An Impromptu Shoot

 

Not long after we experienced the birth of Baby Everly together last spring, Jen Quesada of  Natural Blessings Doula Services contacted me about documenting the September home birth of her third child. Well, September is finally here and last week I stopped by to visit with Jen, her husband Josh and their two girls Grace & Samantha.  As it turned out, Jen’s midwife and good friend Eloisa Cary of Gentle Hands Midwifery  just happened to stop by for a visit while I was there! I had brought along my camera with the intention of snapping a few belly shots, but when little Sam grabbed the fetoscope and asked to listen to the baby, the whole family got in on the fun and a full-on photo shoot ensued! What a great time we all had trying to find the baby's heart beat while Eloisa gently encouraged him to turn into the birth position for Mama Jen.  I can’t wait to share the birth photos… hopefully very, very soon!

After Eloisa left, we spent a few minutes documenting the family in their final days as a family of four – which inevitably turned into a huge tickle-fest : )

And finally… a few solo shots of Jen and her belly. 

Such a pretty, healthy mama she is!

Welcoming Everly: Should I Stay or Should I Go?

You'd never know it by her peaceful demeanor, but the baby girl pictured above caused much anxiety for her photographer before finally arriving Sunday morning! Two days before her due date, her mama Lindsey was already dilated to six centimeters. As I was scheduled to attend a family funeral five hours from home on Saturday, I spent most of last week deliberating over how to proceed if labor had not begun by Friday. Childbirth is my very favorite experience to document and I reeeeeally did not want to miss this baby's arrival into the world. At the last minute Friday evening, with Lindsey's encouragement, I decided to make the trip. As I drove out of Bellingham I threw out a wish to the universe that went like this: "Please, oh please, just once, let me have my cake and eat it too! Please!"

It worked! Asher and I returned home Saturday evening at 9:45. At 10:20 I received a text message from Lindsey... "Welcome home! So not in labor...you happy? I'm happy you are home" I went to bed soon after that, completely exhausted after so much driving in so little time but thankful I'd won that roll of the dice : ) The next thing I know it's 1:06 a.m. and the phone is ringing. It's Lindsey & Jeremy's doula, Jen, calling from the hospital to tell me Lindsey is pushing! Before I knew it I was at the hospital documenting the most incredible birth I've experienced yet!

With her first child, Lindsey pushed for several hours without success and eventually required a cesarean birth. This time she was determined to deliver naturally, which made for such a different vibe from every other birth I've attended. Not only were we all so excited about the birth of the baby, but everyone was so committed to Lindsey's goal that I felt I was an integral part of a team (albeit the team member with the easiest job!) After a little more than two hours of pushing, little Everly arrived to a room full of people grinning ear-to-ear : ) Here are some of my favorite photos that tell the story of Everly's birth...

I love this photo of Lindsey and Jeremy. I can say without hesitation that I've never seen a man work so hard to bring a baby into the world. These two are truly a dream team.

2:42 am... after a lot of pushing (and a little comedy!) Everly Gracen Kiniry is born with eyes wide open, weighing 7 pounds, 15 ounces and measuring 21 inches. It was me who suggested the spelling of her middle name and I am thrilled beyond belief that they decided to go with it!

Proud daddy Jeremy delivers the news to the grandparents!

She's got big eyes just like her big brother Parker. You can see for yourself as a photo of him at six months is featured in my blog banner above!

Everly got straight to work on the whole "wrapping Daddy around fingers" thing : )

Before the grandparents arrived, Jen and I took turns posing with Everly. I had no idea that this was Jen's first birth experience as a doula! She is a natural : )

I'm thanking Everly for patiently waiting for my return : )

I think we can all agree: there's nothing like a new grandbaby to make grandparents smile!

I finally left the hospital around 4:30a.m. with plans to return at 9:00 for the introduction of siblings! I arrived to greet a two year old who was very excited to meet his new baby sister...

Parker got right down to the business of checking out all the details...


Their first photo as a family of four... so beautiful!

Once the presents started rolling out, Parks was not so interested in Everly : ) His gift to his March born baby sister was a stuffed lamb, so naturally her gift to him was a stuffed lion... in like a lion...

out like a lamb : )

Eventually it was time for Everly to start expressing some personal style. (I've decided I need a hat just like that in big girl size!)

A diva in the making? I swear she's posing for me!

What a proud big brother he is : )

*You can see some of Lindsey's maternity photos on my Facebook page (by the way, you don't need a Facebook account to view pages!)

Dear Lindsey & Jeremy... what an honor it was to be present while you two brought your beautiful daughter into the world. I'm still in awe of your teamwork and I'm STILL grinning ear to ear : ) Thank you so much for allowing me to be part of your team for this incredible event... I hope the photos I've created for you always remind you of the amazing feats you are capable of when you work together! Congratulations!