Northwest Chicago Area Newborn and Family Photographer

Carly’s 1st Cake Smash

March 31, 2016

When I first met this little one with the bright blue eyes, she was quite shy. It was really hard for me, but I knew it would be best if hung back a little and let her “warm up” to my studio. I knew being excited and loud would not only probably scare her, but it could possibly foil the whole shoot. After settling in a bit, Miss Carly was ready to get down to business. Like so many little ones I’ve photographed doing a cake smash, she really wasn’t sure what to make of this pretty, little, round taste of heaven. Really, Mariano’s makes delicious little cakes! She was very dainty in her approach to tasting this new food. First, she “pet” the cake and smoothed out the frosting. Then, she decided to take “the plunge” and sample a little. Mmmm, not bad! I know I’m a day early, but I want to have your pictures finished and delivered for your birthday. Happy 1st birthday little one!

Carly Storyboard 8x10

Welcome to the World Wyatt

March 20, 2016

After many months of discomfort, precious Wyatt made his big arrival a few weeks before his official due date. I think its safe to say, mom was completely okay with this! Documenting a birth is something I’ve always dreamed of doing, but thought would never happen, at least not for awhile. There were just too many variables: a husband who works odd hours and weekends, three young children, a full-time teaching job and a small business. Not to mention, there were no guarantees when this little guy was going to make his arrival. Lucky for me, the stars were aligned and fully in our favor! I got the text that Wyatt was on his way early in the morning, on a non-teaching day. This was perfect, with one exception. I needed to find childcare and quickly. Fortunately, an awesome friend and babysitter to my youngest stepped up to help us out. Thank you so much Miss Tiffany! This couldn’t have happened without your help! I instructed Marcie to send me a text when she was 5 centimeters dilated. Once the time had come, I went over to Sherman Hospital to begin the final stretch of the much-anticipated wait for this little guy.

Just three years ago, I gave birth to my youngest at this beautiful hospital, and walking through the halls brought back such great memories of my own experiences. It was great to see so many family members camping out to keep Marcie and Dan company and to finally meet their newest family member. I enjoyed getting to know Wyatt’s extended family and see how much love everyone had for one another and for this little guy they hadn’t even met yet.

Wyatt Birth Hospital It seems like every couple of years the trends change and there are new “rules” and exceptions for caring for newborns. I learned that the new policy at Sherman is to “Wait for 8” hours. Basically, the little guy was going to get wiped off and passed directly to mom. No bath and bed warmer for this little guy for the first 8 hours of his life. Wyatt Birth Pre Delivery

After hanging out with Marcie and Dan for a bit, we decided to give them some time to rest. Marcie’s epidural wasn’t working 100%, so she needed to work through the pain and regroup for the birth.

At approximately 4:40 pm we got word that Marcie was at 10 cm and it was time for me to head back to the birthing room. And at approximately 5:04 pm, after maybe three pushes, Wyatt’s little cry filled the room. Wyatt didn’t cry for long though. Once he was placed on his mom’s chest he was very “zen.” He just looked around with one eye open (He reminded me of Popeye) 🙂 and was very quiet, while mom and dad stared at him in amazement. I have to say, it was very cool witnessing this experience and not having to be the one who had to do all the work!

The nurses recommended they give Wyatt about an hour to adjust to his new environment before allowing visitors in. Loved ones waited anxiously outside the room. Big brother Jude got be the first to meet Wyatt and after a moment of taking it all in, it was easy to see he was in love with his new sibling. After Jude had some time with his little brother, the grandparents got their chance to steal some time with this sweet little bundle. It was clear to see that this is one loved and adored little boy!

Tiny Packages

February 23, 2016

A famous little bear once said, “Sometimes the smallest things take up the most room in your heart.” Tiny babies like this little guy are no exception. Knox arrived earlier than anticipated, which can throw even the most seasoned parents for a loop. Weighing in at a little over 3 lbs. he was born double the size of his big sister when she entered the world. Not to mention, he’s one of the oldest “newborns” I’ve ever had the pleasure of photographing. At the time of his little photo shoot, Knox was approximately two months old and flourishing. “Tiny packages” don’t stay small forever. Keep growing little guy! Your new friends are excited to see you reach your milestones, and when you do, Sammy will be ready to toss the football with you (not at you)! 🙂

Furbabies

January 18, 2016

Many of us have had them or still do. It’s that one step toward, gulp, parenthood. Its dipping that toe into the cool waters of the unknown, thinking, “If we can handle this, surely we can handle a kid, right?” Garrett and Lindsey jumped right in and adopted their first puppy. They named him Tucker and I’m pretty sure he has them wrapped around his little fing, err, paw.

Good things come . . .

October 25, 2015

to those who wait, right? I had always been a believer of this, but yesterday, well, I was seriously questioning if this would be the case. The night before this session, I volunteered to help out at the Midnight Mile. We were hit with lots of rain, and it wasn’t pretty. As a result, I thought the session I had the following morning would surely be cancelled. The next morning rolled around and the weather had not changed for the better. It was grey and rainy out. When I got the text stating this family was still game for their session, I was surprised. I grabbed as many blankets and chairs as I could fit in my car and ran over to Wheaton as quickly as I could. Again, as I was driving there through the rain, I kept thinking that this wasn’t going to end well. Once I had arrived at Cantigny, the rain died down to a drizzle. I was still sceptical that things would turn around enough that we could take pictures. At that point, the plan was to hang out in the visitor’s center until the weather cleared up. Not ten minutes later, the rain picked up pace and started coming down pretty hard again. “Mama Thorsen” assured us that if we waited, everything would turn around. At that point, I had to stick around. I mean, clearly, if the family could continue to hold onto to hope, they wanted these pictures badly and I wasn’t going to be the one to stand in their way! Sure enough, the rain died back down to a whisper and we made our way out there to see what we could do. At first, I was all about working fast because we had no idea if the rain would pick up again. However, after about 20 minutes, the sun even made an appearance. Hello Chicago weather! It was more than we could hope for, and we loved every minute of it! In the end, I guess it’s true what the say. Good things do come to those who wait! Oh, and “if you don’t like the weather in Chicago, wait 15 minutes.” 🙂 P.S. The more I look at this baby bump, the more I think it’s a boy, but we’ll have to wait until April to find out for sure!