Alice Park Photography » Blog

It’s begun.

Life is starting to move quicker than I can keep up, and my baby is turning into a little toddler…

The last month has been a whirlwind for the Park family…  I’m so thankful that in the few moments I have each day, I stop to take a quick snapshot of whatever is consuming Lyon’s day so I can file it away for another day to reminisce.  So far, I haven’t been able to find time for that, but I know I will….

Here is a little recap of what this little boy has been up to lately!

410 – Discussing future camping trips together. I love my boys.

414 – First PB&J sandwich resulted in first visit to the emergency room. My heart stopped when I saw you swell up into hives and then have trouble breathing… 2 liters of vomit, 1 bottle of benedryl, and 1 exhausted/cranky/swollen baby later…all is ok. Thank you, Lord.

415 – So thankful to have my spirited peanut back, allergies and all! Thank you, friends for all of your thoughts and concerns. We are just going to have to learn to navigate life without all of the nuts!

422 – Mr. Smarty pants taking on 5 digit addition problems, and yet somehow – we still can not hold our own bottle.  Hm.

425 – Successfully transitioned this kid from bottle to HOLDING HIS OWN CUP without any crying, whining or even asking for his own bottle.  In 1.5 days….

How we did it: The key is letting the little fella make the transition himself without forcing him in any one direction.  I found that it wasn’t the bottle that Lyon was attached to; it was the milk-bottle combo.  So, one morning – I decided to put water in his bottle and milk in his cup, and guess what?  He did not feel satisfied from his bottle so he pushed it away and asked for his cup…  It took about a day for him to learn to make the assimilation, but he did.  And life now is grand because I AM NOT HOLDING HIS BOTTLE FOR HIM ANYMORE!

430 – The look of a little boy who knows he’s in trouble.

Here we come, toddlerhood!

433 – Incredibly thankful for Lyon’s cousins who come over as often as they can to play with their favorite person.

435 – Hm.  Innovative or lazy?

438 – Oh life is sooooooooo hard, little one. I’m sorry your bath time with your cars was only 45 minutes tonight.

Did I mention Lyon’s little obsession with cars these days?  Ah yes.

And lastly, our latest little adventure….

 

 

I just wanted to share the campaign released by Proctor & Gamble celebrating moms and their Olympic-hopefuls. It was so touching, I cried and cried, and watched it again, and then cried some more…

There is a universal love so beautifully depicted in this campaign. A mother’s love. Love for the sport. Love for her child’s dream. And the incredible sacrifices that come with it all.

As I look at my son and what will come for him 10 years from now, 25 years from now, a moment of pure and genuine gratitude consumes me for this opportunity to be the best cheerleader for Lyon that I can be. No matter what his future holds or who he decides to be, I promise to embrace my job and do whatever in my power it takes to help him achieve his dreams. And I promise not to cry too, too much after each victory along the way…

I am fortunate to be able to work with clients who have some of the most impeccable taste.  Of course they do, they chose me to document their family photos 😉  J/k

I did a fun post in 2009, highlighting some of my favorite client nurseries.  I love including a photograph of the child’s nursery or room for their albums as I feel it’s an important element of their childhood.  And it wasn’t until designing Lyon’s room when I fully realized how much thought and love goes into putting together their baby’s space from mom and dad.  It’s really their labor of love.

Here are a few of my favorite spaces I’ve photographed in recently and why I love them….

Why I love Atticus’ room: Atticus is fortunate to have 2 very creative parents put together his space.  I love the geometric wall stenciling that dad worked on for several days prior to his boy’s arrival.  The table that baby Atticus is sweetly nestled on is a card catalog table mom found at a flea market.  She finished it with coats of child-friendly chalk paint to match the color and feel of Atticus’ vintage-inspired room.  It’s simple yet stunning.

Why I love Eden’s room: I have never seen blue work so beautifully in a little girls’ room. This space was finished by one of my favorite designers, Suzanne Kasler for one of my favorite clients.  I love how Suzanne worked with the family’s existing antique and heirloom pieces and finished it with gorgeous custom pieces to suit a baby girls’ needs.  The creams and shades on pink bring in a light feminine touch to this sophisticated space.  And what baby doesn’t love a crystal chandelier in her room?

