Baby Emma…So Precious | {Beautiful Baby}

Finally, a chance to share some photos that are very special and precious to me…as well as my family. I’d like to introduce you to my new granddaughter, Emma Lynn! She is SO loved and adored by all of us, but most especially her parents, Sean and Jessalyn, who have waited and planned for this bundle of joy who has blessed their lives from the moment she was thought of! I must share a little bit with you…my daughter is a teacher and wanted to “time” Emma’s arrival perfectly to work with school schedules…and I must say, they did a great job of that…she was scheduled to arrive on May 3rd (yes, tomorrow!!) and everything was planned and scheduled around her arrival date. A couple months ago, this little one was breech and despite all plans to get her to turn, she just wasn’t going to do it, so it was looking as though a c-section was in the future, so although not quite what was planned, at least it could be “planned!”  Then, one afternoon late in March I received a phone call from my daughter…”change of plans, Emma is coming TODAY!” Now she wasn’t too calm at that point, it’s not what she had expected, at all, nor what she wanted, it was 5 weeks early. Little stinker, this baby had plans of her own, and was teaching her parents and early lesson, that with babies, and then children, plans don’t always work the way we want them to! So, family and friends gathered at the hospital…an impromptu “maternity session” was held in the waiting room of the maternity ward at Good Samaritan (maternity photos were schedule for the next Monday!!)….and we all waited and waited and waited some more! Then, at 8:32 pm on March 29th, our precious bundle of joy arrived…weighing 5 lbs. 5 ounces. Not bad for being 5 weeks early, but still pretty small. She was doing good, as was mom. We all had a quick look at our newest family member and were all thankful she was here and healthy.  As you probably can imagine, babies that early don’t go home right away…and this little one was no exception…she ended up being transferred to Tacoma General’s NICU about 1 1/2 days after she was born and was in there for 5 days before being transferred to the Intermediate Care Nursery, where she was until she was just over 3 weeks old. For mom and dad, several trips a day were made to the hospital, and as tough as it was, leaving her there each night, they knew that was where she had to be…she just needed time to get a bit stronger, develop her lungs a bit more and learn to regulate her body temperature on her own. When the day came…ahhh, the smiles on their faces…truly priceless and to see them ALL walking into their home, a blessing for each of them, finally HOME together, a family, the family they’ve always dreamed of!

As you can imagine, I was anxious to photograph my newest granddaughter, and although she was 4 weeks old when we finally got to do this, it was SUCH a joy, it warmed my heart more than I can tell you…to see my daughter and her amazing husband, together with their child, their baby, who they loved more than anything….it was the BEST sight I could have imagine. So, without further ado…here is Emma Lynn, just 6 pounds, but doing great…and her parents…LOTS of photos for you to enjoy!!

A little bit of information on this photo…this cradle was Emma’s mom, when she was a toddler, it was given to her at the age of two, never could I have imagined that someday, her baby would be photographed in it…

I LOVE LOVE LOVE this photo…you can see the joy and happiness these two have, now that their daughter is here…

Yes, there were plenty of photos, but given that this little one is pretty darn special to me, I figured I could share as many as I wanted…and each and every photo brings a smile to my face and tears to my eyes…we are all truly blessed and thankful for this BEAUTIFUL baby who is now a part of our lives!

