You spend 9 months choosing the perfect nursery theme, lining the clothes hangers exactly 1 inch apart and smoothing the crib sheet waiting for her to arrive. You step back, take a deep, calm breath in and say "it's perfect". Then, she arrives. You change her 3 times in the hospital, giving up the idea that you're taking her home in the outfit you so meticulously planned out. You are a physical and emotional wreck for at least the first week (I barely kept it together the first two weeks) and all of a sudden that "perfection" that you worked so hard for doesn't seem to matter because she's here, she's healthy and you have your perfect little family.
As a new parent, you know there will be lessons to learn. Your first lesson? Things do NOT go as planned. And guess what? That's the beauty of it. Sure, it might take you a while to realize that it's ok if she doesn't wear all of the outfits or doesn't quite latch on like you want her to. What happened? Life did. You created life - a being that has her own personality and somehow you've changed too. Maybe you're adapting to the changes subconsciously, but somehow it's not so bad that it's not perfect - you almost like the chaos. After all, you won't remember the perfection, you'll remember the memories you make in between the laundry piles and frozen pizza for dinner.
This... this is where newborn lifestyle comes in. There are no props, no babies swaddled tight in a basket, no photoshop involved. Those photos are adorable - I totally agree - BUT I want to do something unique, something different. I want to capture your new family inside your home because that is exactly where your memories are. The place where your most important treasures surround your baby; the book that your grandpa wrote a scribble of love for her or where the whole family snuggles together with your beloved first fur child. These photos will capture all the tiny details that make up who and what is so important to her and to you. Documentary newborn photography isn't just one single moment in time, it's the telling of a story - the story she'll ask you to tell her again and again as you tuck her into bed.
Life is so short and so fast. Live in the moment - be in the photos - soak in the memories, because when it's all over that's all we'll have left.
