How to survive the early days with a baby and a toddler | Northern Virginia Newborn Photographer

Choosing to have a second child (or third, or...) can be almost as anxiety inducing as having your first.  If your first baby was challenging (like mine!) you might be anticipating another era of lack of sleep, frequent feedings, and near constant snuggles with your little one. And if your toddler is like most, thinking about the needs of a newborn on top of the needs of an active 2- or 3- year old might send you into a tailspin.  Don't worry, it'll all work out! 

After bringing home three newborns of my own and talking with countless other moms of multiple children, I'm sharing a few tips to put your mind at ease when you're planning to bring a baby home to an older sibling. 

1. Humans are amazingly adaptive.

   Life still happens and you'll miraculously go along with it. It may not be pretty sometimes, but try to enjoy the ride, or at least laugh at it, especially when there's poop involved. Figure out what works for your family and try not to worry what others may think. Case in point, we've been cosleeping and playing musical beds with our kids since I realized my oldest slept best (and so did the rest of us) right next to me. It's not for everyone, but it works for us.

2. Accept help.

   I think this gets easier when you have a second kid and I know it's said frequently, but say yes to offers of help. Prepared meals. A toddler playdate. Extended family stays. Drop any notions of the way things have to be and let yourself be taken care of. People want to help. Tell them how. Let them grab your dry cleaning. And a Starbucks while they're at it. 

3. Say no.

   It's okay to become a bit of a hermit, if that's what your family needs. You don't have to accept social invitations (and when baby is really young you probably want to avoid crowds and unnecessary germs). When you do make plans, make them with people who are supportive. Other parents of young ones are usually the best to commiserate and laugh with. 

4. Let go of expectations.

   And let your standards slide, for at least a little bit (but maybe forever). Things can be hectic, especially while you're figuring out the new normal. But, as you already know, just when you think you have everything figured out, kids change. Try to flow with it and life will be more peaceful. There will usually be something that doesn't quite happen like you expected or hoped, but things generally work out. 

5. Find a fellow mom to talk with.

   The first weeks after birth are a roller coaster. It can be emotional and isolating, even if you know what to expect. Find another Mama who can relate and be a sounding board. And if you don't have a Mama friend, reach out to me (seriously). We all need a fellow mom who we can keep it real with. 

Nicole Sanchez Photography works with busy parents in Northern Virginia, Washington, DC, and Maryland to create stress-free photo sessions that take all the loving, fun, and chaotic moments of family life to make beautiful photos and films that families will love looking at year after year.  Contact me today to start planning a custom photography experience that's perfect for your family.

Newborn sessions: why you shouldn't delay | Washington, DC Family Photographer

Choosing when to have family photos made can be tough. Newborn sessions are popular for good reason. Those first weeks are fleeting and details are lost in a sleep-deprived haze. But when there are siblings to consider too, many families consider holding off on a photo session until baby is older so that everyone can be more involved in taking photos and the focus isn't just on the newborn. Some families want to wait until baby is older and has more "personality." But after photographing numerous newborn sessions (and three babies of my own), I say don't wait. 

NEWBORN DAYS ARE BRIEF: PHOTOS MAKE THEM UNFORGETTABLE

The newborn days, even with siblings involved, exist in a sort of bubble. They truly are special. One or both parents are home from work. Competing priorities are put to the side. If you're lucky, you have extra hands of family or friends to entertain toddlers, cook meals, or hold a baby so you can shower (or eat a meal yourself!). This bubble pops eventually and life starts to develop a new normal. But those first days and weeks are unforgettable. It's especially sweet to look back on a brief period of time where your only real "to-do" is simply love and be loved.

With documentary family sessions, the focus is on relationships, so a session can capture both the wonder and joy of those first newborn days and the exuberant energy of an older sibling (hey, he's not the one losing sleep!). Sessions are relaxed and flexible, so there's no need to worry about toddler meltdowns or newborn fussiness and no need to coax everyone to smile or perform for the camera (though siblings often do this willingly).

It's even possible to capture a bigger story when grandparents are part of a session. Their hands can be such a welcome addition when bringing home a newborn, especially with an older brother or sister at home. Capturing the bond with grandparents is an important part of the family story which can be lost when a session is put off until baby is older and family has departed.

