welcome to the Blog 

I have had the pleasure of photographing this family several times now and when they inquired about a maternity session I was a over the moon to capture this time when little Julianna was waiting for a brother.

This Mama is always elegant, her wardrobe is carefully planned and the results are stunning! We stuck to the studio as the weather was a bit chilly and we were able to capture some gorgeous images of her expecting this new baby and some updated family ones too. Sylvia also took advantage of the maternity gown I provide at the studio too.

Shooting with them is like shooting with old friends and I was thankful we had extra space in the new studio for Julianna to have some room to play while her Mama had her pictures taken.

I have had the pleasure of photographing this family several times now and when they inquired about a maternity session I was a over the moon to capture this time when little Julianna was waiting for a brother.

This Mama is always elegant, her wardrobe is carefully planned and the results are stunning! We stuck to the studio as the weather was a bit chilly and we were able to capture some gorgeous images of her expecting this new baby and some updated family ones too. Sylvia also took advantage of the maternity gown I provide at the studio too.

Shooting with them is like shooting with old friends and I was thankful we had extra space in the new studio for Julianna to have some room to play while her Mama had her pictures taken.

Now that your bump is growing and it is time to go shopping for maternity clothes in Saint John. head to google to only find out that the only relevant links are for stores that are CLOSED. I love our little port city but the lack of maternity clothing stores can be frustrating. However, after five pregnancies I have picked up a few tips to make a decent wardrobe for pregnancies!

Shopping in the city:

Head to Old Navy! They have a maternity section within the women’s section of the store. This is something somewhat recent to their store selection and the styles are cute and current.

Walmart has a small section and it is small (usually a rack or two). They often have basics like plain t-shirts and good jeans.

Try Value Village and Salvation Army, not a consistent section but you may find a gem!

Kijiji and Facebook Buy &Sells! These can be gold mines for people selling their entire wardrobes at once for the fraction of the cost!

Online:

Thyme Maternity  Their prices can be set to Canadian and they have free shipping over $120, perfect for more professional pieces and special occasions.

Motherhood Maternity Popular designer name brands, and a current sale that is buy 4 and get one free. They also have a nice selection of plus size maternity clothes.

DIY:

Head to Pinterest and you can find some ideas how to adjust your current wardrobe or sewing your own. If you are handy with a needle and thread this may be a great option!

You may also be surprised by some regular clothes that will work great throughout your pregnancy like maxi dresses, sundresses with a sweater, longer fitting shirts, stretchy yoga pants.

Also do not forget about your undergarments! As your sizing changes due to your pregnancy you can head to Walmart for some maternity wear or into Quispamsis to The Bra Room.

I hope these tips will help our local expecting mama’s to find their maternity clothes in Saint John!

Now that your bump is growing and it is time to go shopping for maternity clothes in Saint John. head to google to only find out that the only relevant links are for stores that are CLOSED. I love our little port city but the lack of maternity clothing stores can be frustrating. However, after five pregnancies I have picked up a few tips to make a decent wardrobe for pregnancies!

Shopping in the city:

Head to Old Navy! They have a maternity section within the women’s section of the store. This is something somewhat recent to their store selection and the styles are cute and current.

Walmart has a small section and it is small (usually a rack or two). They often have basics like plain t-shirts and good jeans.

Try Value Village and Salvation Army, not a consistent section but you may find a gem!

Kijiji and Facebook Buy &Sells! These can be gold mines for people selling their entire wardrobes at once for the fraction of the cost!

Online:

Thyme Maternity  Their prices can be set to Canadian and they have free shipping over $120, perfect for more professional pieces and special occasions.

Motherhood Maternity Popular designer name brands, and a current sale that is buy 4 and get one free. They also have a nice selection of plus size maternity clothes.

DIY:

Head to Pinterest and you can find some ideas how to adjust your current wardrobe or sewing your own. If you are handy with a needle and thread this may be a great option!

You may also be surprised by some regular clothes that will work great throughout your pregnancy like maxi dresses, sundresses with a sweater, longer fitting shirts, stretchy yoga pants.

Also do not forget about your undergarments! As your sizing changes due to your pregnancy you can head to Walmart for some maternity wear or into Quispamsis to The Bra Room.

I hope these tips will help our local expecting mama’s to find their maternity clothes in Saint John!

For the majority of people it is World Autism Day but for us it is an autistic life. Two of my five children have been diagnosed with autism. We hear over and over, ‘How do you do it?’ We just do. We get up every morning, we get dressed, we make breakfast. We may have a few bumps in the road each day from activity to activity. Our days are just like everyone else only some things are little more difficult.

