I think one of my favourite things about my work as a photographer is to witness the sheer joy and love between parents and their new babies.  Having grown kids of my own, I know there are bound to be rough patches (far) ahead when these babes grow into adolescence, and I always imagine them surly and uncooperative with hormones, but still needing their parents’ love so much.  I imagine these teens staring hard at images I once took to fill themselves with the adoration on their parents’ faces alight with joy at welcoming them into the world.   Professionals maintain that hanging photographs as art in the home increases children’s self esteem and sense of belonging…of course.

Little V came to Jane Photo for 100-day photographs, and it was my great pleasure to work with her family to make some of the first artistic images of her life.

Did I mention how much I love my clients?  I just seem to get genuinely nice people through my studio, and they are a joy and a delight to work with.  V’s family was such a pleasure.  Lovely to see Dad so involved and caring with his little gal, too.  Thanks for everything, and for having such a cutie patootie for me to photograph, too!

Please feel free to feed our organization of the month, Pacific Post Partum Support Society, by leaving a comment below and by telling your friends and family members to do so too.  This organization helps out moms experiencing anxiety or depression after childbirth, and their work is much needed.  Each comment you leave during March is worth $1 to their coffers up to a monthly total of $200!  So please give generously.

Here are some words of wisdom from mom:

Tell us about the day you realized you were pregnant with Ms V.

I kinda suspected it so it wasn’t that suprising to me, but my husband didn’t know yet so I put the pregnancy test in a brown bag and he thought it was his snack. LOL

What is the best thing about being V’s mommy?

She smiles everytime she sees me (though she might be thinking, Oh, here comes my food)

What moments between V and your husband really melt your heart?

When my husband kisses her and she is just laughing and giggling.

How was your labour?

Labour was just bearable. I had one of those back labours so it was a long 20 hours, but otherwise not too bad for a first timer (as people keep telling me).

You just moved into a new house. Have you had fun decorating a room for V?

We haven’t done much yet, still busy getting all the furniture.

What is V’s favourite thing in the world?

She loves keypads: remote control, computer-she loves pounding on them. I think she’s figured out that those keys change the screens.

What are your hopes and dreams for V as she grows?

We just hope that she grows up to be a happy person.

We photographers just disappear from our blogs in the fall…getting worse and worse about getting sessions up. Not because we’re not busy, but because, well, we can’t keep up. So with apologies to everyone, here is the gorgeous Ms T.

Welcome to the world, little Ms T. Here, finally, for everyone who followed her mama’s three (3!) mat sessions with Jane Photo, is the little lovely who joined our world a few days before Hallowe’en. We did our shoot when she was just five days old. Perfect timing! She still loved to curl up, and Mom’s milk had come in. By the way, Ms T was born at home in a water birth in the still of the night. Both my kids were born at home, too, so I am always pleased to hear about wonderful home births!

As always, please do leave us a comment below if you’re here having a peek. Each comment below gives the Vancouver Food Bank a donation of $1 during all of 2009…a donation of up to $2400 for the year…but only if you participate!

Here are some words of wisdom from tiny Ms T’s lovin’ mama:

You are the proud mama to Ms T.  She also has the wonderful middle name of “Star.”  Are you exhausted?

I didn’t sleep the first week because it was so hard not to stare at her all the time.  She’s so cute!  But she’s pretty good in the night and I can get a few hours of sleep in between nursing.

Tell us about your pregnancy.

I had a great pregnancy with no sickness.  I wasn’t working much so I feel lucky I had alot of time to relax and enjoy being pregnant. 

How was your labour?  Did you know you were going to have a girl?

I delivered her in a water birth at home which was the birth that I imagined.  Keeping the sex of the baby a surprise helped at the end of the labor and knowing we were about to find out if the baby was a girl or boy. 

What was the first thing that surprised you about being a mom?

I feel so comfortable as a mom as if I’ve done this all before.  And the love you feel as you look into your baby’s eyes is magical.

