Alice Park Photography » Blog

Being the son of a photographer (who is friends with a lot of photographers) must be hard.

This week, two of my best friends – Mandy Johnson and Sara Harris, came to visit baby Lyon and spend some quality girl time with me.  We did a lot of eating, baking, talking, shopping, cuddling with Lyon, and of course taking pictures.

Love the shot below of the talented Mandy Johnson (photographer for Sheryl Crow, Brad Paisley, Scott Hamilton, etc) sharing her talent with us for a very cool photo project we are working on.

Lyon’s going to be one well photographed kid.

Love these girls.  Love Lyon’s double chin too.

 

Home. I love being home with my guys…

Today was my first day back at work, and I had been dreading it for weeks. The truth is – 4 weeks just isn’t enough time for any new mother to leave her baby. Physically, my body wasn’t there yet and emotionally, I was a wreck.

Last night, I cried and cried to Kyu telling him that I wasn’t ready to leave Lyon, and that I decided my new career was to be a professional mom. I could even add professional stay-at-home chef to the list. Kyu was really understanding, but I knew I had made a commitment to our clients and I needed to go back to shooting.

And so I did. And guess what? I survived, and so did my family.

I came home this evening to this little cub ready for his last feeding and his most favorite part of the day – bath time. He was tired and a little fussy, but he stayed up just for me. I mean, look at that face. Doesn’t that just say, “I love you and missed you, mom”?!

Tonight, I salute all of those working moms out there…  I’m still navigating through one of the toughest roles I’ve ever had – motherhood – while aspiring to achieve a little bit of life balance.  To all of those who work 9 – 5 Monday – Friday while your babies are at home, you guys are amazing.

Today was Lyon’s first day at Church.  Kyu and I proudly introduced him to everyone as Christian Lyon Park, and during service – he slept like an angel.  He’s such a good boy.

As we were getting ready this morning, I found this adorable outfit in Lyon’s closet.  I love that in the South, we can dress little boys up in gowns and less “manly” outfits and receive approving nods from strangers.  Only here can little boys get away with knee-high socks, bubble rompers, and ruffles on their sailboat shirts.

After I took this sweet shot of Lyon, I looked ahead and imagined the outfits he’d wear for his first day of school, his first piano recital, his Sunday School classes….and then I hear a “Ah! My son’s wearing a dress!” from the other side of the room.

Oh well.  He still looks cute to me.

My dear friend Elizabeth Smith of Libbie Wicket came to visit me earlier this week, and during her visit, we got to chatting about how important it is to document these fleeting moments.  Because photography is what we do everyday, it’s so hard to remember and make time for our own families on a regular basis.  She encouraged me to start early, create a journal, and freeze the little moments that I’ll want to remember forever.  So, that is what I’m going to do…

Project Lyon is a personal project where I’ll attempt to capture details of Lyon’s life on a daily basis.  And when I say “daily,” I mean as often as I find time between two businesses, our every-three-hour feeding schedule, diaper changes, a booked shooting schedule, tackling that never ending pile of laundry/email/dishes, cuddling with the little one, date night with the bigger one, and sleep here and there for me.  Whether it’s with my pro equipment or with my handy & always convenient instamatic shots from my iphone, I’m committed to this project for as long as Lyon will allow me to photograph him.  I give it 9 months before he starts purposely crawling away from me and my camera.  I’ll still love him though 🙂

I shot this a couple of nights ago when I heard Lyon stirring during the wee hours.  We haven’t quite gotten Lyon to the point of sleeping through the night, so my husband graciously volunteered to take on the night feedings while allowing me to catch of few more hours of sleep.  I adore this image because I know deep in his insomnia-tic state, Kyu enjoys these moments.  The quiet ones where it’s just him and his son.  He didn’t know I was around the corner, awake with my camera, just smiling as I shot this photo.  It still makes me smile.

I write this post as my son sleeps soundly into the night.  He’s a good sleeper, and I know we’re incredibly blessed for that.

Admittedly, I swoon over him all day long.  Despite our best efforts to not spoil him too much, I’m the first to pick him up when he cries, I hold him and soothe him until he falls asleep, and I tell him every second of the day how much he’s loved and how his dad and I will do everything we can to keep him safe, happy and healthy.  We are so in love with this little boy.

I figure the disciplining and “hard parenting” can come later, maybe in a few months when he’s not so darn cute!  Right now, we are relishing this newborn sweetness and doing our best to take as much of this as we can in…

Maybe it’s the hormones or all of the pollen in the air, but this year for Mother’s Day – it’s a sweet and tearful one for me.  I’m reminded of the unconditional love a parent has for their child, the sacrifices we gladly make to ensure they’re taken care of, and the hopes and dreams we pass onto them.  It’s no longer just about Kyu and I.  It’s about this precious little 8 pound being who wraps his tiny little fingers so tightly around ours.  Who opens his eyes and stares at us as if we are their world.  And who we love so deeply, it hurts…

This Mother’s Day, I celebrate the love and joy of motherhood everywhere.  To all of the mothers who are able to experience this unspeakable bond and indescribable love – Happy Mother’s Day.

Thank you to my friends, Crystal James, Kim Busby, Danielle Bryson and Lisa Phillipson for capturing our little Lyon’s first days.  We are truly in love…