Why I love Lily’s room: Lily’s room offers a fresh contrast from Eden’s traditional room above.  I love the life-sized custom tree pieces with hanging chimpanzees that plank both sides of her room.  This space is very representative of Lily’s grandmother’s Nancy Braithwaite’s work…. Genius.  And I love how any child who decides to spend a leisurely afternoon reading in one of the two plush swivel chairs can look around the room and let their imaginations go wild.  It’s really a cool space.

Why I love Erich’s room: This is the perfect example of how to make a small space work.  Erich’s mom and dad loved the light that came from the french doors and wanted to create a space that Erich could grow and play in.  It’s perfect because now that he’s 15 months and incredibly active, all he has to do is open the doors and head out to the garden to play in.  The creams and shades of white really open the space, and the custom rocking horse wall piece and armoire are almost like pieces of whimsical art that inspires anyone who walks in.  Can you tell that Erich and Lily have the same grandmother? 🙂

Why I love Hattie’s room: Hattie’s room is timeless and sophisticated and feminine and classic – all elements that I really love.  What I also love is how this space can grow effortlessly with Hattie…  Just replace the crib with a big girl’s bed and keep every other piece the same – you can tell that is exactly what mom was thinking when she designed it.  Hattie’s room matches the decor and feel of the rest of the house, and that is another reason why it works.  Many times, nurseries can feel disjointed from the rest of the home… It can be too contemporary when every other room is more traditional or cottage-like.  I love how Hattie’s room is an extension of the home, but includes special touches that are truly hers.

Why I love Lyon’s room: Well, that’s super easy – because my little boy slumbers here 🙂  I also really love that almost every piece in his room was “handed down” to him from a loved one or close friend.  When our friends heard Kyu and I were expecting, they jumped at the opportunity to save their favorite nursery items for Lyon.  How lucky were we?  The challenge for me was findign a way to make them all work cohesively with another and specifically for our little boy.  A few paint jobs, custom illustrations and re-upholster jobs later, this is how it turned out.  I love it.

I think the best way to describe this group of friends who have become so close over the last three years is that we are very much like a photo sorority family.  Sound silly?  It’s really quite the opposite.

We met through NAPCP when a few of us Atlantans found each other on the forum and decided to get together for coffee.  Fast forward 2 years, and we’re photographing each other’s newborns (Lyon included!), traveling to Vail to ride the Class IV rapids (despite the altitude sickness, Elizabeth!) getting together for monthly margaritas, and celebrating the major milestones in each other’s lives.

I absolutely love the community that we’ve formed, and I was thrilled to be part of a surprise luncheon this afternoon that celebrated and honored one of us…

The group with the lovely Katie and her sweet 37 week bump.

Katie and her husband Chris have a tiny obsession with Bella Cucina, so when scouting locations on where to host this, naturally – this beautiful space came to mind.

They put together a delightful spread for us.  It’s one of me and Kyu’s favorite places to visit as well, so I was especially excited about trying some of the newer things on their menu.

Our guest of honor, surprised as can be!

Liana created these custom letterpressed pieces for Katie, which I thought were darling!  Wishes for Baby Boy Tores cards that everyone filled out, and I love these whale letterpressed coasters.

The beautify of dining with your girlfriends is that there will always be a plentiful supply of sweets and desserts.  Yum!

At the end of the day, it’s not about talking about business or pricing or sales or clients….  This group is especially special because we all share the unique quality of sincerely caring about each other and our well-beings.  Katie is no exception, and I’m so glad we had the opportunity of honoring her today!

You never forget your first clients…

I remember it so vividly because I was so nervous before our session together.  Leigh Anne was expecting her 3rd, and I had the job of rallying the then two crazy toddlers for a photograph with mom and her beautiful baby bump.

It took us about an hour, but I finally got the shots!

Now, 6 years later – Leigh Anne is expecting her 4th, and I have the privilege of documenting the next phase of their lives.

I don’t know what’s more special – capturing this mother who is not only *stunning* but also so wise and experienced… Or watching this beautiful family welcome the opportunity to do it all over again!  What an adventure it will be for them.

Some favorites from our maternity session together last week –