laughing at daddy’s voices as we read “Splat the Cat”).

I know when I am missing him away at college, I will hold tight to these moments.  I hope you are able to make a few extra moments doing the things you love not only to enjoy now, but also to remember for your future self!  -ashleigh-

photo note: sweet clients who welcomed a wonderful son a handful of weeks ago

great article for new parents full of good ideas on a topic that's so meaningful to me! i love hearing from moms-to-be who are already talking with photographers to discover who they'd like to have do the milestone photographs of their child because after your bundle of joy is in hand, life gets busy so having a plan in place makes it all so much easier!! -m-