The last time Tamara was having a baby, she invited me to take her birth photos.   I was eager, honored, so ready to be there to witness and record the homebirth of her little girl.

She called one afternoon to say that she was in labor.   Her voice was relaxed, she sounded excited.   It wasn’t serious yet, she said, so just to sit tight and she’d call back when I needed to come.

I got off the phone and began leisurely pulling my things together.   Her last birth had lasted 36 hours; I figured I had plenty of time.

I should have known better.

Not five minutes had passed when I got another call, from what appeared to be an entirely different person.  Her mood had changed, her voice had changed.  Everything had changed.

It was definitely time.

I hustled into the car and set out to drive to her place.  Across town.  At rush hour.  C-R-A-W-L-I-N-G at a snails pace and freaking out the whole way.

I pulled into her cul de sac and saw the midwife’s big blue van haphazardly parked across the driveway, back doors still open, wooden birth stool lying abandoned in the street.

Looks like I wasn’t the only one in a hurry to get there.

I walked in to find the new family of four already curled up together in bed.  Apparently wee Nora had decided that her mother had worked hard and long enough the first time around to deserve a break.

When Tamara discovered she was expecting another daughter, we decided that birth photos probably were not going to work out (good thing, as baby girl number two came just as quickly – I never would have made it), but that a combo maternity/newborn photo session was definitely in order.

So instead of rushing across town at rush hour, I got to wait until a few days later, and welcome sweet Naomi in a little more relaxed fashion. …

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All knit items featured in this post are by the fabulous Marie.   She has set up her shop on Etsy and is ready to take custom orders for some items.   I consider myself the  luckiest newborn photographer in town to have a basket full of knitted treasures – each and every one is made perfectly and with love – fabulous for any photographer or even for parents who have a soft spot for soft, cozy knitted goodies.

{For more information about my 2010 Nova Scotia Photography Sessions, please visit my facebook event page, or this blog post.  Contact me for information on special rates and packages for Nova Scotia Photography Clients}

I mentioned that I’m way behind right?  As in, six months behind?  Sigh.

Just about every summer we escape the Phoenix heat and head back to Eastern Canada for a month or more.  The trip home is always a gift.  Time with family, relaxed country living, photography heaven, picking berries, swimming at the beach by day, roasting marshmallows and stargazing by night – it is exactly what we all need to bring us back in alignment and to remind us of the simple pleasures.

This past summer was extra special, because we made it in time to welcome my nephew Hayden.  I was actually present for most of the labor (my past life as a doula still comes in handy every now and then).   Hayden didn’t come exactly when anticipated (babies are unpredictable like that), and had a longer than planned hospital stay, but I got to stick around long enough to manage a mini-newborn photography session when he arrived home from the hospital.

We found some miscellaneous blankets and fabric scraps from my mother’s sewing room, grabbed a nursing pillow,  moved an ottoman near a big picture window and voila – a makeshift photo studio was born!  While Hayden snoozed and my mother and sister acted as a makeshift backdrop stand – I got to snap these priceless images.  I always love newborn photography sessions – but this particular session will always have a special place in my heart.

So, since we’re playing ‘better late than never’, indulge a proud first time Auntie for a moment and check out this adorable wee baby.

My brother called this one ‘the spring roll’ shot

Mollie (the dog) actually had her own babies (5 of them!) the week before Hayden arrived.  She was awfully curious about the new addition.

A few shots from the hospital (clockwise: my parents meeting Hayden for the first time, me and my new nephew, the proud father, and the little guy himself)

Note: I am currently booking limited sessions and weddings in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick for summer 2010.  Please contact me at info@jeanetteleblanc.com to be placed on my announcement list for finalized dates.

Things I know for sure

1. I am the worst blogger ever. Period. End of story.
2. I would apologize and say I’m going to change.  But I might not probably won’t, and I’d hate to tell you a lie.
3. I’ve been so busy my head is spinning, but holiday order deadline is almost here so I’ll be coming up for air soon.
4. My family will be VERY glad to have me back.
5. I’ve got the coolest, most beautiful, utterly stylish,  totally inspirational, utterly incredible clients in the world.
6. They make it worth staring at the computer for hours upon hours at a time.
7. I’m a photographer. I get to pay my bills with my camera.  How cool is that? I still get giddy thinking about it.
8. Big changes ahead in 2010 – a new assistant, studio manager, new products, new partnerships, new direction.  Watch out Phoenix – ya’ll should stay tuned.  Seriously.
9. It’ll probably be June by the time I get around to blogging about it, unless you nag me.
10. Life is good.  Very good.