Films are also a wonderful way to preserve the newborn days. Here's one new mom on the value of a newborn photo and film session.

Nicole Sanchez Photography works with busy parents in Northern Virginia, Washington, DC, and Maryland to create stress-free photo sessions that take all the loving, fun, and chaotic moments of family life to make beautiful photos and films that families will love looking at year after year.  Contact me today to start planning a custom photography experience that's perfect for your family.

How to make maternity leave unforgettable | Northern Virginia Newborn Photographer

I'm so excited to share this Northern Virginia maternity leave family session this week. No matter how long you're able to take off for maternity leave, it's safe to say it goes by too fast. But for such a fleeting time, it makes a permanent impression on your heart.

Those first weeks and months getting to know your baby are unlike any other and are some of the sweetest of all motherhood memories (even with the insanity of little sleep and constant feeding and diaper changes).

That's why I find this time so special to document with photographs. Time somehow passes differently during those newborn weeks. There's less pressure, less to do. Or at least, caring for a new little person takes up so much time and brain capacity, that nothing else is possible. But all that's important is really right there in front of you. 

I have such a wonderful time getting to know the families I work with. I love reminiscing and sharing about my own kiddos and my own maternity leave and newborn experiences. Most of all, I love watching new parents and the wonder they have for their new little one. 

Especially for first-time parents with just one child, there's really nothing but time to just stare in amazement at this new little person you created. Well, stare and test the boundaries of their milk drunkenness. Parenting does come with some perks. ;-)

Nicole Sanchez Photography works with busy parents in Northern Virginia, Washington, DC, and Maryland to create stress-free photo sessions that take all the loving, fun, and chaotic moments of family life to make beautiful photos and films that families will love looking at year after year. Contact me today to start planning a custom photography experience that's perfect for your family.

The best photo sessions for toddlers | Northern Virginia Family Photographer

There's a wonderful time in babyhood when parents are everything. Just the sight of your face brings forth the sweetest smiles in the world. And the simplest gestures or games create the best giggles ever. Thankfully, though children develop interests outside their parents as they grow, this adoration phase lasts well into childhood. I think it makes parenthood just a tad bit easier.  It's also wonderful for capturing some of the best parts of family life. 

It's these moments that you want to soak up and savor the most. The ones you want to remember on bad days and reminisce about when your babies are teenagers and adults. This time is one of my favorite times to document for families.

I last saw this little guy when he was about 9 weeks old. And it was so sweet to see how much he's grown in the last year.  We had planned for some outdoor water play, but the weather was unseasonably cool for July in Northern Virginia, so we had some play time in the backyard and a visit to the park instead. Kids are flexible at this age and especially so when they're in the comforts of their own home.

Documentary sessions at home are one of the best ways to get great photos of toddlers.  They're most comfortable with you in your own environment and the session is scheduled around your usual routines (meals, nap times, bath time, etc.). I enjoy spending time chatting, playing, and getting to know my families during sessions allowing me to capture all the beauty, silliness, and, sometimes, chaos of real family life.

Nicole Sanchez Photography works with busy parents in Northern Virginia, Washington, DC, and Maryland to create stress-free photo sessions that take all the loving, fun, and chaotic moments of family life to make beautiful photos and films that families will love looking at year after year. Contact me today to start planning a custom photography experience that's perfect for your family.

Three reasons you should photograph your family's traditions | Northern Virginia Family Photographer

I spent a beautiful morning recently with this mom and her 8 month old son at Jones Point Park in Alexandria, Virginia. We walked on the trail along the Potomac River and by the Jones Point Lighthouse, chatted about motherhood, and took a rest and some pictures before heading back to their house to photograph their weekend pancake ritual.

My family has been visiting this park since my oldest son was a baby and as I documented this morning with this mom and baby, I thought about the importance of family traditions and how they enrich our lives and our children's. Here are three reasons why you should celebrate and photograph your family's traditions.

Traditions make up a part of our identity. 

Family traditions tend to get their start in baby's first year. There are naturally lots of firsts, especially around holidays and growth milestones. But long term traditions get their start in the first year too. Parents start to find their footing, develop confidence, and routines emerge that make life more manageable.

