THE HUGHES FAMILY

This session was really special to me. I met Nicole when I was working at the Star-News (and subsequently her husband Mike), and we became fast friends. The hubs and I would hang with them regularly when we lived in North Carolina, and then we moved to New York and didn't get to see them as much. Fast forward seven years and we're still great friends. : ) When I was still pregnant with Brooklyn, Nicole (along with my friend Mary) threw me the most awesome baby shower at Gather. Even when a long period of time goes by without catching up, we fall right back into place with the Huggies (as my husband calls them!). So thankful for their friendship and SO happy for their new addition Emmett Aubrey. I got to photograph this little sleep dictator (his mama calls him that!) at three weeks old. He has the most amazing neck strength! And the cutest little baby lips ever. Enjoy my time with this lovely family. : )

I believe there isn't anything more cute than a baby yawning!

We traded babies for a few frames. ; )

NICHOLAS: BABY

While I was in North Carolina a few weekends ago, I stopped at UNC-Chapel Hill (my Alma mater!) for a quick mini session of six-month-old Nicholas. He is ONE CUTE BABY. I seriously wanted to squish his cheeks the entire time. I loved his hair and his expressions cracked me up. See what I mean in my favorite photos!

THE PENNINGTON FAMILY

Danielle + Steven are friends of mine from my hometown, and when I flew through NC a couple of weekends ago for a wedding, they requested a quick mini session. I was more than happy to oblige. Since their wedding that I shot in 2011, Dani and Steve-o made one impossibly cute baby, Rosalee, who is about eight months in these photos. I love her personality, and I was DYING over her precious fall outfit. Take a look at this adorable family!

A FATHER'S FIRST SPRING

Most of y'all who know me and the hubs personally know that The Avett Brothers is our favorite band. Ever since I heard their song, "A Father's First Spring," I thought it was a perfect reflection of our pregnancy and impending journey of parenthood. The Bros are brilliant songwriters. Lyrics like "I have been homesick for you since we met" and "When I'm in the sweet daughter's eye/My heart is now ruined for the rest of all time/There's no part of it left to give" are why I fall in love with their music over and over again. It's a beautiful song - listen to one of my favorite versions HERE. I digress. I tried to get this post up yesterday to wish a very happy first Father's Day to my main squeeze, but with an infant, you can't really set your own schedule. ; ) Happy "Father's First Spring" to my husband; seeing you care for our little girl with patience and grace lights up my world. We're both so lucky.

This first photo is from the first night in the hospital, and it melts my heart.

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And Happy Father's Day to my dad, "Pappy," and Ryan's dad. We all love you very much and appreciate all you do for us!

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BELLY + BLOOMS

As of today, I'm 39 weeks and ready to meet our lil' lady. : )  And I am seriously LOVIN' all of the blooms in and around our neighborhood recently. Everything is just so incredibly gorgeous. On another note, this might well be my last blog update for a good while (!!!!!), as I'm officially going to be on maternity leave for ~6 weeks very soon (let's hope!). So I just wanted to give y'all a heads up: if you contact me about your wedding or a session here on the blog or via my portfolio site, I'm not ignoring you!... I'll most likely be snuggling or feeding or changing our newborn babe or trying to catch winks of sleep in the in-between time. Thanks for your patience, and I can't wait to introduce y'all to the wee one! Get ready for some over-sharing. ; )