ALL SANDBOX NEW

Sharing a few favorite moments from our photo shoot with Yehudis Goldfarb Photography.



I'm SO HAPPY Yehudis contacted me while I was pregnant to see if I would be interested in a Newborn Lifestyle Session. I took one look at her portfolio and knew I wanted to work together!

To be honest, I wasn't planning on hiring anyone to take newborn photos of Blair. My husband and I talked about it and in our arrogance, thought that we would just take some newborn pictures of her ourselves. THIS IS A BAD IDEA. In those early days with a new baby, you're tired, very tired, and it feels like there's no time. Frankly, I looked like a hot mess for several weeks and needed the help of a professional to look good in photos. If you're a picture lover like me, hire someone who knows what they're doing and can capture the whole family together. I would start looking for newborn photographers while you're pregnant.

I love candid pictures, ones where it seems like the people in them don't know their picture is being taken. I love pictures that capture honest moments and make you feel like you're in the picture too. That's exactly what Yehudis does. During our shoot, she made us feel completely comfortable, and it was really nice and easy having her come to our home. I smile at every picture she took and think she perfectly captured the love that we feel for our sweet Blair.

If you're wondering about the pink poms behind us in the 2nd picture, they're from our baby shower. I have plans for them in her future nursery! Also, a cute story about my husband - I bought those salmon colored pants for him last year. He wore them once, and I could tell he wasn't a huge fan of the color. The day of the shoot, he put together this outfit by himself and said "I think Blair will like it." She's got him wrapped around her finger already.

If you're looking for a family photographer in the DC area, check out Yehudis' website and be sure to sign up for her FREE E-BOOK called “Photographing Your Family’s Everyday – 75+ ideas for documenting life’s fleeting moments”! You can also find her on Instagram, Facebook, Google+, and Pinterest.

Thank you so much for these beautiful pictures, Yehudis! We will cherish them always!

Happy Mother's Day! From the moment I looked into Blair's eyes, kissed her, and said "hi, I'm your mommy", my new life began. Here's what I love about being her mom so far.



THOSE SMILES \\ My baby girl is a morning person like me. After I feed her breakfast, she either sweetly falls back to sleep or looks at me with bright eyes and the most amazing, gummy smile - the big open mouth kind of smile where her full cheeks lift up her eyes. Sometimes she'll look at me while she's eating and smile with milk spilling out everywhere. It's the most adorable thing I've ever seen! Smiling is how I think she tells me she loves me, and it melts my heart every time.

OUR CONVERSATIONS \\ She loves listening to music and to me sing to her. Her favorite songs are the ABCs, the Itsy Bitsy Spider, and songs from the Disney Pandora station. She studies my mouth as I sing and then lifts her chin, coos, and smiles. I'll smile and repeat the sound she makes back to her which makes her smile even bigger and then she coos back with another sound. I wonder what she's trying to say...

SEEING HER GROW \\ She's getting bigger and bigger and according to her pediatrician, has been gaining the right amount of weight. This is incredibly gratifying because it means I'm doing one of my jobs as her mother correctly and that breastfeeding, something I was really worried about while I was pregnant, is going well.

THE CLOTHES \\ Thanks to the generosity of our family and friends, Blair's wardrobe is on fleek! (did I use that correctly? ha!) She has more clothes than my husband and a growing accessories collection. That doesn't keep me from browsing J.Crew Baby, Zara Mini, or Janie and Jack online. I'm now shopping more for her than I am for myself. There's just something irresistible about clothing in mini proportions.

What's the hardest part so far? The exhaustion...I don't remember the last time I felt well-rested. It's not Blair's fault. We've got her on a good routine, and she's a great sleeper at night. I, on the other hand, am not a good sleeper. I've never been. My husband says the smallest rustle or noise from her crib makes me shoot up to check on her. I only partly remember doing this. The nights tend to run together after a while and my short term memory isn't what it used to be. (Apparently, on average 5% of a mom’s brain shrinks during pregnancy!) But everyone says I'll get better and my body will adjust. Until then, I'll just focus on the things I love.

How do you plan on celebrating your mum today?

I'm SO HAPPY to share that my husband and I are expecting our first baby (aside from this sweet guy) next year!!! I first announced on Instagram because I was just too excited and too busy to wait.

My first trimester was everything I heard it would be, and I felt like I was on a deep sea fishing trip in a storm for most of it. I don't know why it's called 'morning sickness' - for me it was more like 'all-day sickness'. I couldn't stop myself from taking a 2 hour nap every day plus sleeping 8+ hours every night. Most of the food that I normally love to eat sounded and smelled awful to me (like avocados). But I'm happy to share that we've made it passed that part of the pregnancy, and now I'm feeling great!

We don't know the baby's gender yet but do plan to find out. Every ultrasound I fall more and more in love with this baby. He/she is always bouncing around or kicking and moving his/her arms up and down. I like to tease my sporty and active husband, "This baby definitely takes after you!" We are both consumed with excitement, already so in love, and can't wait to meet our little one!

I am also so grateful for the overwhelming response of congratulations and love from all of you! I really really appreciate it! And since this is my first baby, I'm open to any and all advice you may have. Please share!


P.S. I'll be sharing more details on my outfit and why I'm so dressed up in my next post! xo