My favorite thing about baby Cecilia is her hair. I mean, c'mon. Look at all that baby hair! Luscious locks aside, this little lady has an adorable grin, a happy demeanor and the nicest parents she could ask for. I even went to high school with her mom! How fun. :)
You might want to grab a warm beverage and cozy up for this post. Cecilia's sure to captivate you (and her tiny jacket looks so cozy and warm, doesn't it??).
What a cutie!
When I was applying for jobs my senior year of college, my number one, biggest pet peeve was not hearing back from potential employers. Like at all, ever. Even after interviewing with an organization. Now that I've lived in the real world for a few years, I totally understand that stuff gets lost in the shuffle and responding to every potential, entry-level employee is not super high on the to do list. BUT it made a impression on me, especially because I was applying for communication jobs. I mean, come on. You have to have good communication with your future communication coordinator! So, I vowed that when I finally got my first job, I wouldn't be like that. I would respond lickety-split to each and every person who contacted me. I can't say I'm perfect, but I do get a high from responding to a potential client within minutes of receiving his/her e-mail. Nerd alert for sure. :)
However, at the same time that I love being connected, communicating with people, writing e-mails, posting on social media and crafting blogs, I also love having time away and being disconnected. I think that balance is so important to avoid burnout. As much as I love what I do, it is still work and a break from the computer screen is necessary every once in awhile!
This is all to say that, from here on out, I'll be going off the grid for one week, twice a year to recharge and find new inspiration away from a screen. No e-mailing. No blog stalking. No Facebooking. You get the idea. (I will, however, be continuing my 365 day photo challenge via Instagram, the ONLY technology I'm allowing myself.) And my first technology-free week starts tomorrow! I'm so looking forward to this time solely devoted to spending time with Nathan, reading good books and living in the moment, rather than across the World Wide Web. I'll be back on the grid Tuesday, Sept. 3. Expect a new blog post and e-mail responses bright and early that day!
And because I've been really busy photographing lots of beautiful people, here are some sneak peeks of what I've been working on lately ...
Kelsey and Matt's Miami University engagement session
Baby Spencer's newborn session (with now-big brother Connor!)
Anna and Clede's sunset, beach engagement session
Baby Gabrielle's 6-month session at Cuyahoga Valley National Park
Melissa and Derek's downtown Cleveland engagement session
The D family's Headlands Beach session
Julie and Emery's North Canton engagement session
It doesn't seem like that long ago that I was sitting across from Mike and Kirsten at Caribou talking about the soon-to-arrive baby in Kirsten's belly. How quickly one year passes. That soon-to-arrive baby is now a full year old! I can hardly believe it!
It has been SO fun hanging out with this family every few months over the course of this last year. Getting to work with clients over and over is the reason this job is so rewarding, and I'm so thankful this little family chose me to document one of the most important years of their lives. Thank you guys! I can't wait to see you again.
And in case you want to see Baby Lane changing over the last year, here he is from tiny to little boy:
Love those up there! He's so cute. :)
Kirsten is such a creative mom. Lane's birthday shirt matches his nursery!
Haha! Favorite!
To see more from Baby Lane's bright and colorful 1-year session, click here to view a SLIDESHOW or watch it here:
This little one is going to be an Ohio State Buckeye when she grows up. Her parents, who both attended and met at Ohio State, remind me so much of Nathan and I, who both attended and met at Miami University. We're both passionate about our schools! I think Karla and Cedric have us beat though. Not only do they have OSU paraphernalia displayed throughout Baby Gabrielle's room, but her middle name, Scarlett, is an homage to the school's famous scarlet and gray. That is impressive, my friends.
Baby Gabrielle is so tiny, and at two weeks old she is already so inquisitive. She fought sleep to stay awake for the session and her eyes followed me and her lovely parents the whole time. She's a smart one! :) Enjoy these photos of Gabrielle Scarlett's first little bit of life.
It's a baby fist pump!
That's my absolute favorite up there. So sweet and innocent.
Karla and Cedric didn't find out the baby's gender ahead of time. I think they did an awesome job on the nursery. It's so unique and would have been a great fit for a boy or girl!
Baby yawns are the best. By the end of the session she couldn't stay awake anymore and had to take a little nap. :)
