my 3 baby must-haves with our 3rd? | Personal

I knew with our third, he would have to be an on the go baby. We came home from the hospital in January and 3 days later Texas had an ice storm, so I was thrown into 3 kiddos all home very quickly. Thankfully my husband works from home so I did have extra hands, but those first few days of snuggles and laying in bed all day didn’t quite happen.

We also did not have a full nursery in our house which is fine since he slept in a bassinet in our room until about 2 months. Plus, let’s be honest it’s survival mode for the first little bit and sleep at any time is appreciated. I did have a few of my favorite things that kept me sane during the first few weeks plus I still use on the regular. Some of these I used with our second as well.

1. Boba Baby Wrap

   This swaddle has been my life safer! I wore Shepherd 90% of the time, and still use this some days. He LOVES to be worn and will fall right to sleep when he is in the wrap. I found this easier and more comfortable to wear around the house. I wore it when I had my weekly bible study and he’d sleep in it. He preferred this over sleeping in his carseat stroller.

2. Night Light

This was the perfect night light for diaper changes and feedings. I set it by the changing table or chair where I fed him and it has various settings to help with those middle of the night feeds. I do have the Hatch as well, but this simple light allowed you to turn it on and off without changing the sound. I also took it to the hospital to use. It is chargeable and can be used without the plug. You can grab it and go from one room to the next!

3. Portable Sound Machine

The best sound machine! I have people daily asking me what the noise is. I slept with this in the hospital and we take it on the go everywhere with us. He also uses it at nap time since he naps in a different room from the crib currently. It lasts for hours!

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Business Mentoring | Education

Education is such an important part of continued learning, growth and community. I have learned and mentored with some wonderful photographers over the years who have helped me on business aspects; as well as, photography techniques, workflows and editing. It has been a dream for me to give back to other entrepreneurs and photographers who are looking to take their business to the next level.

As you may or may not know, I worked in commercial real estate for 13 years while doing photography on the side for the last 7 of those 13 years. I grew my business slow and steady. I always knew I wanted to be a full time photographer while having the flexibility to be home with our children.

In November 2020, I stepped away from my corporate role and begin my full time photography business.

Was it scary? Yes. Did I work hard to make sure I felt like I was set up for success? Yes.

I took time to make sure I had all my business systems in place, and felt confident in taking the next steps to go full time with photography. As I begin to offer Business Mentoring to photographers, my hope is to work with other professionals who are looking to make the switch from a corporate or other full-time 9-5 career to a growing photography business.

I want to help YOU feel confident in your transition. Know you have yourself set up for success. Be a mentor and cheerleader while you say YES to big goals and dreams! I am excited to offer a limited number of mentor sessions each year!

If you or someone you know would benefit from a Business Mentor you can read about my new offering here.

Motherhood. The Why behind my business | Personal

I took a big leap in November of 2020, to go full time with photography and take a step away from the corporate world. One of my goals when doing this was to have more time to be mama to our two boys. Though launching a full time photography business is a big task in and of itself, I took 2021 to settle in as a full time photographer. I launched my Heirloom Portraits and worked to adjust my weekly and monthly schedule to see what worked best for our family.

As I began dreaming of 2022 and what aspects of my business worked in 2021, one of my biggest goals was to take more time for our family and be intentional with our boys during the week. As we enter April, my hope is to focus on our boys on Monday and Friday when they are home, and spend Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday on business specific tasks.

Our oldest begins Kindergarten in the Fall (cue all the mama tears) and I want to be present, make memories and be the mama I need to be. I mean I dreamed of the days I could do photography full time and be at home to chase these two little guys. Now is the time for me to cherish these days at home crazy as they can be, they don’t last long.

I may be slower to respond, but my hope is to focus on my clients and my business on the days the boys are in Mother’s Day Out. Scheduling will be a little more limited, and I will only be shooting one (maybe two) weekends a month. I will be scheduling sessions two days during the week, and have set business hours for emails, editing and all the behind the scenes things. Much of this is already in place, so you may not see much change from the outside.

If you are interested in booking a session, please reach out to me early to make sure your date is available, especially if you are hoping for a weekend option! You can contact me here for booking information.

Thank you for your patience as I work to balance this business and being mama!