Josh and I have learned that parenting special needs means that our other three children feel ‘easy’ and sometimes they get lost in the shuffle of the day. They endure constant attention that needs to be made to their siblings. They are living in a world that is not ‘fair’, while they could never get away with a screaming tantrum in the grocery store (that would bring some major consequences), their siblings will be talked down from their anxiety attack. No reprimands, no harshness because some rules are bent for them.

They realize that they cannot just sit anywhere when an autistic sibling has deemed that one chair and spot on the couch is ‘theirs’, the green cup cannot be used ever and certain toys ar never be to shared (let alone touched).

They in turn are often the cause of many tantrums and our home can often be heard down the road from screaming children.

But this is all good. They are learning compassion. They know their siblings brains are wired differently. They can recognize that the runny nose and high-pitched screams are sometimes an overloaded brain that yells in terror. They realize that they are not the only family that deals with autism. They are being taught that to their brother and sister is DOES matter where you sit but I ask them over and over, will this matter in a week? No? Awesome, move to another spot, pick your battles because this one isn’t worth fighting over.

I pray that some of these irritants will be life lessons that can have a positive outcome in their adult lives. Maybe they will recognize that being petty and possessive is a battle not to waste your breath on. I pray they will be compassionate as they get older and not to pity but rather to understand.

For Peter and Cecilia…their siblings are the source of many of their daily frustrations but those three force them to be social and they force them to deal with people daily. Their siblings also allow them to have people they can always count upon. Their father and I will not always be here and I comforted knowing they will always have family to come back to as adults.

I cannot honestly say I am blessed that autism in our lives, some days I am bitter. I am angry. I try not to think of the children I thought I was going to have because truthfully we grieved at both of our children’s diagnosis. We silently grieve when they stumble or hit roadblocks due to their disabilities.

Yet we are blessed. Cecilia has been in therapy daily for the past year and she was our silent little daughter who now chats up a storm, she is funny, sarcastic and imaginative! We are so thankful for the staff at Stepping Stones and her worker Kaylee who is Cecilia’s miracle worker.

So today people will turn their porch lights blue (we won’t because the wiring isn’t competed there yet, lol) and think of those who are touched by autism, we will get up tomorrow and it will still be our autism world and we are okay with that.

For the majority of people it is World Autism Day but for us it is an autistic life. Two of my five children have been diagnosed with autism. We hear over and over, ‘How do you do it?’ We just do. We get up every morning, we get dressed, we make breakfast. We may have a few bumps in the road each day from activity to activity. Our days are just like everyone else only some things are little more difficult.

Josh and I have learned that parenting special needs means that our other three children feel ‘easy’ and sometimes they get lost in the shuffle of the day. They endure constant attention that needs to be made to their siblings. They are living in a world that is not ‘fair’, while they could never get away with a screaming tantrum in the grocery store (that would bring some major consequences), their siblings will be talked down from their anxiety attack. No reprimands, no harshness because some rules are bent for them.

They realize that they cannot just sit anywhere when an autistic sibling has deemed that one chair and spot on the couch is ‘theirs’, the green cup cannot be used ever and certain toys ar never be to shared (let alone touched).

They in turn are often the cause of many tantrums and our home can often be heard down the road from screaming children.

But this is all good. They are learning compassion. They know their siblings brains are wired differently. They can recognize that the runny nose and high-pitched screams are sometimes an overloaded brain that yells in terror. They realize that they are not the only family that deals with autism. They are being taught that to their brother and sister is DOES matter where you sit but I ask them over and over, will this matter in a week? No? Awesome, move to another spot, pick your battles because this one isn’t worth fighting over.

I pray that some of these irritants will be life lessons that can have a positive outcome in their adult lives. Maybe they will recognize that being petty and possessive is a battle not to waste your breath on. I pray they will be compassionate as they get older and not to pity but rather to understand.

For Peter and Cecilia…their siblings are the source of many of their daily frustrations but those three force them to be social and they force them to deal with people daily. Their siblings also allow them to have people they can always count upon. Their father and I will not always be here and I comforted knowing they will always have family to come back to as adults.

I cannot honestly say I am blessed that autism in our lives, some days I am bitter. I am angry. I try not to think of the children I thought I was going to have because truthfully we grieved at both of our children’s diagnosis. We silently grieve when they stumble or hit roadblocks due to their disabilities.

Yet we are blessed. Cecilia has been in therapy daily for the past year and she was our silent little daughter who now chats up a storm, she is funny, sarcastic and imaginative! We are so thankful for the staff at Stepping Stones and her worker Kaylee who is Cecilia’s miracle worker.