And since no blog post is complete without pictures, here’s just a bit of what has kept me busy over the past few months.  Check these out, and then re-read #5 above….see what I mean?

This family was amazing!  I was so in love with these girls!

Little girls in pink rain boots…. Who wouldn’t be utterly charmed?

Um…so I probably don’t have to tell you that I was totally giddy when I saw this one.  Did a little happy dance…for reals.

Happy Mama-baby shots always make me smile.

Ah, baby Max….I melt.

A beautiful bride in a vintage phone booth at an incredible location….What more could any photographer want?

These kids were a RIOT.  The first year of my annual summer Nova Scotia Photography Sessions (yes – I’m a Snow Bird….once the temp gets over 100 degrees…I am OUTTA here!)

Oh, sweet little Lucy – those lips…those eyes, and a rare quiet moment.

My wee nephew Hayden.  I miss him so much!

Tamara rocks her urban maternity photography session in downtown Glendale… so much fun!

I love kids.  The sillier and goofier the better.  Alex and I got along wonderfully

This wedding at the Anthem Country Club was so beautiful.  Thanks to Keri Doolittle for inviting me to second shoot!

She’s one of those rare individuals who you can meet just once, and know without a doubt that you’re going to head-over-heels-love-her-forever.  Kind, patient, thoughtful, full of goodness and compassion, Phoebe truly is a blessing to everyone she comes in contact with.   As a mother she is an inspiration, as a friend she is full of sweetness and warmth and calm, welcoming energy.

She was with me for the birth of my youngest daughter Julianna, and I was present for the birth of her middle son Caleb.  She has honored me over and over by asking me to be the photographer for her oldest son, her pregnancy, her birth, her newborn babies.  I was so excited to head to her house last week to meet her newest arrival – 9lb, 10oz baby Asher.  Phoebe’s third son was a squishy, chubby, sleepy bundle of newborn heaven – snoozing for hours and letting me go on my merry photographic way.  With a perfect five day old baby boy and all my luscious knitted goodies from Marie, I was in heaven, let me tell you!

Phoebe, thank you so much for trusting me to be a part of some of the most important times in your life.  It means more than you could possibly know.

Edited to add: For all those who have asked about the knitted goodies, this just represents a small selection of Marie’s brilliance.  Marie just gave birth to her own baby boy, but is in the process of setting up an etsy shop and will begin taking custom orders once she’s back in the swing of things.  If you want to be added to her email list for an announcement when she digs out her knitting needles again, please send me an email at info@jeanetteleblan.com and I’ll forward your infomation along to Marie.

I took a blogging hiatus for many months, so I have a backlog of old sessions that never got posted. I’ve been meaning to wade through them and share with you all, and when a window of time presented itself to me today I decided to get going! So, let’s take a trip back in time, shall we?

Wee Penelope Rose was born in late August, and was one of my favorite sessions ever. She lives in an adorable house filled with family history and memories of travels around the globe, has an incredibly beautiful mama and is utterly and completely surrounded by love. It’s normal, of course, for new families to take a bit of time to adjust. Theres a bit of awkwardness and a learning curve that comes with the territory (goodness knows I had many moments like that with both my girls). But some mothers are just so natural, grounded, and connected that you would swear they’ve been mothering for years already, and not just for a matter of days. That was Monique.

I adore being invited to peek into the lives of new families when they are still in the process of falling head over heels in love with one another. There’s something in the air in a household with a new baby that is so palpable that you can feel the love in the room, see it in their touch, hear it in their voices. After I leave a newborn session I usually ride on a baby-love-high all day long!

I’ve been having fun going back through my photo archives lately (more on that in a later post) and I decided to take a look back at this session, so these are mostly photos that Monique hasn’t even seen yet. Surprise Mama – I hope you like them!

Welcome to my brand new blog! It’s been a long time coming, and I’m excited to play catch up and share pictures from sessions from this fall. I hope you enjoy the new digs, and I love your comments, so please take a second and say hello!

Last week I had the privilege of photographing wee Denna and her proud new parents. I love newborn sessions. Yes, they take several hours. Yes, I often end up with laundry to do when I get home. Yes, the babies don’t always go along with my plans… But to have the opportunity to greet a new baby in the first weeks of life, to take a peek into the growth of a new family, to witness the love and the miracle of it all…lets just say I consider myself a very lucky woman.

Denna is the perfect little peanut, with her mother’s features, her father’s expressions and the bluest of blue eyes. Other than putting her father through several wardrobe changes, she was an utter angel, and so very loved by her parents.

Sarah and Scott, I hope you enjoy the sneak peek of your precious wee girlie, I cannot wait for you to see the rest of the photos.

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