If you're a mom, you're well aware of how rituals and routines are so important to kids (and your sanity). But they also provide a sense of identity and teach children about their family and their culture. These routines may be simple like bedtime reading and snuggles or family dinners around the table.  These everyday activities make up the foundation that your kids ground their lives in and they are worthy of celebrating.

They teach us something about what's important in life. 

Some traditions are passed on from prior generations, like favorite recipes or summer vacations at the beach.  Some come about organically and contribute to making life run smoothly, like Saturday morning grocery trips and a visit to the playground.  Whether old or new, traditions are always the result of you, as a parent, making a choice to highlight something that's important, something that honors your family and your love for each other and the life you're building. 

This time is fleeting.

I don't need to tell you how fast time is flying.  Those stages that feel like they're going to last forever, like nursing in bed before nap time or weekend walks around the neighborhood, are going to pass all too soon.  Our kids grow so quickly and are always changing.  Sometimes our rituals and traditions change too.  Sometimes our kids are too young to remember them, which makes photographing these stories all the more important.  Paging through a photo album with your kids and sharing these memories reminds them of how special they are to you and further solidifies that foundation that they are grounding their lives in.

I love hearing about other families' rituals and I especially love photographing them because I know that these memories with their parents are the ones that kids are going to look back on fondly. And someday their own children will too. 

Nicole Sanchez Photography works with busy parents in Northern Virginia, Washington, DC, and Maryland to create stress-free photo sessions that take all the loving, fun, and chaotic moments of family life to make beautiful photos and films that families will love looking at year after year.  Contact me today to start planning a custom photography experience that's perfect for your family.

A casual birthday celebration | Washington, DC Family Photographer

Photographing a quiet morning with your family may seem like an unusual was to celebrate your child's first birthday. Birthday parties are awesome, but if you're looking to highlight what's unique about this special time in your family life, a casual day at home is the secret to success. That exactly what this Washington, DC family chose to do to mark their sweet son's first birthday.

Birthday parties can be stressful for parents and children alike. Extra people, missed naps, and mixed up routines can be a challenge no matter how carefully you plan. Parties are full of fun moments that make for great photos, but a normal day at home means sharing and capturing what you love best about your family in this fleeting time, from morning naps and breakfast together, to Skyping with Grandma and tickle attacks.

I loved this sweet family's routine of brushing their teeth together. This little guy may not always love brushing his teeth so much.  It's fun to see the things parents do (often over and over again) to entertain little ones and make life happen (like how it sometimes takes two people to put on a toddler's pants). It's those little things that are so easy to look past in the moment and forget as children move on to the next milestone or crazy behavior.

I love photographing the chaos that big family celebrations bring, but there is something equally special about simply showing parents and children with each other. The love they share and the home they create together is what makes childhood memories and celebrating each year so sweet.

Contact me today to learn about planning a session that's perfect for the milestone you're celebrating.

A Fresh 48 Newborn Film | Northern Virginia Family Photographer

Last week, I shared this beautiful mama's maternity session on Capitol Hill. Today, I am so excited to share her baby's Fresh 48 film! This little boy arrived on a beautiful day in Northern Virginia and it was a joy to document a part of his first day. There is nothing like capturing a newborn. Everything is so fresh, sweet, and new. Even when they're squalling through frigid diaper changes!

Documenting this time on video is a such special way to remember those first moments.  And it goes by so fast, especially when you're in that new parent haze. I find myself looking back on my sons’ newborn images and videos, thinking, “I can't believe he was ever so tiny.”

And, oh, the sounds. Those adorable squeaks and sighs! Video truly captures the essence unlike anything else!

Also, I just have to say, the staff at the Women and Infant Health Center at Virginia Hospital Center were so friendly and accommodating to work with.

Contact me today to learn more about documentary family films.

Documenting Change - In-home Newborn Session | Northern Virginia Family Photographer

Those first days and weeks at home with a new baby are especially sweet. They may also be a blur due to lack of sleep, so documenting them can be helpful in that regard. ;-)  A new baby is a big change for parents, even if they've done it before. For older siblings it can be the most momentous change they've experienced in their whole life.  This little guy had been home about two weeks when I visited his family in Northern Virginia. 

Though every family is different, there are some fairly common experiences that come with parenthood and childhood.  One of them is the transition from three to four.  

