While it’s been a busy season for me as a photographer, I’ve also been busy as a mom. Gus is already 10 1/2 months old, which is just SO hard to believe! He’s growing up so fast and already feels like a little boy, not a little baby. :-(. Stop growing, little man!
We’ve been chasing after him quite a bit now that he is mobile. Crawling and cruising everywhere, and even trying to stand on his own! He’s keeping me on my toes for sure.
Since it’s been a while since my last personal update, I thought I’d answer some of the common questions I’ve been hearing lately. Hope you enjoy this!
What is your favorite part of being a mom?
This soooo hard to answer, but I think my favorite is just watching Gus learn and discover the world. He gets excited over little things that are easy to miss as a big person. The crinkling of leaves. Tupperware. Eating apples. Reading books.
Going for walks. His zeal is just adorable.
I also love the baby snuggles. 🙂 He wants to always be on the move right now and barely sits still for 2 seconds, but anytime I can steal a snuggle, I do.
What’s been the hardest part?
Two things: sleep deprivation, and learning to balance things, which often means sacrificing something. The sleep thing is no surprise. Any parent of a baby knows what it’s like to feel like a zombie most days. But Gus really isn’t a great night time sleeper. We have yet to achieve the holy grail of sleeping through the night. Most nights, he’s up 3 times at least. Needless to say, I’m pretty much always tired. At this point, I’ve adapted to it, but I’m definitely ready for some rest!
Balancing being a mom with everything else has gotten easier over time. Now that our days have a fairly predictable pattern, I’m able to plan ahead. In the early newborn days, I was just too exhausted to do much if anything!
What has been the biggest surprise?
First, how much I absolutely love our son. He brings me so much joy each day!
Second, how I parent differently than I expected. I think I had this idea in my mind before Gus was born of how I’d do things, and while many have happened, a lot hasn’t. I’m much more of a hippy mom than I thought I’d be!
How has your business changed now that you have a baby?
It hasn’t changed too much. I obviously took some time off when Gus was smaller, and I’m SO glad I did. Since jumping back into shooting, I think three things have changed:
1) I have improved my shooting skills so that my images are better straight out of the camera. This has reduced my editing time A TON.
2) I’ve become much more efficient overall. Partially, this is out if necessity. I just don’t have as much time available any more, so editing, designing, communicating with clients, and marketing all have to be faster.
3) Sometimes, even with the above changes, I do get behind. I’m finding that I just need to admit that I’m human and that I have a family and a baby. And thankfully, I have very understanding clients who are also patient :). Thus far, I haven’t had to deliver anything to a client late, but I have had to reschedule due to illness on my part or Gus’s.
What are some changes you might make?
I’m hoping to expand my portrait work with high school seniors for next year! I’m still shooting weddings and will continue to do so, but the schedule and pace for portrait work suits our family so well, so I want to do more of it. I’d also really love to photograph families! I recently did one family session and had a BLAST!
