tess - over time

it happens to all of us with digital cameras (i'm pretty sure)... we take heaps of photos & most of them remain in a file, on our computer, rarely to be scrolled by again. Memories of a cupboard or box somewhere filled with 4"x6" prints awaiting an album... And so it is with me. Busy with clients' work, busy with life, busy with dear baby tess. But tonight, i scrolled through my 'tess file' & took myself on a little journey. Here's what i came up with...

1st day - 12 hours old - (LA - Cedars Sinai Hospital)...

2nd day (LA - at Kat's place)...
1 week (malibu)...
1 week (malibu)...
2 weeks (back home on hornby)...
3 weeks (hornby)...

tess' new seat

we have friends on the island who have a little guy who's 1 1/2 years old. And they have everything! And they very happily are passing whatever we think we need/want for tess onto us. So sweet. The jolly jumper, for example. And this rubbery seat that tess is just starting to get used to. She usually only lasts about 5 minutes in it before she wants out & held, but i'm thinking that will lengthen in time. Here she is, sitting in it, with a couple of her favorite toys - the triangle chicken & the bright bug... very entertaining. Tess mostly loves to try & eat them. Hoping that's not a habit that carries on into later childhood (bug eating, at least...)

tes - more jolly jumping

tess is getting more & more familiar with her jolly jumper. Lately both her feet hit the floor & she does these exuberant kicks, several in a row, & then hangs out there for a bit recovering from all that excitement. It's a great name for this fabulous gadget... lots of jolly, for sure...

tess - baby in a basket

i meant to take more photos of tess in this beautiful willow basket - handmade by a friend on hornby & given to us as a wedding gift. These were taken back in early september, but she's outgrown it now. Soon, i suppose, i'll be able to sit her in it. Such changes... but also more photo opts. And she's a whole lot cuter than the laundry it's normally used for.

tess

it's been far too long since i uploaded some photos of tess. And she's changing so quickly! I've been concentrating on finalizing client's work (which, with a 3 month old, is a challenge, to say the least!) But finally last night, while tess & Marc were tucked into bed, i sat down & worked on some images from the last couple of weeks. Big changes! She has started to lift herself up to sitting from lying down just with the support of our fingers & then up to standing! Amazing. Very often she actually supports her own weight when she's up on her feet & if she has shoes on (also a new thing recently), it's easier for her to find the flat bottoms of her feet. And she's laughing now... haven't caught that in photos yet, but i will. SO heartwarming to hear her laugh. Such delight. Anyhow, here's a roam through the last weeks with tess starting with her sitting up watching mama work on the computer...









she loves the finger. The human soother. Very often it helps get her to sleep during the day. When she falls deeply into sleep, we can slip it out but until then, we are rendered immobile. Parenthood.



passed out in the snuggly... home from a walk, asleep... walking outdoors is a close 2nd to the finger in calming tess down. She loves being outside - looking at the trees, listening to the ocean, the birds, a world of discovery...

& then sometimes she's wide awake..








& very often hungry (my organic baby - a canadian company producing organic formula - yay! tess loves it)... pretty much every 2-3 hours through the day & night... every now & then, at night, those 3 hours stretch out to 3 1/2 or even 4 (a couple of times) which means 3+ hours of continuous sleep. Joy.


mostly i'm behind the camera (which is just fine by me)... but here's one our good friend vicky gannon (www.vickigannonphotography.com) took when they were here in september. It's fabulous having a very talented photographer as a friend!

chloe the wonder cat

there's something so sweet about a cat peering in a window... on a rainy day... just a few feet from her cat door...




i love this shot of tess staring at her papa with chloe stretched out in the background. A now very normal scene in our living room. Who would have guessed...

cat stretch...

nice twist, miss...

chelsea & david

a little more from chelsea & david's beautiful day... after the ceremony, before the fawn & helliwell, was a stop at jack's farm for some fun with the bridal party...

chelsea & david

so before heading out to helliwell park with just chelsea & david, we stopped at a friend's place to introduce their 2 little girls to maggie's fawn. It was, of course, love at first sight & was such a delight to photograph...









& then out to helliwell with the beautiful bride & groom...

day & james

day & james were married in the north west wind on the sandstone beach in front of the beautiful seabreeze lodge. What an amazing ceremony! The gods were present, i'm sure - kicking off the celebration with full force. Gusts of wind, waves crashing & sea spray flying along with all the love, joy & delight of everyone gathered there to witness their union. There was a lot of great fun & exuberance, & wrapped within that, these lovely still, quiet moments of deep love & connection. Enjoy...











see what i mean about sea spray!



james & his best man - now that was fun to photograph...
& i love that day had a man-of-honour. The delight of bending tradition...
& james' daughter made the most beautiful flower girl. It's heart warming to see kids play such a big part in a couples wedding.

ginny & hans

september has been a month of rainy day forecasts with wedding days that end in brilliant sunshine. And ginny & hans' was no exception. A big tent was found & set up, umbrellas were bought & borrowed, & then the clouds opened & the sun shone warm & bright on this very happy gathering. What a fabulous celebration! Ginny grew up here so it was very much a hornby wedding, with a good splash of city cool. Ginny shone & so did hans. And they beamed at one another from the moment they locked eyes walking down the isle. Lots of tears & laughter & a whole lot of love shared by all. Big heartfelt congratulations to you both! Enjoy the ride... it's an amazing one. Here's a peak at the beautiful couple & their beautiful day...

ginny & hans

ginny's mom's place was a beautiful back drop for getting ready photos - art in antique frames, old lamps, natural light, & this beautiful piano with a long mirror running the length of it. Yum. And the gorgeous bride reflected there...

















nothing like having a gaggle of gorgeous women in front of my lens! They were all as beautiful as the day. Truly.

sarah & brent

i love my job. Last saturday found me at the top of mt. washington photographing the wedding of the very sweet & very fun sarah & brent. We started at a big split level cabin (girls upstairs, guys down), headed to the ceremony site outside of the Raven Lodge, then up the chair lift with the bridal party for some top-of-the-mountain-shenanigans (truly my job does not suck), then back down to the Lodge for food & festivities. The sun shone bright & so did this group. It all feels very promising for a life of fun & adventure. Here's a ride through their day...

sarah & brent

sarah was truly stunning...








remember what i was saying about loving my job...


ok, check this out... brent knows how to jump. Like a master. This is just 1 of several silly jump shots. I could have kept shooting (they were so fun to watch) but the terrain was a little tough on those in heels!

not a bad place to toast the bride & groom...









the colours in Paradise Meadows were just stunning. A fabulous match for sarah's shoes! & the afternoon light was gorgeous...



ok, YUM!!!!