Welcome Baby Gina

I knew from my maternity shoot with Julie and Dante, they would be great parents! They were so relaxed, especially considering they were expecting their first baby in a few weeks! When they scheduled their newborn shoot, I was so excited to meet baby Gina. If she was anything like her parents, she would be laid back and fun! I was right. Gina was a doll. A sweet little girl, who didn't find the need to sleep through our shoot as newborns usually do, she was inquisitive and didn't want to miss a thing. No crying, just a diaper change, I heard it was impressive (I opted to stay in the other room), a little feed, and all was good with Gina. I loved seeing Dante and Julie both interacting with Gina, in their own way. Such love in their eyes. There really is nothing like a newborn baby.

I really see how much the parents vibe translates to the baby. I have had a lot of newborn sessions lately, I think we are in an official baby boom. I have seen calm and confident parents, and it translates to calm confident babies. I don't mean babies that don't cry, or sleep perfectly through the night, that would not be a newborn baby. But, I see babies that are easily calmed and that seem content. It is one of the most important things I think you can do as a parent. Try not to over think the situation. Give your baby food and love, keep them clean, and don't overstimulate, but most importantly, trust your gut, and don't think too much about doing things the right or wrong way. Your baby trusts you, trust yourself.

I've Got Competition

One of the things I love most about my job is that it is never boring or predictable. This was definitely the case last week when I went on a maternity shoot. This was Heather's second pregnancy. She told me that she had a little boy that was almost 3. I let her know that I am very comfortable with little boys and we would do our best to get some good shots of him, but not to expect too many of him looking at the camera. She let me know he was used to getting his picture taken and he should cooperate.


I still did not expect much. When I arrived at their home, Harrison met me with smiles and instant chatter. I was already a fan! He was too cute. He likes to be called Harry Potter.  Most kids are at least shy when I first arrive, and then warm up. Not Harrison, he made me instantly at ease. His dad told him to get his camera, when I was getting my camera ready. He came out with a little toy, digital camera. Apparently you can even hook it up to the computer to view the photos. So, he stood along side me and took some pictures of his mom and dad, with his camera.



He was an angel through the whole shoot. When I asked him to look and smile, he did. When I asked him to look at mommy's belly, he did. He was full of hugs and kisses for his baby brother or sister. We had such a fun shoot. Working with 2 and 3 year olds can be a bit of work some times, but Harrison made my job very easy. Mom and dad told Harrison he needed to put his camera away, and head off to preschool. It was Hawaiian shirt day. Dad took Harrison off to pre school, and I finished the shoot with mom. When we finished I went to put my camera in my camera bag. I opened it up to find Harrison had put his digital toy camera in my camera bag! I almost died. He put his camera away, where he thought it belonged, in a camera bag, with the big cameras. Makes me smile every time I think of opening my bag to see his little camera there. Hopefully he continues to take lots of photos, he will be a master by time he is 4!

It Takes a Village

Four times a year, the Homeless Prenatal Program http://www.homelessprenatal.org throws a baby shower for the expectant moms that use their services. Different groups come host the baby shower, providing lunch, diaper bags loaded with essentials and positive encouragement, for the moms to keep hope for the future. I went to the shower in March, to distribute the photos I took the previous month. I love when I get to see the faces of the moms when they see their photos! They see themselves in a whole new light. Beautiful, powerful, strong. Priceless.

I have been to many of their showers but this one really touched me. I met Lisa Truong, the director of Help A Mother Out. She was there to distribute diapers to the families of HPP. She told me about the non profit she founded last year, Help a Mother Out. Did you know that diapers and other hygiene products are not covered by WIC or food stamps? Pretty unbelievable to me. They collect diapers to distribute to those who need them. They will take any unused diapers off of your hands (even if it is not a sealed, full package) and get them to those who need them. They have drop boxes around the city. Check out their website. What a great need they are filling in these touch times. http://www.helpamotherout.org

I also met Jaon and Jan from the Baby Love Ministry. Joan Rocha founded Baby Love Ministry. They were there with a table full of hand knitted baby hats and blankets. They let the moms choose a hat and blanket to bring their baby home in. They are looking for knitters to knit hats and blankets for babies born at SF General Hospital. Many of the babies born at SF General are born to one parent families and placed in Foster Care.The blankets have little hang tags letting the baby know that someone prayed for them while knitting the blanket and they are already loved.
They provide yarn, if you need, and the patterns.  Such a wonderful gift for a newborn baby. Watching the moms read the hang tags and hold the soft, beautiful, hand made blankets was so touching. Please look at their website and pass on to any knitters you know. http://www.grace-episcopal.org/ministry-babylove.html

There were many more volunteers there. Linda Hannawalt teaches HPP clients to quilt. They go to classes a few times a week, create amazing baby quilts and then donate them to the pregnant clients who attend the prenatal education classes. Clients giving to other clients, what a concept. Each mom got to choose a quilt to take home for their baby. The quilts were exquisite.

There was a couple there that has dedicated there time specifically to raising money and awareness for HPP. I could go on and on. You see what I mean...

I feel so blessed to be involved with the Homeless Prenatal Community. Seeing all of the people involved with this organization is so inspiring. When we watch the news at night, they love to show the doom and gloom, and all things negative. If the news media started focussing on the amazing things regular people are doing in the community to strengthen the bonds of their community, I think we would all be inspired to do good, knowing it is not a loosing battle. I always walk away from HPP feeling so lifted. As they say, "It takes a village". Get involved in your village today.
A year ago, we first learned that diapers and other hygiene supplies are not covered by safety-net programs like food stamps or WIC. We also learned that in these hard times, more and more families have to choose between buying diapers and buying food. This was completely unacceptable to us, so we created a fledgling campaign Help a Mother Out, to help improve the lives of mothers, children, and families, one diaper at a time. A year ago, we first learned that diapers and other hygiene supplies are not covered by safety-net programs like food stamps or WIC. We also learned that in these hard times, more and more families have to choose between buying diapers and buying food. This was completely unacceptable to us, so we created a fledgling campaign Help a Mother Out, to help improve the lives of mothers, children, and families, one diaper at a time. ago, we first learned that diapers and other hygiene supplies are not covered by safety-net programs like food stamps or WIC. We also learned that in these hard times, more and more families have to choose between buying diapers and buying food. This was completely unacceptable to us, so we created a fledgling campaign Help a Mother Out, to help improve the lives of mothers, children, and families, one diaper at a time.
A year ago, we first learned that diapers and other hygiene supplies are not covered by safety-net programs like food stamps or WIC. We also learned that in these hard times, more and more families have to choose between buying diapers and buying food. This was completely unacceptable to us, so we created a fledgling campaign Help a Mother Out, to help improve the lives of mothers, children, and families, one diaper at a time. year ago, we first learned that diapers and other hygiene supplies are not covered by safety-net programs like food stamps or WIC. We also learned that in these hard times, more and more families have to choose between buying diapers and buying food. This was completely unacceptable to us, so we created a fledgling campaign Help a Mother Out, to help improve the lives of mothers, children, and families, one diaper at a time.