Watching the little moments of Archer’s childhood unfold has really solidified my dreams of moving into lifestyle family photography. They are such meaningful, natural moments of learning and exploration, and unlike a traditional portrait, they tell a story of that moment, and of this season of our life. Although my mom took most of the images of us in the hospital, I love Fresh 48 Lifestyle sessions and I am so happy that we have those first few hours with Gryffin captured. So if you’re looking for some candid lifestyle family or Fresh 48 photography in Chatham-Kent, please let me know! I am so excited to move in this direction with my business.
___________________________
Our last evening of a family of 3 was spent out in the sunshine. Eric and Archer went looking for turkeys and assembled our new patio furniture. It was very relaxed and laid back, unlike the evening that would follow…
(Looks like I need to clean my lens!)
My water broke around 1pm on April 21, and because Archer’s birth was fairly quick, we were prepared to head to the hospital as soon as things started progressing. Eric was home from work and the car was packed within an hour, but nothing was happening. Of course, being as prepared as we were, it took 12 hours for my contractions to kick in, but when they did they did not hold back. After a looooong evening of waiting, walking, Mexican food and pumping, we finally decided to turn in and get some sleep while we could. Our midwife came out for a visit and said things were progressing even though I wasn’t feeling much, so when my contractions did pick up it likely wouldn’t take long.
My first contraction woke me up around 12:45 am on April 22, and Gryffin Thomas arrived at 1:49am – a mere 15 minutes after we arrived at the hospital. My mom didn’t even make it in time! He was 7lbs, 11oz and 19 inches long (a shorty!), and 100% perfection. Like I said, things with Archer we quite fast, but I was not expecting him to come as quickly as he did. It is amazing how your body responds the second time around and just knows what to do and how to do it.
Coincidentally, I had ordered a new camera the week before and it was delivered that afternoon while we were home waiting for my labour to start. I had a few hours to play with it, and then handed it over to my mom following Gryffin’s birth to snap some shots of us. We took a lot of pictures when Archer was born but only on cell phones, so these are really special for me.
A huge, HUGE, thank you to this amazing woman! We were so lucky to have Simone deliver both of the boys. She has been nothing but supportive throughout both pregnancies, and of course the births. The whole team at the Midwifes of Chatham-Kent is beyond amazing – I cannot recommend them enough.
After a few hours of sleep, Eric came back to the hospital with Archer and we were able to have the room to ourselves for our first moments as a family of four. Archer was so excited to meet Gryffin, although a bit more excited to receive his big brother gift (which he found in my closet two weeks before): some new trains, crafts, stickers and candy, of course. He did great meeting Gryffin, and although we are working on being gentle, he is adjusting really well.
One of the perks of having a midwife is being able to go home 4 hours after your birth, so we were home just after lunch that day, eager to settle into our new normal.
And of course, the following days included a lot of this: 3 sleepy boys.
Thank you everyone for the well wishes and the congratulations. We are so blessed, and I already can’t imagine life without Gryffin.
xo, B.