Baby Joe and family | {Puyallup Newborn Photographer}

Welcome to the newest member of the Jacobson family…little Joe who joined them just four weeks ago…he was three weeks old when I had the pleasure of meeting this adorable little guy! His big sister, Indy, has starred on the blog a few times in the past year and while she loves her little brother…she wasn’t as excited about the photos as her parents were. We did manage to grab a few family photos (with bribery…smarties, my secret weapon!) of all of them and even a couple of Indy, alone, before she left with her aunt (thank you, Jenny!!)…to go swimming. Little Joe was not so little, at least compared to my new granddaughter who is just a week younger (but was premature)…so holding this baby was a bit different, but nonetheless…so sweet and precious. Babies are truly gifts and miracles and to be cherished by all who are blessed with them…and I know this family is thrilled to welcome their new son and add to their already wonderful family!  Joe started out asleep, but soon was awake, wide awake and for a while I wondered if we would get any sleeping photos…it took time and patience, but in the end, we were successful and he was REALLY out for the last part of our session. I love his sweet lips and those chubby cheeks…he was wonderful and I could have cuddled and cradled him for hours that day, but alas, I knew his parents had plans for the afternoon, so I had to say goodbye, but oh, what a wonderful morning I had with this sweet baby and his parents!!

Isn’t Indy even cuter than when she was last year! Such a beauty…and very sweet!

This is so sweet, new siblings, together and I love how Indy is cradling Joe’s head…and look at Joe…already sticking his tongue out at his sister!

Yes, Mom, it really did happen…that is what I imagine Joe is saying to his mom here…ahh, the stories he will have to tell her over a lifetime…such wonderful things are ahead for all of them!

Dad is truly in awe of his new son…so gentle and caring…a dad of two now, who I can see will have great times with both of his little ones…

Sleeping…ahhh, finally…just the sweetest thing!


Congratulations Jason and Katie, on your beautiful new son…what a lovely family you have and so many wonderful memories are ahead for all of you…enjoy each and every day to the fullest!!

New Found Love | {Life Continues on…}

Lesson three for this amazing course I am taking, that inspires, encourages and pushes us to do our best when photographing people. I must say that for this week’s lesson, I was thinking I would have to do it in the make-up week since I would be on vacation, visiting my mom in California. Time would be busy, some shopping, a visit to a winery, hiking with a friend, walking on the beach and of course, spending time with my  mom would keep me on the go. As I sat one night at dinner with my mom, Sis, and her “friend” I was talking about how wonderful this course has been and how much I’ve learned from this…and that I’d have to skip this week’s lesson. My mom asked me why and who or what I was suppose to photograph…I told her either a couple or children. Much to my surprise…she offered for the two of them to be my “subjects!”  Pleased and excited, I had two days to do a bit of research on photographing senior citizens…that was helpful and I found some ideas for poses, which I felt might work. I knew the location would be the back yard of the house my mom was renting in the retirement community…I didn’t want to push my luck and take them somewhere they would feel anymore uncomfortable than I felt they would already feel. Also, I knew it would be limited…time, that is, and needed to move them quickly through the session, so needed to be efficient!

A bit of history…just over four years ago my dad passed away, he and my mom had been married for 48 years and had been incredible role models for us kids as to what a happy and healthy marriage is all about. Losing a loved one is incredibly difficult, but my mom is extremely strong and has kept busy and enjoyed life in the past few years…although I knew she missed having a companion. She winters in Southern California every year (she lives in Spokane, Washington the rest of the year)…and last year she met someone who caught her eye and the two of them found they enjoyed spending time together. Her friend (my mom’s term, not mine!!), Philip, had recently lost his wife to a terrible illness and seemed to enjoy my mom’s company, as well. Fast forward a year…they are still enjoying time together, traveling some, golfing, sharing meals, going to movies, walks and even beating my husband and I at Words with Friends (they are tough competition!)…and are so darn cute together. Once can see the spark they have for each other and it’s great to see that even after a wonderful marriage, life does go on and you can find someone to share your time with again. I’m very happy for both of them and know that their loved ones who are no longer here, would be happy to see them happy!

One thing I found to be a great way to help them (mostly Philip) relax was to ask them what each of them saw in the other when they met a year ago. It took their focus away from myself and the camera…to the other one and they each seemed to relax. Hearing their thoughts and the wonderful qualities that brought them together…it was heartwarming and so nice to know that my mom has found someone to share her life with, who cares about her and enjoys being with her. It’s a blessing to find the “love of your life” and when you lose that love, to find another to share life with is truly an extra blessing!