Hello Hello!
It’s about 5 am as I’m sitting here tapping away and I’m just enjoying the peacefulness of this moment. Sitting at the kitchen table with my cup of tea and my laptop (and a slice of delicious cheesecake that my friend Niki made - yes I’m eating cake for breakfast), just the sounds of birds chirping, the clock ticking and some crickets! I haven’t been sleeping particularly well (because… pregnancy) and I just had this urge to get up and share some of the beautiful maternity/family photos we had taken a few weeks ago, here on the blog!
Our photographer was the amazing Christina @capturegeneration and I am so so happy I decided at the last minute to do this shoot with her. She’s an amazing photographer and captured my vision perfectly, and is also such a beautiful person, making us feel so relaxed and at ease in front of the camera!
I’ve shared a fair few of these photos already on instagram, but instagram feels so impermanent compared to a blog post so I needed to have them here to look back on easily!
I’m currently 37 weeks pregnant and this moment right now is reminding me of being pregnant with Ruby. I remember I was up super early in those last few weeks too and just typing away at a blog post felt so calming in the lead up to the crazy life change that was about to happen.
This time around, I feel a little more prepared, although mixed in with the excitement of meeting our new bubba is also the slight terror about having two little ones that we’re now responsible for! Having just one kiddo can feel so exhausting and overwhelming at times so the thought of having two is a bit scary! It will definitely be an adjustment and a juggle, although I know it will be an amazing one and we’ll figure things out eventually!
I am so excited for Ruby to meet her baby brother and for all the squishy newborn snuggles! She is already so in love with “her baby” as she calls him - “My baby, not mummy daddy’s baby, my baby!” - and loves giving my tummy kisses and cuddles and “feeding” baby through my belly button! Haha, it is just so cute!
I think it may be a bit of a shock for her once baby is no longer in my tummy (she’s very much used to being the centre of attention being the first grandchild on both sides of the family!) but I’m sure once she gets used to it she’s going to be such a sweet big sister.
I love these photos of Ruby and I (and of course the ones with Tom too) so much. I’m usually the one behind the camera (or just snapping photos of us in the mirror/selfies!) so it was so lovely to have some beautiful professional photos taken to capture these moments.
I can’t believe how fast the last 2.5 years have gone and how much she’s grown - particularly in the last few months. She’s talking so much now and is a real little person who you can basically have a conversation with! It’s pretty wild. While I’m so excited to meet our new bubba and for Ruby to have a sibling, it really is such a whirlwind of feelings and emotions, with a little sadness in there too knowing this chapter where it’s just the two of us is coming to an end! I feel like lately I’ve been madly rushing around trying to get everything ready before the new baby comes, while also trying to soak in these last few weeks where she’s our only baby and our attention isn’t split!
I guess that sums up motherhood/parenthood pretty well really - all the chaos and juggling just to keep up with normal life mixed in with so many moments of peace, playfulness, laughter and love - which can all happen within just a few minutes! (Life with a toddler particularly is a real rollercoaster - going through so many emotions in about 5 minutes ! One minute they can be lying on the floor having a tantrum because you gave them the wrong coloured spoon, the next they could be laughing and smiling as if nothing ever happened!)
I think that’s one of the biggest lessons I’ve learned through this whole adventure of parenthood so far. Learning to be really present and notice all those little moments of happiness, that are interspersed throughout the day. Even on those really tough days. It’s not always about the big grandiose achievements or life changing moments (although of course they have their part to play), but for the most part, it’s the tiny little things - like watching Ruby sleeping peacefully, or hearing her laugh hysterically while Tom tickles her, walks in the park feeling the sun on your skin, hearing the birds chirping… really savouring and finding joy in all those small things (that are all around even amongst the chaos!)
Don’t get me wrong, I am by no mean perfect at this, but focusing on these things has been so helpful for me (particularly when I was having a rough time earlier in the year.
Ruby just woke up and came out of the bedroom into the kitchen, looking all sleepy and cute and went “I want Bluey, I want Thomas Tank Engine” (and added “Now please! Mummy come on!” when I wasn’t fast enough!) so she’s currently snuggled on my lap watching a little TV while I finish up this post! :)
There were so many beautiful photos it was hard to choose favourites to share! If you’re looking for a family photographer in Perth I’d highly recommend Christina @capturegeneration . She’s amazing and I can’t thank her enough for these precious memories.
I haven’t mentioned it here on the blog yet, but this year I’m planning on starting to offer family and couples photography too!
I’ve always loved photography but getting more confident in my skills (and mainly just having the self belief that I can do this professionally) is something I’ve been really working on over 2021. I’ve been taking courses and doing shoots for friends for the past year, and I’m so excited to finally start sharing more of my work and help to capture beautiful memories for others, like Christina has done for us.
If you’d like to follow along on that journey, I’ll be sharing my photography work over on Instagram @laurennataliaphoto. I haven’t really dived into sharing a lot on that account yet, but plan to in the coming months!
Anyway, I better head off and get on with the day now. I have a feeling baby will be here quite soon so have a few more things I want to get done before I can fully relax and feel “ready”!
Hope you have a beautiful day and as always if you’d like to come say hi over on Instagram @laurennatalia.co I’d love to hear from you!
Lots of Love
Lauren
xxx