When I was pregnant with my younger son, even though my older son was very affectionate with my belly and interested in the baby that was growing inside, I still worried that bringing a new baby into our family might traumatize him somehow.  It probably did on some level, but he seems okay anyway. ;-)

Children's responses to a new family member vary, but they are amazing at adjusting to change and it's amazing to watch them interact with their new sibling. The bond siblings share is different than their bond with parents and it's one, as parents, we hope will be forged in childhood and last a lifetime.

During a newborn session it might seem that the primary focus would always be on the baby, but I try to feature each family member and capture a glimpse of their role in the new family dynamic. Older children are learning to navigate life with a little less input from parents, new babies are simply adjusting to life outside the womb, and parents are on a moving spectrum of totally rocking it and just holding on for dear life. :-) 

It's a mix of lots of love and a bit of chaos.  And documenting those early interactions and moments of adjustment make looking back on this time a little easier and that much sweeter.  

Want to learn how to document your own family's day-to-day?  Check out 4 Steps to Stop Time and Savor the Moment with Your Family.  It's a simple and fun guide to documenting your family's life with beautiful photographs.

Relaxed Summer Session | Washington, DC Family Photographer

It's been a baby bonanza this summer. Besides my own littlest (who's going to be a year old this week!), I've gotten to photograph several other babes in their first year this summer in Washington DC and Northern Virginia. The first year is such a fun time as a parent, getting to watch baby's personality develop (and take guesses at which parent is responsible for specific character traits ;-) ).  It's also a time of learning to adjust to a new family dynamic - a whole new person with new and different needs and wants. Oh, and who happens not to communicate in easy to understand words yet.

One of the things I always marvel about over parenthood is our seemingly never-ending capacity to adapt. Less sleep. Less time. But we make room in our lives to love and nurture these little ones. Adaptability is just what we need. Especially as we learn that just when we think we have things figured out, our little one changes.

One of my favorite things about documentary family sessions with babies is embracing that adaptability and going with the flow. Maybe baby’s schedule is completely off track. Maybe you skipped a nap or are still finishing breakfast at noon.  Taking in the chaos in the context of this tiny human who's changing so fast you want to capture every minute of it is one of the best parts about documenting family life.

It may be hard to see it now, but what you're doing is meaningful and important. And hard work. Your kids may not remember this time. And considering your lack of sleep, you may not either. But these pictures of everyday life tell your family's stories. Of tender care and coming up with endless ways to entertain. Of elation and exhaustion.  It may seem like chaos.  Or maybe you're lucky and it seems just as smooth as you're planning it to be (If so, what is your secret??).  Either way, it's beautiful and it's love.  And you'll want to remember that.

Stay tuned later this week, I have a family film to share from this sweet session in Washington, DC.

Want to learn how to document your own family's day-to-day?  Check out 4 Steps to Stop Time and Savor the Moment with Your Family.  It's a simple and fun guide to documenting your family's life with beautiful photographs.

Print Your Photos! | Baby Mobile

I love writing posts here about the importance of printing your photos, because it gives me an incentive to come up with fun ways to display my own photos - like this fun baby mobile that doubles as a hanging picture display.  I came across it at an art museum gift shop awhile ago, but only remembered it recently when I was looking for ways to display my square prints.

It's really great for children's development to see pictures of themselves around their home environment.  I think it's great for parents too. ;-) I love that our son can look up and see pictures of himself and our family. And I love that I can change them out easily whenever I get new prints. I used two prints for each of the ten clips and taped the inside of the pictures together to keep them from spreading apart.

Now I just need to get a few more for other places in the house.  One of the funniest things I remember about when our first son was a baby was the random placement of mobiles in our house.  We had one above the dresser in our bedroom and one hanging from a light fixture in our dining room.  And at one point, we had one hanging above the dining table in the kitchen. We tend to use spaces in our house as the need calls for, with a couch or the floor usually serving as a diaper changing station.  Life just happens wherever we are. :-)

You can find the mobile on Amazon.  These prints are from Artifact Uprising.  Check out my earlier post about their prints (and how to get them for free!).  And stay tuned for a similar review of Parabo square prints.  I'm waiting for those to come in the mail. :-)

Oh, and sign up for my newsletter below to receive more tips on creative ways to display your family photos!