the little one

It’s amazing how quickly your concept of “normal” can change.

I can’t figure out how 6 weeks have flown by already…but at the same time it’s hard to believe a time existed when I didn’t know her.

Quinn Maelle was born at 8:29am April 30th, weighing 7lbs 13ozs. Going in to a scheduled C-Section is a very surreal experience. The idea of birth usually involves waking up in the middle of the night in labour, screaming the whole way to the hospital, etc…but that’s clearly not the way Quinn wanted to go about it. She preferred I have some time to calmly look forward to her arrival, gather my things at 4am and quietly make my way to the hospital.

If only I could’ve been calm.

With no distraction of labour pain, the drive to the hospital was the longest trip of my life….poor David trying to make conversation about mundane things so I don’t cry. At the hospital I had 3 hours to kill, sitting in a hospital bed…just waiting. We made jokes, I cried, we continued trying to narrow down the names list, I cried some more…then it was time. I was escorted by a nurse down the longest hallway imaginable (much like the drive), into what seemed like a movie set operating room. From that point on it was like I was looking at the whole experience from the outside.

From that moment on I was calm.

I can’t even write this down now without crying, but somehow at the time a sort of peaceful joy washed over me and I was able to just enjoy the experience.

The only thing I remember saying to the doctor as she came out was, “Is she little?”.  (I blame the drugs). He said, “Of course she’s little, she’s a baby”. Thanks.

I thought that as a photographer I’d rush home and start snapping pictures of her immediately, in a variety of ridiculous settings and outfits, but instead we just spent time adjusting to life and getting to know eachother. Luckily we did remember to grab a few shots along the way.

2 weeks old in dad’s arms:

3 weeks old in her room. Clearly just humoring me.

Side note: When we were in Nashville for the wedding photographers convention in January we went to a little art gallery and ended up picking up 4 prints for her room. Jessica White is from North Carolina and does these gorgeous & perfectly odd wood block prints.

In my arms at 4 weeks old.

And what a change again, only a couple of short weeks later.

People have been asking if it’s tough to go back to work and be away from her,  but I think I have the perfect career for “going back to work” postpartum. Photographing love has become even more enjoyable now that my heart has reached maximum squishiness.

Spending a full day documenting someone’s wedding, surrounded by all that love and emotion, has always made me extra happy to see David’s smiling face when I walk in the door.

Now, I have two smiling faces to look forward to.