Sasha and I took the optional early gender test when I was pregnant at 14 weeks and found out a week later, on our first day in Bali, that we were having a girl. I am not going to lie – I was so relieved. I kept telling everyone I thought I was having a boy, almost to reverse jinx myself. I have two sisters and a plethora of girl cousins, and to be honest, I just didn’t know what I would do with a baby boy.
Fast forward over a year, and I’m dying to have a little boy! I mean, having Isla is the most special thing ever (a mini me to dress like yourself? Yes, please). However, little boys are also so, so cute. I feel like 2015 has been the year of boys (and lots in 2014 too – namely, Simon!). I’ve recently photographed five newborn boys (see photos on my photography site – Snapshots by Ailee Petrovic), and most of Isla’s little friends are boys too.
I had the privilege of photographing a sweet baby boy named David yesterday. He is absolutely precious, and he slept during the photos (hooray!). It was the first time that has happened in ages, and so we got some cute snoozing photos. I also took 3 month photos of Baby Brooks (his newborn photos here). Y’all, he is so precious I cannot handle it!
As I mentioned yesterday, we went to two 1st birthday parties on Saturday for Isla’s boy friends. Instead of inundating your inbox with lots of separate posts, I thought I’d share photographs of Brooks, David, Kevin and Alexander all in one. Consider this baby boy cuteness overload. You’re welcome in advance!
Brooks
Last Wednesday, sweet baby Brooks entered this world, and his parents, family and friends are all enamored, as he is just adorable. I had the pleasure of meeting and taking Brooks’ photos on his one week birthday (an emotional milestone to all new parents as they scratch their heads and wonder where the last 7 days went!).
Having a newborn is exhausting. When Isla was born, I felt a kind of tired I had never experienced before. As babies do not have normal body clocks when they’re first born, they tend to wake every 2-3 hours to feed, which may take up to 45 minutes. I have a journal from Isla’s first weeks which tracked her eating patterns. 1-1:45am, 4-4:45am, 7-7:45am, 10-10:45am, 1-1:45pm, 4-4:45pm, 7-7:45pm, 10-10:45. And repeat. Ohmygosh. How do new moms survive? The answer is cliche, but true: the love you feel for your child is what keeps you going and makes the exhaustion worthwhile, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t a challenge. Add loads and loads of laundry, dishes, and cleaning to the mix, and your head is spinning. Preparing food for dinner? No way. Even chores like walking the dog become an ordeal. After experiencing life with a newborn, I have tips to share that will prepare you to help any friend who is in a similar situation.