My baby shower in early March 2020 was the last event where I was free to hug and socialize with friends and family. None of us knew of course that by the following weekend, we’d all be in lockdown. I also found out then that I was to be induced two weeks ahead of baby’s due date; our little girl was coming early. All that time I’d set aside at the end of my pregnancy to “nest” and get organized for her arrival was gone, and in its place was an enormous amount of anxiety and apprehension—about the Covid-19 virus, the lockdown, my birth plan, which had gone completely out the window, and so on.
But that time also allowed me to count and appreciate our many blessings. The weather was gorgeous leading up to my induction day, and we were so excited to meet our baby girl. Once at the hospital, the nurses, doctors and our midwife were all so amazing and we feel lucky to have had an incredible team during such a huge moment of our lives and during a very stressful time for health care workers. River made her entrance to the world with a thick head of hair and beautiful big eyes–our world was changed forever in the best possible way! Thankfully, she and I were both healthy, and we were sent home the following day.
My coubester (cousin/best friend) had her son just 12 days before River. It was really special going through pregnancy together and we documented the time with a set of photos: before and after babies!
This summer we started a backyard garden. I’ve never had a green thumb but this year we had a lot of success (mostly thanks to the irrigation system!) with the plants, especially our bumper crop of tomatoes.
It has also been a year of vet visits for both our other “babies”—but thankfully Kieffer and Zappa are doing so much better now!
I attempted and mostly finished a 365 photo-a-day project throughout the year and made it a goal to practice taking more self-portraits, especially since we weren’t able to do a newborn session with River as we had planned to. As a photographer, we’re constantly reminding our clients to get in the frame with their kiddos, so I planned to practice what I preach and although some days River was not as into it, or I felt too tired and uninspired, I still managed to take quite a few.
River continues to be such a happy girl – at 9 ½ months she’s crawling, babbling away and can’t get enough of her dog and horse – often squealing with excitement when she sees them.
We so miss being able to see our family and friends–here’s hoping that will change soon. In the meantime we’ll just have to share her this way.
I plan to continue my photo a day personal project in 2021 and perhaps I’ll even get better about posting them in a timely fashion!
This dress my mum saved from when I was a baby!
Special thanks to Jesse Holland Photography for this family photo of us all (just missing Zappa)!