When did you realize you were head over heels in love with Ms T?

Immediately!

What is the best thing about being a mom?

I love taking care of her and nursing her.  She’s just so sweet. 

What is the worst thing about being a mom?

No complaints yet.

What are your hopes and dreams for Ms T as she grows?

I hope that she discovers for herself what her hopes and dreams are and what makes her happy.  

What is one time during your day when you’re with Ms T and your heart just melts? 

Sleeping next to her is amazing.  Some of her sounds and facial expressions are adorable.  Oh and the smiles that are just starting are so incredible!

Why were custom photographs important to you?

To capture her on her 5th day of life is so special.  She’s now over one month old and has already changed so much. 

How was your experience with Jane Photo?

The photo session was so great since Jane and my husband had Tessa in the photo studio and I got to sleep on the couch in the other room. It was the best rest I’d had in a while!  Jane was also great with the baby. And I love the photos.

This little tyke came to see us with his very much bigger sister, R, who is 25, and his ever-lovin’ mama. He was four months old, but at times I thought he must be much, much older. But in any case, he is awfully cute, and just full of bubbly love for being alive.

Please do leave the family and Jane Photo a comment below, as we’ll make a donation to Vancouver’s Food Bank for every single one in 2009! Help us feed the hungry!

The adorable Ms I swept her way into my studio (and my heart) recently with her devoted French mama et papa, K and G. Only five days old (and two weeks early) she had been up all night partying with her parents, in particular her mama, and so she hit the heat of my studio and was putty in my hands. Mama conked out too for part of the session, and we tiptoed around hoping against hope that she could catch up on her sleep a little. Papa G is an engineer who has worked with MSF, and he was an incredible assistant…for some of these shots, I needed his skills! Put part A here, top with part B, and move part C over there.

Here is what mama had to say about her new little girl:

Congratulations to you both on becoming parents! You weren’t quite full term when you delivered. Tell us about your labor.

A. was two weeks in advance. The first contraction started at around 6 am on Monday. G was with me the all time and a Doula came at home around 8 am. She was really amazing, helped me a lot through this amazing experience and without her I don’t think I would have coped so well. By 10 am we were in the hospital and I asked for a waterbirth. Two hours later A. was born and at 8 pm we were back at home. I don’t think I could have hoped for a better labor.

What is the thing that amazed you the most about becoming a mom?

I feel it is very natural and it is like she has always been here.

Have you been getting much sleep?

We are a little tired but so far I think we are managing well. A. is a calm baby but very hungry so she need to be breastfeed very often.

How was G’s first Father’s Day? (Congrats, G!)

It’s very nice. I am not sure I have yet fully realized all the thing it implies but I can’t wait to get hand made, imaginative gifts!

How did your family in France react to news the baby had arrived?

There are all happy for us and very excited. They live far away and can’t wait to be able to take her in their arms. The webcam is nice but it is not the same especially for grand-mothers. Both are coming during summer, not too long to wait.

What is the best thing in your life with Ms A?

We love having her in our bed in the morning and watching her little face when she sleeps.

It is a little hard to imagine that Ms A will be walking in 12 short months, isn’t it? What are your hopes for your first year as a mom?

I want to enjoy my time off with her as much as possible, as I am sure it will go very fast. We are hoping to take two months of vacation to relax
together and also watch A. enjoying her first year.

Please, everyone, do take the time to leave a comment for the parents. They just love to receive them, and I donate $1 to Vancouver’s Food Bank for every one!

I call the first photo “Calling Gramma.”

Here is my entire session with little Mr. Nathan (minus a few images because of song timing). I find it just so amazing that I get to work with babies in their first week of life, when moms have just finished (just finished!) giving birth, one of life’s most pivotal experiences. The newborns at this age are so sleepy and sweet-smelling. The bones in their heads are not fused, and you can feel their soft spots. I could have just eaten Mr N up…I mean, really, do babies get any cuter? Plus he has these awesome parents, lucky guy, Nancy and Paul, who are over their heads about him. Like most women, I just melt around dads being all gushy and loving, and I really hit it off with Paul. And since it’s almost Father’s Day, Paul, this one’s for you!

