37 Weeks

Posted by DrewB on July 28, 2011 · 27 Comments

I have:

- Bruised ribs

- A crazy, active baby that likes to kick the bruised ribs

- Stretch marks

- Swollen hands and feet

- Blurry vision

- An extra 35 pounds that I’m carrying around

But, I’m SO not ready to have two kids. The thought is just terrifying to me. I think I’ll keep her inside me a little longer and will enjoy the peace and quiet while it lasts.

PS I have officially outgrown this outfit. Hopefully I can get it back on for one last belly shot at 39 weeks!

Filed under Life with Brayden · Tagged with

14 Days

Posted by DrewB on July 26, 2011 · 9 Comments

Before the baby comes I have a list of things I want to do with Brayden. Night swimming, drive in movie, OC Fair, art projects, ice cream for lunch, etc. Lots of fun and quality time. We both need it. Now that she will be here in 14 days (OMG!), I’m trying to fit it all in while finishing up work and getting everything we need for Baby K. Yesterday we went to Sea World, Brayden’s most favorite place in the whole entire world. I wasn’t sure I could make it. I was almost positive the hour and a half drive alone would kill me. But, I’m so glad I did. Seeing that kid smile as big as he did was totally worth all the aches and pains and swollen feet and ankles.

*** Taken with Canon Powershot G10

Filed under Life with Brayden · Tagged with

My Confession…

Posted by DrewB on July 25, 2011 · 11 Comments

I have a confession. Brayden is not an easy child to photograph. He never has been. When he was just a couple of weeks old, every time I picked up the camera he would start crying. It took 4 weeks before I was able to take his “newborn” pictures. Everyone thinks that Brayden loves to have his picture taken. They think he’s always having so much fun when I’m shooting him. Here’s my BIG secret… most of the time he hates getting his picture taken. And do you know how hard that is for a picture loving Mom*tog? Hard.

It can be so frustrating, especially when there is the perfect moment that I’m trying to capture and he just won’t have any of it. Of course, I haven’t let it stop me. I’ve just had to be sneaky to find ways around it. Here are a few tips I’ve learned along the way:

1) Put the camera down! I think a lot of the time B doesn’t like me to take pictures of him because he would rather have my attention then have me focusing on my camera. If I put the camera down for a bit, give him my undivided attention, and try again later he will usually get over it.

2) Distraction, distraction, distraction. I always make it a game when shooting B. If he’s distracted he’ll forget that I’m trying to take his picture.

3) Patience is key. If you get frustrated your kid will get frustrated. Then you’ll both end up in tears! And that’s no fun. Walk away and try again in a bit.

4) Be sneaky! Turn the “beep” off on your camera and capture your kid being themselves without them seeing you do it.

5) I don’t know about you, but my 3 year old loves to do everything I don’t want him to do. Reverse psychology works wonders!

6) Have fun! If you’re having fun and your kiddo is having fun then they ultimately won’t care that you’re taking pictures. Don’t make it work for them. I want pictures of Brayden being Brayden. I want pictures of him having fun. So that’s what we do. We have fun together. And if he’s not into it right then and there, there’s always tomorrow to try again!

Filed under Photography, Tips & Tricks · Tagged with

Shower For Baby K

Posted by DrewB on July 19, 2011 · 27 Comments

A few weeks ago my very sweet (and talented and wonderful and awesome) friend, Jamie, threw me and my baby girl a baby shower. Jamie has two kids, works full time, and still had time to pull together this beautiful shower. It was amazing!

When Jamie started planning the shower she said, “I don’t know why, but when I think of you I think of Barbie”. Um, maybe because I played with Barbies… until I was in high school. I may have even had a couple in my locker. Wow. I can’t believe I said that out loud. That’s embarrassing! Jamie went with a retro Barbie theme and it was perfect!

On twitter and Facebook I’ve been calling the baby Baby O or Oprah. I’m going to let you in on a little secret. We’re not really naming our baby Oprah. Her name starts with a K, but we’re waiting until she’s born to do the big reveal

I love how she used my bump pictures as part of the decor

The most important part of any party to me are the desserts. I LOVE desserts! My husband got me baking lessons as a shower present. I spent the day before the shower helping make the cake and other desserts (if you’re in the OC area and need a great caterer, email me for Courtney’s info!).

I’m not much a cryer. A few gifts got me tearing up, though. The first was an audio book of “Goodnight Moon” read by my BFF’s kids Owen and Emma. Another one was little, baby pink Adidas soccer cleats from Michelle. But, the one that got me doing the ugly cry was from Brayden. He got his baby sister a pink baby blanket. It’s the same blanket that he has in blue and calls his “baby blanket”. He sleeps with it every night. My favorite part about this picture is the look on Emma’s face. Every time I cried while opening a present she had that look on her face. Love her.

Speaking of Emma, she’s been at all of my showers. She was just two months old at my bridal shower. Is she not the cutest?

It was an amazing day. Baby K and I were showered with beautiful gifts and so much love! Thank you to all of my friends and family who were there! It meant so, so much to me! Special thanks to Trista for sitting in the sweltering heat and taking pictures for me! Thanks to Michelle from Purdy Burdy Handmade for making the gifts! And a HUGE thank you to Jamie for throwing me the best baby shower ever! Words can’t ever express how thankful I am for not only the party, but our friendship!