Our Bag is (mostly) Packed + My Turn in Front of the Camera!

We’re 26 days away!  Twenty-six!  In less than a month, Reggie and I will become parents to a sweet little baby boy!  Eeek!  I cannot believe how these past eight months have flown by, with their ups and downs, mostly ups.  We are so excited!

The past few weeks have been quite a whirlwind.  I photographed a beautiful garden wedding just shy of being 35 weeks along!  And it was such a beautiful day – the perfect way to wrap up my summer wedding season!  Usually August boasts a hot, humid Midwestern climate, however, as if just for these two, it was a perfect 79 degrees.  More to come soon from Claire + Mike’s wedding day!

Just a few weeks ago, it was my turn to be in front of the camera!  Reggie and I had maternity portraits taken by the beautiful and talented, Stefanie, of SB Childs Photography.  She truly captured this exciting time in our lives, and we couldn’t be happier!  Check out our blog post here!   I knew from the beginning of my pregnancy that this was something I wanted to do…how can I recommend maternity portraits to my clients if I didn’t experience this myself?  I can’t wait to show these to our little guy some day, showing him just how much his mommy and daddy loved each other and how excited we were about his arrival!  Thank you, Stefanie!!!  And a huge thank you to my sweet friend, Julia, for making me look and feel so pretty – you are wonderful!

Since Baby Stewart could arrive any time now over the next few weeks, we wanted to be sure to have our hospital bag packed and ready to go!  I’m all about being as comfortable as possible!  Music, reading material, and favorite items have been recommended to me.  We also plan to take a camera! 🙂 Here are a few items that are definitely going with us:  A comfy, sleeveless night gown, sweet orange scented toiletries, protein bars (in case the hospital kitchen is closed when our little guy decides to make his appearance!), iPod with some favorite tunes, magazines for Reggie and me (hot rods and cars for him, home decor for me), my pregnancy journal, and some receiving blankets.  We’re also taking some treats for the nurses.

I’ve had some good friends (Hi Katherine and Julie!) and a cousin (Hi Heidi!) who’ve been sharing this journey with me, all of us expecting our first little ones within just a few days of each other!  Best wishes for a safe and healthy delivery to you, and I cannot wait to hear all about your new arrivals!

While feeling a wide range of emotions lately – everything from happiness, excitement, anxiety, nervousness, being a little (and sometimes a lot) terrified – I’ve been cooking and baking and cleaning up a storm…that infamous nesting phase, right?!?!  I pray that these bursts of energy stick with me!

I’m hoping to squeeze in the rest of the sessions on my calendar before Baby Stewart makes his big debut!  Once he arrives, I’ll be taking some time off to enjoy our new family before resuming sessions mid-late October (depending upon baby’s arrival, of course).  Since we’ve had such a hot summer, I’m keeping my fingers crossed for a beautiful fall!  To schedule a fall session, please send an email inquiry to  stewartimagery@hotmail.com.

Many thanks to our family, friends, and sweet clients who have showered us with love, blessings, and gifts as we prepare for our new addition!  We cannot thank you enough for everything!  And we can’t wait to introduce our newest family member to you soon!