Please leave comments! If you do, I donate $1 per to Vancouver’s food bank. It’s a great (and easy) way to make a big difference.

Say hello to tiny little Ms R! Oh, what a delicious little baby…we could all have just nibbled up her tiny long toes and fingers. She was seven days old in these pix, and she slept and slept and slept as if I’d given her an elixir–which is cool, because I had cooked up a whole raft of new ideas I wanted to be able to try out. Towards the end, when we were doing photos down at the ravine, she woke right up, but she was still completely amenable, just wide-eyed and curious. What blew me away, then, was that she could keep her head up, way up, like a much older baby. She would even grow a little fatigued, lay it down, then pull herself right back up again. And I can attest to the fact that she is also rolling over on her side!

I am so, so thrilled to have had a chance to try out a major new prop, a great piece of driftwood my father-in-law gave me. How west coast/Vancouver is that? I just love the results. Just love them.

Welcome to the world, little Ms R! And Happy Father’s Day, Ms R’s doting dad!

As always, please leave blog comments. We donate $1 to Vancouver’s Food Bank for every comment in 2009.

We took two sets of outdoor pix, one in my garden (with the clematis, water feature and our glass bead waterfall we call “the folly”), and a second set by the ravine.

Say hello to the cutest baby in the world! Meet Ms A, a definite going concern, who is all about kisses. All about kisses! I photographed the lovely Ms A (and her great family) a week ago at Canuck Place hospice for Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep. Everyone knows NILMDTS is one of my favourite charities…and I’d have to say that Canuck Place in Vancouver is pretty darned awesome too. What they provide in hospice care for families needing a helping hand during a child’s illness is beyond compare. I know Ms A is having a medically difficult time these days, but none of that stops her from slapping five, blowing kisses, and, of course, planting an endless field of big wet sloppy ones on any cheek within reach. In fact, when I finally put the fool camera away, I was the recipient of about a dozen of Ms A’s special kisses, and each one, I swear, landed right smack dab on my heart.

Look at Ms A’s wondrous hair! Love that ringlet that cascades down right in the middle of her forehead.

The G family was so utterly sweet, and Ms A is lucky to spend her days bathed in their adoration. I just adored every member of this close-knit clan, and I think if I’d been there longer, I could have found myself three willing photography assistants in the older kids.

Thanks, G family, for allowing me to share some images of your special little girl. It was such a delight working with you.

We at Jane Photo wish the G family courage and strength in the days ahead. I am holding you all in my heart (right beside you know who’s kisses).

Baby N was 9 days old when he came in. On hitting the studio, he fell into a deep sleep from which he barely roused, as if he had been waiting all his oh so long, long, long life to finally be allowed to get some deep sleep. He was so quiet that it was unimaginable that he might at some point actually wake up and holler. But he kept the most adorable little scowl on his face, and indeed, check out when he was doing what we photogs call “the pose:” his forehead was corduroy.

I loved, loved, loved so many images from this session. The moss basket rocks my world. The hands bowl rocks my world. The tulip rocks my world (although it was short-lived as baby N did proceed to nurse it–a photo I included to show his parents just for fun). I just love the textures in the blanket wrap and its background…all the more because I made both of them.

As always, please “donate” a comment here. For every comment left in ’09, Jane Photo donates $1 to Vancouver’s Food Bank, and they can purchase $3 worth of food for hungry families. Our April total was $102!

Here are words of wisdom from N’s loving mama:

You’re a brand new mom.  Here’s that all-important question:  How was the labour?
- Labour for me was…well, let’s get real, it was painful!!  But looking back the 30 hours went by quickly.  If it wasn’t for P’s support through the ordeal in addition to the laughing gas, it would have been a lot more difficult.  

