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Well, we’ve made it 5 months, and what an amazing (and challenging and terrifying and rewarding) 5 months it’s been.

Our worlds changed when this little being entered our lives.  I’m so infatuated by my baby that I’m staring at his baby monitor now as he snoozes in his crib.  I can’t put into words how much I love him…

I’ve learned a few things on this little journey I like to call motherhood.  And because I feel like these things I’ve learned will never be documented unless published (and maybe another new mother out there can benefit from reading this), I’ve decided to blog it.  So, here it goes…

1)  Guilt can kill you if you’re not careful.  I leave for a session, I feel guilty.  I tuck Lyon in a little early because I didn’t get any work done during the day & I need to catch up, I feel guilty.  I let him play in his bouncy a little too long while the books he loves to read are right beside him, I feel crazy guilty.

My boy is growing up healthy and strong and smart and happy that his mom is doing everything she can to be there for him.  I’m doing my best, and I can’t feel guilty for that.

2)  My husband is an incredible, incredible dad.  Watching Kyu with our baby makes me fall in love with him all over again.  The man who claimed he’d never be a softy because he wanted to be a strong role model for our son gets sooooo much joy out of making Lyon smile.  He loves being a father.  You can spend years with a man and feel like you know everything about him, but until you witness him fathering his child – that’s when you feel your other half is complete.

3)  Achieving balance is a never-ending.  I can’t do everything myself.  And there just aren’t enough hours in the day.  There…. I grouped it all into one.

I never thought having a baby would be easy, buy wow.  It’s really tough.  My days and nights just kind of mesh in with one another and even though Lyon is a wonderful sleeper, I find myself with a mile long list of things to do that keeps getting longer and longer every minute of the day. Thankfully, Kyu and I were able to plan a little for our family and structure our businesses to where I can still do what I love but have enough help on the administrative, business, post-production side & not miss a beat with Lyon.  Or so in theory…

4)  It does get easier.  I remember those first few weeks in Lyon’s life when all I thought about was how to nourish my child.  That was my world… Do I continue breastfeeding even when I know it’s not working?  How do I start pumping?  How can I increase my milk supply?  Is my child eating enough?  And now, 5 months later – he’s in the 90th percentile in weight & height, and those difficult first weeks are a distant memory.  My boy’s chunky and he’s thriving!

We’re in such a fun stage right now where Lyon smiles, babbles and loves to cuddle.  It makes our job as parents incredibly gratifying when we see Lyon smile the biggest smile at us.

Our next challenges?  Teething, solids & cereal, separation anxiety, first fevers, becoming mobile, baby proofing the house, achieving developmental milestones, and so on, and so on… It can only go downhill from here, right??

5)  Time is so fleeting.  It really is.  Our friends and families told us this countless times, but we didn’t quite understand it until now.

We’re relishing in the moment, LOVING this time in our lives, and documenting as much of it as we can…

What I’ll learn the next few months, I’m sure lots.  But right now, I know I just enjoy being Lyon’s mother way too much.

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Photographing the details of Miss Jill’s 1st Birthday Party has me excited about planning Lyon’s 1st birthday party.  I know I have about 8 more months to go, but it’s never really too early to start!

The inspiration behind Jill’s 1st birthday was every little girl’s favorite color – pink.  Sandra Bank of Added Touch Catering did an amazing job creating a magical party for Jill’s guests.  Every detail – from the champagne bubbly for the moms & dads to the themed highchairs and kitchenettes for the little girls – nothing was left unplanned.  Beautiful pink peonies and tulips lined the tables, and pink straws, pink lemonade, and pink cupcakes adorned Jill’s family home.  It was a beautiful, sweet and perfect for this little girl.

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…or what we like to refer to as the “lyon’s den.” ahem, sorry for the early morning humor. 🙂

There’s no question that I have a love for nursery design.  I admire people like Chaffee who can visualize and transform spaces into something extraordinary.  Something that looks like it could appear straight from a magazine or cover of a beautiful book.  Me, on the other hand – I need to digest the space, formulate a plan, and look at lots and lots of inspiration before I’m ready to begin.

Unfortunately for me, I didn’t have a whole lot of time to put together Lyon’s room.  We moved into our home right when I was about 37 weeks, so as soon as we got the keys – I began.  And then I think I finished the next day.  Still crazy when I think about it…

So, here it is…  Lyon’s simple, light-filled sanctuary.  I actually love the way it turned out because every minute I spend there (which is A LOT), I feel really good.  And I think that’s such an important element in designing spaces…

The details:

I’m not a big fan of themed nurseries.  Not because they’re not beautiful, but just because I was never drawn to trucks or airplanes or dinosaurs or even lions.  It wasn’t my style, and yet I didn’t want a grown up bedroom for Lyon either.

We started with a color pallet of blue and white.  Kyu could have killed me if I weren’t carrying his baby because I made him re-paint the room twice to get the right shade of blue.  And those ceiling angles are not easy to just throw a splash of paint on.  Sorry, babe.

Then, we found simple furniture pieces around town that could translate to the next child (should we be blessed to have one), whether it’s a girl or boy.  I love the bedding, which is from B Braithwaite’s Serena & Lily line.  It has a distinct, yet dreamy safari theme which is reminiscent in many of the other pieces around the room.

One of my favorite elements in the room is the Take Me for a Walk illustration by Sarah Jane. I love her vintage interpretation of a boy walking his lion.  So sweet, yet so pure.  Perfect for this little boy’s room.

Kyu and I were very fortunate to have inherited many of our friend’s baby items.  How lucky are we?  One of those items is this comfortable glider that I spend much of my day in.  It’s rocked so many babies, had so many “accidents” happen on it, and survived long enough to make it to us.  Kyu stained the wood to match the other furniture pieces, and we had it re-upholstered to bring a fresh, somewhat contemporary feel to the room.

We love how it turned out.

The room is almost, but not quite finished.  Now, I understand why it takes my clients a year to finish their baby’s nursery for their book.  Life just moves way too fast…

I’m still looking to add a few more decorative elements to the walls and add extra seating to the room.  And maybe a few more photos?  Yes, I think that would be a good thing 🙂

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I’ve stood by this girl as she fell in love, had her heart broken, moved to new places, started her own ventures, and met this boy named Chance.  She’s getting married next month, and I’ll be right there, standing next to her as she begins the start of the rest of her life.

Last weekend, Crystal and Chance came into town for their wedding shower, and I was honored to document it all…  Some of my favorites from their Engagement Session (inspired by Jack’s 2 year photos in the Virginia Highlands neighborhood).

We hosted a “Meant to Bee” inspired wedding shower at my crib, and because I knew Crystal would appreciate all of the pretty details, I had fun playing Martha Stewart on the design.

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