So, after having these beautiful miraculous babies, reality set in! Babies are hard work! Toddlers are even harder! Yet through it all, watching these little people develop personalities is amazing! I had two baby boys, born from the same gene pool only months apart, and yet they couldn't be MORE different. I was so naive to think that my second son would be just like his brother! I couldn't have been more wrong! 

It's hard to describe my boys, as in some ways they have similar qualities; kind, sweet, emotional, curious and tenacious, but they show it in different ways. And yet, in other ways they are the perfect yin to the other's yang! As a mother, I am grateful to the photographer inside of me to be able to capture their uniqueness! My eldest... he has a very solemn and tender sole. He is unsure of himself and is very contemplatative... he is a thinker and very much a mama's boy! :)

My youngest is very intense. Very black and white. Very deep, and yet, a TOTAL goofball! He is wild and daring and up for anything! He is loud and shy and generally simultaneously awesome and a hard work to hang out with! :) 

Looking back on their young lives, I know that their personalities where innate. When I was pregnant with them, even then they behaved differently! One was quiet and worried me every day, and the other was active and gave me no rest! Nothing has changed! Every day they challenge me and frustrate me, but EVERY day I look at them and marvel at the privilege of being their Mum. They are amazing and I get to watch them grow and learn and be who they want to be. It's an honor. 

But why does this even matter? Because I know that all children no matter what their history have their own stories to tell and their own personalities to show. When you come into my studio, I will see every little client as themselves, and I want to capture their soul. Sometimes they are playful and cannot sit still, other times they are tearful and quiet.. there is no normal, and that is ok! They are all phenomenal and amazing and I am so lucky to be able to capture a moment in their little lives for their big people to treasure forever. 

"Hold him a little longer, 
Rock him a little more.
Tell him another story,
Tell him a million more.
Let him sleep on your shoulder,
Cherish his every smile.
He is only a baby,
for just a little while."
​~ Anon. 

Lately, I've been asked a lot about why I love doing newborn sessions! They're hard work, they're hot and they're messy!! It's true, but come on, look at how adorable they are!! However, it's not just the cuteness that makes me do it, it's something much more than that. Let me take you on a journey....

Once upon a time, I was told I would not be able to have my own children. Hearing that causes a pain in your heart that is beyond words. But then, one day, the impossible happened... I found out I was pregnant! He was my little nugget of joy and hope. Carrying him nestled under my heart was the biggest blessing of my life and I loved feeling him grow safe inside me. Being pregnant was a miraculous feeling that I truly cherished and seeing a swollen belly still to this day makes all those feelings gush back. It's amazing! Growing a tiny person inside you is just amazing! And so maternity photography just makes sense! It's selfish really, because I get to revel in all those amazing feelings that I had when I carried my babies! Yes, babies... plural!!! 

Ok... the next part of this story is SO cliche, but just go with it!! Not only was I that disgustingly glowy woman that had perfect pregnancies, but I will also tell you a story of how perfect their deliveries were! Oh my goodness! I was made to do this! When my first baby was born, he crawled up to my chest and just stayed there! There were people buzzing all around us, but by then, tunnel vision had set in... it was just me and him! This tiny little person that I had made who had been connected to me for months, who grew each day under my heart, had now stolen it! Completely! My life would never be the same. Those tiny fingers and toes, his button nose, those wrinkles, his chubby cheeks...I knew I was in trouble!!

So I guess, that's why I do it! Everything about babies makes me gush! They are simply amazing to me. They are not a paycheck (that's a whole other story!!), but something to be treasured, protected and loved. I don't take this business of being a mother for granted, and my business is an extension of my mothering! I truly LOVE what I do! 

With love, 
Nickie, Ryan and Owen. xx