It was a warm July morning the day that I found out that I was pregnant. I had been lying awake in bed most of the night contemplating what it would mean if two lines showed up instead of one. Of course, I knew what it would “technically” mean, but what about everything else? It’s sort of a strange feeling having to anticipate results. There was most certainly excitement at the idea, but it also came with its share of anxiety and fear. Would we have enough? Enough time…enough love…enough money…enough patience…??
Steve was downstairs in the dining room having breakfast with his parents. I had asked him to come up to our room with me for a minute and being the somewhat stubborn Gemini that he can be, he kept insisting that I wait. I finally had to tell him that I broke my four day old brand new Nikon D300 in order to get his attention and before I knew it, he was upstairs before I was even able to finish my sentence! It was well worth the little white lie!
That was six months ago.
Now, we are a mere nine weeks away from the arrival of our son and we have had plenty more time to wrap our minds around the idea of raising a child. It seems a bit less scary now but I’m sure that if you ask us in eight weeks, the blood will have little or no problems draining from our faces! I’ve had many months to ask myself how one even remotely prepares them selves for such a life changing event and even now…I simply draw a blank!
There is the obvious method of preparation however, and that is spending time with other parents. That being said though, this strategy has also compelled me to climb up the side of one wall and straight down the other at times. People have some pretty strong opinions about parenthood and pregnancy, which has left us sighing reluctantly on more than one occasion; the perfect stroller, optimal maternity leave, cloth versus disposable diapers, appropriate weight gain and let’s not forget the distinctive eyes of judgment as you stand in line at Starbucks…all of this can leave you wishing that you had never shared the news to begin with!
But there has been solace among this flurry of advice and guidance, and one of those most precious moments came when I had the opportunity to photograph Andrea and David…a couple that I not only smile at the very thought of but a couple that was also expecting their first baby just a couple of months before us.
We headed out to a small patch of land alongside the deserted Canadian Forces base to shoot their maternity session and as the cold winter air started to blow in, we talked about the joys (and stretching!) of being pregnant, the anticipations of being a parent and the excitement of trying to take it all in. David very politely helped the two of us get around as we lugged our bellies through the tall grass and the unstable ground beneath us…who ever said that chivalry was dead?!?!
Our time together was lovely; the light, the scenery, the conversation and most of all, the complete and total adoration between this couple as they patiently waited to meet their baby for the first time.
I left not only having felt privileged at being able to capture this time for them but I also left with a reminder of why this is all so special; it’s not about finding the perfect stroller or the textbook rules of “what to expect”…it’s about holding that other person’s hand and knowing that this experience is something that only the two of you will ever share in this way. While others may offer their advice and participate in the excitement…only the two of you will stand in that wide open space with the knowledge of just how precious your world is about to change.
And that alone is enough…
Steve was downstairs in the dining room having breakfast with his parents. I had asked him to come up to our room with me for a minute and being the somewhat stubborn Gemini that he can be, he kept insisting that I wait. I finally had to tell him that I broke my four day old brand new Nikon D300 in order to get his attention and before I knew it, he was upstairs before I was even able to finish my sentence! It was well worth the little white lie!
That was six months ago.
Now, we are a mere nine weeks away from the arrival of our son and we have had plenty more time to wrap our minds around the idea of raising a child. It seems a bit less scary now but I’m sure that if you ask us in eight weeks, the blood will have little or no problems draining from our faces! I’ve had many months to ask myself how one even remotely prepares them selves for such a life changing event and even now…I simply draw a blank!
There is the obvious method of preparation however, and that is spending time with other parents. That being said though, this strategy has also compelled me to climb up the side of one wall and straight down the other at times. People have some pretty strong opinions about parenthood and pregnancy, which has left us sighing reluctantly on more than one occasion; the perfect stroller, optimal maternity leave, cloth versus disposable diapers, appropriate weight gain and let’s not forget the distinctive eyes of judgment as you stand in line at Starbucks…all of this can leave you wishing that you had never shared the news to begin with!
But there has been solace among this flurry of advice and guidance, and one of those most precious moments came when I had the opportunity to photograph Andrea and David…a couple that I not only smile at the very thought of but a couple that was also expecting their first baby just a couple of months before us.
We headed out to a small patch of land alongside the deserted Canadian Forces base to shoot their maternity session and as the cold winter air started to blow in, we talked about the joys (and stretching!) of being pregnant, the anticipations of being a parent and the excitement of trying to take it all in. David very politely helped the two of us get around as we lugged our bellies through the tall grass and the unstable ground beneath us…who ever said that chivalry was dead?!?!
Our time together was lovely; the light, the scenery, the conversation and most of all, the complete and total adoration between this couple as they patiently waited to meet their baby for the first time.
I left not only having felt privileged at being able to capture this time for them but I also left with a reminder of why this is all so special; it’s not about finding the perfect stroller or the textbook rules of “what to expect”…it’s about holding that other person’s hand and knowing that this experience is something that only the two of you will ever share in this way. While others may offer their advice and participate in the excitement…only the two of you will stand in that wide open space with the knowledge of just how precious your world is about to change.
And that alone is enough…
All my love to you, Andrea and David…you’re going to be remarkable parents!
1 comment:
Beautiful momma-to-be and all the best to you too :)
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