I just wanted to give a heads-up that I will be on vacation for the next week.  I will have access to email and voicemail, so you four mamas who are due any day now are welcome to give me a call as soon as your little ones make their arrivals and I will get back to you right away.  All other emails and phone calls will be returned the first of February.

On a side note, my littlest baby girl turned three today.  I do not know where the time has gone.  What a pure delight these past three years have been.  Don’t ever let anyone tell you two is terrible–two is pretty much the honeymoon period of parenting–goofy faces, silly sayings, burgeoning independence, something new learned everyday.  Three, on the other hand, well… let’s not think about that right now:).

Anyway, what’s a blog post without images?  Well, boring, but that’s probably best left a rhetorical question.  We snagged a few quick shots before running out the door this morning.

I can almost hear the giggle in this one:

JuJuBe, just love you more than chocolate!   Happy Birthday, big girl!

So very soon, in fact.  This mama is due in just a week and a half.  I know this beautiful mom just can’t wait to meet her new little girl–neither can I, for that matter!  There is just something so wonderfully gratifying about being invited in to share in such a special and ultimately life-changing time in a person’s life.  I felt so honored that Erin chose me to document her pregnancy.  Here she is in all her pregnancy loveliness…

…but not for very much longer!

Just love all the rich, warm colors in this first one:

Erin, it was simply a pleasure.  Can’t wait to meet you, baby girl!

That’s what this little one was–a pure delight.  In fact, 10 minutes into her session I had to tell her to get ornery so it wouldn’t be so hard to narrow down the amazingly cute shots.  Nine months is such a fun age to photograph–babies are sitting so well, most are crawling (an added challenge), and some even have those first little teeth poking up on the bottom.  It’s so fun to watch these babies grow up and turn into the little people they are going to be.  Here she is at 6 days and 4 months, cute as ever.  Okay, enough from me, let’s get to the images:).

I am warning you, I did a horrible job narrowing them down for the sneak peek.  You’ll just have to suffer through cute baby overload.  Deal with it:).

This darling headband from the belle and the beau went so perfectly with her sweet outfit!

I have one like this where she is smiling, but this one just makes my hear go pitter-pat;).

Gosh, I love those little teeth!

Love!

Okay, these just make me giggle–hat is from the belle and the beau too.

What can I even say about this one?  Love, love, love:).

And, finally, sweet outfits and fun accessories are all fine and good, but if you ask me, birthday suits are always the height of baby fashion:).

Thanks for coming to play!  Hugs!

Sweet baby Anna was not so sure about this whole portrait thing.  And, really, who can blame her?  I’d much rather be snuggled up with my mom and dad (or husband and kids) than pretty much anywhere else.  She was such a trooper, though.  I loved seeing just how much she loved her parents–and mom and dad adored her right back.  I was telling them at the session how much she reminds me of my own squishy babies.  I just loved every sweet little roll!

There were so many sweet family shots, but this one just tugs at my little heart strings.

We caught a couple smiles:).

She just loved her little piggie-toes!

Hand down, session favorite for me!

Thanks for coming to play sweetheart!  See you soon:).

Oh, Baby Boy! I just love you so much–from your tippy-toes to your cute little chin (all 3 of them!). I had a session Saturday, stay tuned for a sweet 6-month old little girl in my next post, and decided to leave my equipment up so I could do a little mini-session with Jack. I cannot believe he is 4 months already. I can hardly stand it.

Just wanted to share the sweet face I find staring up at me all too often at 12:00 a.m. And 1:00. And 2:00. And… well, you get the picture.

Love this little giggle!

We have just discovered how fun toes can be:).

And, oh, I cannot tell you how utterly happy this last one makes me.  That’s my sweet, squishy, smiley boy!

Love you, Peanut!

Sooooo happy.  Giddy, really.  Almost inexplicably so.  Just a silly, goofy grin every time I walk by my little Christmas present to myself:).

I had this image of Jack printed as a 24×36.  You can see said goofy grin in this snap my darling husband took for me:

Yes, Jack’s head in the photo is 3+ times bigger than it is in real life right now.  And yes, I was a bit nervous it might look strange or minimize his tininess at the time, but it really doesn’t.  It’s just beautiful!  For all the anxiety that printing big can sometimes cause (Do I have enough wall space?  Is it going to be overpowering?  Will I regret ordering a print that big?), I can honestly say I have never wished I had printed smaller.  If anything, I just get more excited to order more prints.  That reminds me, I have 4 or 5 more large images that are all ready to go, but never seem to get ordered in between placing client orders… :).

On another note, my husband and I first saw this little piece of genius when our first sweet girl was almost a year old.  Every time I have another baby, it comes rushing back to me and pretty much defines my life right now.

I am doing the best I can to function on super-limited sleep (let’s just say that despite his myriad wonderful qualities, Jack is NOT a sleeper), but I appreciate patience as I continue to occasionally do things like send emails and forget the attachments.  At least the majority of my wonderful clients are experiencing the same phenomenon, and most of the others remember it.  Let’s call it a bonding exercise, ‘kay?

Oh, I just realized I included two self portraits in this post;).

Happy New Year to all my clients and blog readers!  I hope this new year brings you joy and a renewed sense of purpose.  I love new beginnings (maybe that explains my affinity for maternity and baby photography).  We sat down last night to discuss resolutions for the new year.  Some of us are reaching for the moon; my oldest resolved to do better at everything she did “bad” on last year.  Some of us chose to focus on a single goal; the two-year old wants to learn to play the Wii that came from grandma and grandpa this year.  No matter what the resolution, though, it’s always such a blessing to have the opportunity to reflect on the past year, take stock of our lives, and move forward with energy and direction.

There are so many exciting things happening for Jessica Washburn Photography in 2010.  I am pleased to be offering my clients both portrait plans and portrait collections this year.  I have spent the past year getting to know my clients needs and researching the absolute highest quality products, and I am so excited about all the new offerings for this new year.  A new website, a new look, and an online shopping cart are all currently in the works, as well.  The biggest news, however, is that 2010 will also be bringing a permanent studio to Jessica Washburn Photography, and I cannot express how excited I am to finally have the space to bring so many images to fruition that so far have only existed in my imagination!  No word yet on a completion date, but I will keep you posted.

Already, 2010 is shaping up to be a fantastic year.  If you are considering having portraits taken, I encourage you to book early.  I have one or two slots available for February and am currently booking into March.  Remember, it’s best to call during the second or third trimester if you are interested in a newborn session, to make sure you are able to secure a session.

Best wishes for a wonderful 2010!