How was it having studio shots done when the redoubtable Mr N was only 9 days old? 
- We were a bit nervous at first about having our Mr N out of the house for his studio shots at only 9 days old, but he was such a little angel.  He slept through most of the session, and despite a few unexpected poops and pees at some inopportune times, he gets an A+.

Is Mr N letting you get any sleep?
- We are pretty lucky.  He sleeps on a 3-4 hour schedule around the clock with about an hour of awake time in between.  So far, we’ve been able to average about 6 hours of sleep per night…knock on wood.

What is the most surprising thing about being a new parent?
- How many differences of opinions and advice you receive from physicians, nurses, friends, family, the internet, etc.  It seems that ultimately there is no right or wrong way to go about things as long as you trust your own gut and heart and proceed with what you feel is best for your baby.

What are you most looking forward to now that you’re a parent?
- Watching with fascination as N discovers and learns new things every day.  Every time he smiles and looks up at us, we just melt.

You are so, so good with the baby.  Did you find it all came to you both pretty naturally?
- It’s amazing how when we had N, our bond started immediately.  Right away, it felt like we were meant to be.  

How long do you have off work?
- Fortunately, I have a full year off of work.  Dad had 3 weeks of vacation time to spend with us.

What is the best thing about being a mother?
- Gaining a deep, deep understanding of what true and unconditional love is.  

What is the most challenging thing about being a mother?
- The worrying that comes along with this new role.

What are your hopes for N’s future?
- That every day of his future he feels completely loved and cherished by us.  Oh yeah – and Dad hopes he’ll become a rock star  some day:)

This utterly adorable child came to me at 7 months…and everyone knows that photographers like me love two ages best: newborns under two weeks, and little sitters between 7-9 months before they can crawl away from us. Baby M turned me inside out, I swear, because she was toooo cute. I could have just nibbled on those plump little cheeks of hers, so delicious was she. She was a little uncertain in the studio, though, and we just may have to give it another try (twist my arm). We got a ton of awesome photographs, and having her back would surely just be an excuse to have another look at these exquisite long lashes dry instead of tear-wet.

Everybody knows that we live for your comments, so please leave one here! It’s all part of our Cans for Comments drive, too, where each comment you leave gains the Vancouver Food Bank one can!

Here are some words from mama:

How do you find being a mom?
Happy, excited and of course, anticipating the responsibiliry of motherhood. To be able to love someone this deep is the most amazing experience.

Is there something about motherhood that utterly surprised you?
I thought that motherhood is just giving love without expecting to take something back. But in fact, I have been getting more from my little M than what I have been giving to her.

What is baby M’s favourite thing in the world?
When she sees her food and milk coming, she gets so excited. She opens her mouth so widely and comes toward the food by herself.

What is your favourite thing to do together?
To sit down face to face and make each other laugh until we get stomachache. Sometimes afterwards we get tired and fall asleep holding hands together.

Can you share an anecdote about baby M?
I can’t ask her permission yet

What about baby M and her daddy? Do you have any good stories about them?
Oh,,, she loves her daddy so much that her eyes are always following him. She loves a piggyback ride and uses her daddy’s head as a drum. It makes a good sound!

What are your hopes for baby M’s future?
I like her to experience a variety of things to be able to feel for others and to grow her spirit.

I just learned about The Baby James Project and I wanted to mention it here in case this technique might be useful to someone. The Baby James project was begun by a colleague of mine, a fantastic newborn photographer named Blair Blanks, who some time ago lost her baby. It made me think of my youngest. On the day Meg was to be born, she began to vigorously kick. She kicked so hard she hurt me, inside out, and nothing I could do would stop her. That evening she arrived in a two-hour flurry of pain and pushing (a grea labour, let me tell you…two hours? I’m all over that!). I gave birth to both my girls at home, but I wonder, had we been in the hospital, whether fetal distress would have been diagnosed.