Aug
15
2015Dear New Mom,
Your baby is sleeping longer at night and you’re finding that you have a little bit more energy. Your brain has space to think of more than just surviving the next moment. You’re a great mom so you start researching some of the decisions upcoming for your baby and forming opinions about where your motherhood journey will take you.
There’s lots of decisions to make and they all seem so significant. The list seems overwhelming.
- Cloth diapers or stay in disposables?
- Traditional vaccine schedule, alternative vaccine schedule, no vaccinations?
- Day care, nanny, babysitter, mom stay at home, dad stay at home?
- Cry it out, Pick up and put down, or respond to every need?
- Introduce solids at 4 months or 6?
- Organic food? Grains first? Meat first? Veggies first?
- Spoon Feeding or Baby Led Weaning?
- Allergens before a year or after?
- Spanking, time out, Love and Logic, permissive?
- Traditional parenting, attachment parenting, hands free parenting, helicopter parenting, authoritative parenting, instinctive parenting?
Some times the choice is easy for you to form an opinion and convictions and stay the course. Other times the conflicting information is overwhelming. Sometimes none of the labels fit at all.
Suddenly the parenting landscape seems like a war zone. Mompetition and self-righteousness in our own choices draw the battle lines.
The carnage of insecurity and pride lay all about the battlefield. Those friendships that you have worked so hard to cultivate begin to shatter under the stress.
STOP.
The thief of joy is comparison.
Theodore Roosevelt
Let’s just stop comparing. Look at your mom friend across these imaginary divisions of opinion or research and whisper, “You are a great mom. These choices you’re making are significant and right for your family. They may not be right for mine, but diversity means we will be able to help each other when we struggle.”
New mom, when you say those words and then lean in to understand how what they are doing works for their family, you destroy the weapons of comparison. You build the bridge of joyful compassion.
It’s not easy to be the vulnerable one on the battlefield of mompetition, but, honey, stand strong and soft. Be joyfully compassionate and reach out to encourage diversity.
I’m listening to your diverse story and cheering for you, new mom,
Melissa
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Aug
11
2015Back in April I participated in The Big Baby Shower at Haywood Mall. I was offering fun 10 minute mini sessions for babies and young toddlers and just getting to know our community.
Here’s a sampling of the fun we had in the next 5 sessions!
If you love the idea of a mini session, click here to sign up for emails. All of these dates are introduced first via my e-newsletter!
Aug
04
2015Back in April I participated in The Big Baby Shower at Haywood Mall. I was offering fun 10 minute mini sessions for babies and young toddlers and just getting to know our community.
Here’s a sampling of the fun we had in the second 5 sessions!
If you love the idea of a mini session, click here to sign up for emails. All of these dates are introduced first via my e-newsletter!
Jul
28
2015Back in April I participated in The Big Baby Shower at Haywood Mall. I was offering fun 10 minute mini sessions for babies and young toddlers and just getting to know our community.
Here’s a sampling of the fun we had in the first 5 sessions!
If you love the idea of a mini session, click here to sign up for emails. All of these dates are introduced first via my e-newsletter!
Jul
27
2015Sarah’s second little one is on the way. She came to the studio for a set of fresh timeless studio maternity pictures in Greenville SC. She came wearing this lovely dress from her own maternity wardrobe.
All of the remaining gowns and dresses are from my carefully curated mama wardrobe provided here at the studio. These pieces are perfect for both maternity images and for mama’s at newborn sessions as well as at any session with their little one. This lovely piece is by Sew Trendy Accessories. 
What I loved most about photographing Sarah alone was hearing her story. She told the story of her second miracle baby and of all the universal emotions of bring a second child into your family.
All the joy. The excitement. The wondering over how the two siblings will interact together.
But also all the fear. The grief over loosing all of your alone time with your firstborn. The loss of the routines and joys you have created. The uncertainty of parenting two instead of one. 
But she circled back around to hope. To knowing that each day comes with the grace to work through the struggles in that day. That a new normal will develop and that will have it’s own joy.
Sarah, I can’t express how amazing it has been to be a part of your family’s journey for the last two years. I can’t wait to meet this sweet girl and see you and Justin and Everett grow together.
Interested in booking your own studio maternity session? Contact me today!
