Working with toddlers is always my favorite part of a family session. Their growing confidence is just too cute to watch.
This little one was in the middle of his NO PHASE and didn't want anything to do with me for the first 30 minutes.
NO, I don't want to sit next to mom
NO, I don't want to hold the baby
NO, I don't want to kiss her either
BUT:
YES, I do want Dad to throw me in the air!!!
That changed everything!
The main goal is always to HAVE FUN!!!
Please read here what Emily had to say about her Motherhood journey and what obstacles she and her husband had to overcome to create their FAMILY...
How was your Motherhood experience so far?
"When my husband, Tyler, and I had been married for a little over 3 years, we decided we were ready to start our family. It wasn't as easy as we expected — it took us 9 months to get pregnant — but we were ecstatic when we saw two pink lines on that pregnancy test in September of 2019.
Our due date was May 17th, 2020.
We had no idea a global pandemic was waiting to disrupt our lives and upend our experience as new parents.
When my water broke at 3 am on May 6th, we had been in quarantine for 53 days. My baby shower had been canceled, we hadn't seen our family and friends up close in weeks, and I was terrified of getting sick since we still knew so little about COVID-19 and what it might do to pregnant women and babies.
I took my first COVID test as I checked into the hospital (negative, thankfully) and I spent all 15 hours of labor in a mask, while the doctors who delivered my baby were in full PPE.
Thankfully, our birth was a smooth process and our precious son was born at 7:10 pm that evening.
Quarantine was an isolating experience already, but becoming new parents in the midst of that isolation was the loneliest experience I've ever had. We spent the first two weeks of my son's life at home alone since our family was quarantining for 14 days before they came to help (this was before testing centers were widely available).
My mother-in-law arrived two weeks later and we finally got to experience the joy of having a family member hold our baby. My parents arrived shortly after and it was a huge relief to finally have help with cooking, cleaning, and catching up on much-needed sleep.
The first year of my son's life was both the longest and the shortest year ever.
We continued to be very cautious while trying to navigate the pre-vaccine pandemic with an infant. In a constant haze with little sleep, the days felt like they dragged on forever. I remember the immense guilt I felt as I wished I could fast-forward to a post-COVID world, while also trying to hold on to every moment I had with my baby.
But looking back, I feel like that year went by in the blink of an eye. My son is now 3 years old. He is happy, fun, and fiercely independent. He has a very secure attachment to my husband and me, which I can't help but think was probably influenced by the fact that we spent all of our days and nights cloistered together for his first years of life.
We love him more than we ever thought possible. When Tyler and I considered having another child, we were both hesitant. Our introduction into parenthood was so hard, and it was difficult to know if that was because of the once-in-a-lifetime global pandemic, or if we'd have a similar experience the second time around. We just welcomed our beautiful baby girl in May of 2023 and thankfully, this experience has been much, much easier.
Small things like having a baby shower or being able to take maternity pictures were a pleasant reminder that the hardest days of COVID have passed. I didn't have to wear a mask during delivery, we were able to have visitors in the hospital, and we've had so much help from family and friends along the way.
As seasoned parents, Tyler and I also know what we're doing this time around which also helps! Our daughter has brought a new level of love and joy to our lives and we couldn't imagine life without her.
Seeing my son learn how to be a big brother and take care of his baby sister has been one of the best parts. I hope I never forget the look on his face when he held her for the first time.
Motherhood is the best, hardest, most rewarding experience I've ever had.
I'm so thankful for my two beautiful children and the opportunity to be their mom!"