So today people will turn their porch lights blue (we won’t because the wiring isn’t competed there yet, lol) and think of those who are touched by autism, we will get up tomorrow and it will still be our autism world and we are okay with that.

What does a full session look like? How many set ups will I receive? How many images? Do I get family images? These are just a few of the questions we usually receive and the answer always is, ‘Well that depends!’ It depends on what you want, do you want certain set ups? It depends on the baby, some babies are really sleepy and very easy to pose and move around and others are more awake and not as sleepy and variety is harder to achieve. We do guarantee a beautiful gallery, with a colour palette that will flow with your own decor. We highly encourage family pictures!

We will work hard to make sure all those small details, the shape of your sweet baby’s little nose, the way their cheeks are curved, the tiny bits of downy hair on their shoulders that will disappear within a few weeks…we will find that snuggly pose that they melt into and learn how they were curled in your womb for nine months (babies often will want to do into this pose so much easier!!).

More importantly we will celebrate the moment your life has changed forever by the arrival of this new little person.

What does your full session look like? Amazing. Awe inspiring. Beautiful. Stunning. Breathe taking.

What does a full session look like? How many set ups will I receive? How many images? Do I get family images? These are just a few of the questions we usually receive and the answer always is, ‘Well that depends!’ It depends on what you want, do you want certain set ups? It depends on the baby, some babies are really sleepy and very easy to pose and move around and others are more awake and not as sleepy and variety is harder to achieve. We do guarantee a beautiful gallery, with a colour palette that will flow with your own decor. We highly encourage family pictures!

We will work hard to make sure all those small details, the shape of your sweet baby’s little nose, the way their cheeks are curved, the tiny bits of downy hair on their shoulders that will disappear within a few weeks…we will find that snuggly pose that they melt into and learn how they were curled in your womb for nine months (babies often will want to do into this pose so much easier!!).

More importantly we will celebrate the moment your life has changed forever by the arrival of this new little person.

What does your full session look like? Amazing. Awe inspiring. Beautiful. Stunning. Breathe taking.

Spring fooled us with a snow storm! I was getting excited because my lilies were poling up through the earth, the days are longer and a touch warmer. Weekly our family has been escaping to the hiking trails and I have been gleefully saying winter is OVER…and then a spring snow storm.

School was cancelled, Cecilia’s therapy was cancelled, my grand plans to go hang the new samples at the studio…cancelled.

My kids lounged in front of the tv, went out to play, nap time for the toddlers brought craft time for Kathleen and I. She made tutu’s and fashioned some headbands for her dolls, I crafted a pretty little bonnet for the studio.

As the afternoon wore on I remembered a plan I had for an antique sled I bought off another photographer from Fredericton. Calling to the kids, we gathered up pretty costs and mittens, boots and blankets…out into the snow. it looks like a holiday card (and maybe next year it will be? Who knows!).

I am hoping the snow will disappear this week with warmer temperatures and this is the last sign of winter we will see till the end of the year!

Spring fooled us with a snow storm! I was getting excited because my lilies were poling up through the earth, the days are longer and a touch warmer. Weekly our family has been escaping to the hiking trails and I have been gleefully saying winter is OVER…and then a spring snow storm.

School was cancelled, Cecilia’s therapy was cancelled, my grand plans to go hang the new samples at the studio…cancelled.

My kids lounged in front of the tv, went out to play, nap time for the toddlers brought craft time for Kathleen and I. She made tutu’s and fashioned some headbands for her dolls, I crafted a pretty little bonnet for the studio.

As the afternoon wore on I remembered a plan I had for an antique sled I bought off another photographer from Fredericton. Calling to the kids, we gathered up pretty costs and mittens, boots and blankets…out into the snow. it looks like a holiday card (and maybe next year it will be? Who knows!).

I am hoping the snow will disappear this week with warmer temperatures and this is the last sign of winter we will see till the end of the year!

A couple of weeks ago was bittersweet because it was the end of this baby’s first year. He has grown so much since he first came to the studio as a sweet little newborn and again outside for his milestone session of sitting up and now here we are, the end of year one. He was a bit more serious and still gorgeous and sweet.

It was a joy to be able to watch this little guy grow up.

A couple of weeks ago was bittersweet because it was the end of this baby’s first year. He has grown so much since he first came to the studio as a sweet little newborn and again outside for his milestone session of sitting up and now here we are, the end of year one. He was a bit more serious and still gorgeous and sweet.

It was a joy to be able to watch this little guy grow up.