recent family photo shoots

I've been quiet on here for a while as the past few months have seen some pretty big changes in our family. Isabella started preschool and I went back to work at a brand new job. To sum up, we've been busy (a word I hate to use yet use all the time). Despite adjusting to our new schedules I have been able to sneak in a few photo shoots along the way, just to keep my craft alive. Enjoy these shots from the Fernandes, Johansson and Wäne families!

om baby & wellness photo shoot

Last week I had the pleasure of photographing my friend (and fellow American expat here in Sweden) Lori’s new yoga studio space. Lori does it all: she is a neonatal nurse who started her own infant and maternal consultancy company, Om Baby & Wellness, since moving here to Gothenburg. She offers courses in Infant and Child CPR, Developmental Infant Massage, Birth Preparation, Breastfeeding Preparation, Mommy & Me Yoga and Prenatal Yoga.

Isabella and I have wonderful memories from Lori’s Mommy & Me Yoga classes. That was our first activity together as mother and daughter and just the simple task of taking the bus and making it to class each week was a great confidence builder for me as a new mom. Lori’s class was a safe and fun place I could enjoy my new baby in. I could feed her, change her diaper, let her sleep, let her cry and even get a bit of yoga in, all surrounded by other moms going through the exact same thing as me. 

Here are some images taken from Lori’s private studio space and a glimpse into what the Developmental Infant Massage, Mommy & Me Yoga and Prenatal Yoga classes look like. Can you spot Isabella’s debut as a baby model?? I highly recommend Lori if you are expecting or have an infant at home. Take a further look at what she has to offer here: http://ombabyandwellness.com 

details on a wednesday

I’ve been trying to bring the camera out more with Isabella. It was a dark winter. Ok, it still is winter, haha--but at least the days are getting lighter and therefore it is easier to grab a few good shots inside. Having an infant makes everything take a bit more time. Days are filled with laundry, drool, meltdowns (both hers and mine), messy meals, lots of playing and not enough naps. Despite all the craziness I really want to make a point to try and capture some everyday details and moments from this time. I know I will be so grateful I did. Isabella is 7.5 months, on the cusp of crawling and giggles and babbles all day long. I absolutely love it. 

harper

Lately my life has been totally consumed by delicious little newborn babies, and I’m not complaining about it one bit. I didn’t even think I would have the time nor energy to fit in any photoshoots during my first few months as a new mom but I’m so glad I was able to snap a few quick shots of this gorgeous girl while she and her mama were visiting me and Isabella. Who knows, maybe all these babies are just the muses I needed ;)

isabella’s nursery

When I first found out I was pregnant I didn't even begin to fantasize about a nursery for my baby on the way. At the time we lived in a one room apartment and the closest thing I would have had to a baby's room would have been a small corner in our walk-in closet. Miraculously though we were able to find and buy our current home: an apartment with much more leg room and an entire bedroom just for baby. We bought the apartment and moved in just before our little Isabella arrived. Timing really was everything. However even when I knew I'd have a special space for my little one I still wasn't putting decorating schemes together nor filling Pinterest boards with endless ideas. First of all I was freaking exhausted (haha if I only knew what was to come), and secondly it was so hard for me to even begin planning a space for a baby I didn't even know yet. 

Now that Isabella is here I feel much more motivated to put together a room that is uniquely hers and that will reflect special aspects of her life. Slowly I've started to curate little areas here and there and am quite pleased with the sweetness and sentimentality I've been able to add.  I'm looking forward to doing even more as her personality, likes and interests develop. As for now, I'm enjoying planning all the designs (and outfits!) while I can :)

A collection of our favorite books of the moment...some which were my own when I was a baby.

A collection of our favorite books of the moment...some which were my own when I was a baby.

Isabella Leahnora’s namesake, her great grandmother Joan Leahnora Shirey, “MeMe,” who is watching her from above.

Isabella Leahnora’s namesake, her great grandmother Joan Leahnora Shirey, “MeMe,” who is watching her from above.

Grieving MeMe’s passing just days before finding out we were expecting a little girl was a very trying time. I received this bouquet of roses from a student that week which were the exact color and shade as ones MeMe had painted a picture of which a…

Grieving MeMe’s passing just days before finding out we were expecting a little girl was a very trying time. I received this bouquet of roses from a student that week which were the exact color and shade as ones MeMe had painted a picture of which always hung in her home. Even though she had left us she was and is still all around.

A bow for every day of the week...

A bow for every day of the week...

A sleeping babe, a sheepskin from my childhood and a personalized frame and photo made for me by my students as Isabella was growing inside of me.

A sleeping babe, a sheepskin from my childhood and a personalized frame and photo made for me by my students as Isabella was growing inside of me.

A welcome sign for baby as well as the flower crown both my mother and I wore on our wedding days. Maybe Isabella will wear it some day...

A welcome sign for baby as well as the flower crown both my mother and I wore on our wedding days. Maybe Isabella will wear it some day...

Isabella’s closet with the rocking moose I re-painted with her Tia Bea a week before she arrived. Every Swedish child needs a rocking moose, right?

Isabella’s closet with the rocking moose I re-painted with her Tia Bea a week before she arrived. Every Swedish child needs a rocking moose, right?

Just a handful of the many “gosedjur” (stuffed animals) we received for Isabella, cozily tucked inside a basket I purchased from the open-air market in Aix-en-Provence, France, where my husband and I met.

Just a handful of the many “gosedjur” (stuffed animals) we received for Isabella, cozily tucked inside a basket I purchased from the open-air market in Aix-en-Provence, France, where my husband and I met.

So many cozy blankets and dainty dresses--I wish I could display them all!

So many cozy blankets and dainty dresses--I wish I could display them all!

I’m still working on the wall decor but for now we have wedding photos of mommy and daddy along with the print I gifted my husband for our first anniversary--a rendition of the drawing Mary made for George in one of our favorite films It’s a Wonderf…

I’m still working on the wall decor but for now we have wedding photos of mommy and daddy along with the print I gifted my husband for our first anniversary--a rendition of the drawing Mary made for George in one of our favorite films It’s a Wonderful Life. It really is, isn’t it?