Welcoming Your Newborn | Dallas, TX Newborn Photography

As a mama, when we welcomed our second little boy there was worry and anxiety over what our oldest might do. How would he react? Would he act out towards me or his little brother?

Our oldest, Sutton, was just under 3. We had talked about baby brother coming for months. He had even been with us to an appointment or two, and he knew baby brother would be born at the hospital. In fact, one of our last appointments we went to, sweet Sutton asked if we were picking up baby brother. He loved to play in the nursery and rescue kitties from the crib.

We kept Sutton on his schedule going to Mother’s Day Out and getting to spend a few nights with his grandparents. He was even able to come to the hospital to meet baby brother shortly after he was born (before Covid). He could not have been more excited to hold him! To this day, he still asks to hold him in the mornings or when he gets home from Mother’s Day Out.

We included Sutton in so many of our daily activities: naps, feedings, changes, etc. He really just wanted more of mommy. Mommy to do bath and put him to bed. I reminded myself frequently to stop and enjoy the time. Though I was exhausted with a newborn, the time is fleeting.

To this day, big brother loves to hold his little brother, go in to wake him up in the morning and has been the biggest helper. He wants him to have a monkey as his lovey like he does (we will see if this takes), but yes we still get upset when little brother gets into our things. We are now building our firetrucks and setting them on shelves or a table out of reach of Sawyer.

Mama as you adjust to your first or forth baby, it takes time. Give yourself grace. Do something little for yourself. And remember this is a season, take joy in the every day.

2020 a Year of Unexpected Growth | Dallas, TX Newborn Photography

2020 was a year of unexpected changes, growth, and a lot of family time! We were looking forward to 2020 as we anticipated the arrival of our second baby boy in January! Little did we know how differently the year would turnout to be.

I took maternity leave from both my corporate job and photography, our oldest was in Mother’s Day Out and my husband was doing his daily work grind. I was soaking in all the newborn snuggles, having our mom’s help every couple of days (who thoroughly enjoyed the newborn snuggles too), and planning for some big changes in 2020.

We took Spring break with our oldest, played at the park, did a Costco run and went to the zoo with our cousins to round out our break. I had a few more weeks before maternity leave was up and had two Fresh 48 sessions planned for the following week! In a change of events (literally overnight), we kept making adjustments for the Fresh 48 sessions, but soon they would be completely cancelled. Little did we know this was just the beginning of our stay at home order.

I went back to work in early April, working from home and balancing two little boys. We spent our days playing, taking two or more walks a day, watching more Disney+ than I would like to admit, and Face-timing with grandparents. We have adjusted, made some major changes for our family, and to the wonderful clients Mallory Shelton Photography grew more than I expected during this unusual year, THANK YOU!

For us, 2020 was much different than we anticipated. Our youngest has been in our church once for a music concert for our oldest. He has seen few people outside of our family with no mask on. He still looks at us when we have our mask on with an unusual face and tries to pull it off.

But all that to say, I enjoyed the extra family time, learning to be a mama to two while working full time, growing my photography business and leaning on my husband for support and encouragement. Though there have been many challenges, it was a year we are grateful for and grew more than we knew possible!

Here’s to 2021!

Ben | Dallas, TX Newborn Photography

Busy season is upon us. What does this mean?

Well, September, October and November tend to be the busiest season for photographers.

My schedule is filled with those precious newborns (as always) plus mini sessions, extra family sessions and then your typical editing and office work (invoicing, contracts, emails, you name it!). The late nights (or in my case) early mornings to take care of all the things!

This season can be overwhelming at times, but what a JOY! I love the craziness as we prepare for the holidays.

In the midst of it all, it is so important to take care of yourself, focus on your family and not overdue it! This year I have been more intentional about my family time on the weekends. Stepping away from my computer during the day and soaking up the Fall fun with our little boys. Playing fireman, going on walks, carving pumpkins and pretend camping!

As we round out October, September and October have been two of my busiest months, and I am still setting goals, planning for 2021 and looking forward to adding some new things to my offerings!

The past few years have been years of learning, growth, adjusting to becoming a mom of 1 and now 2, all while working full-time, being a wife, mom, daughter, and friend. Some days I wonder what I am doing, but it’s those sweet emails, compliments and the joy that an image can bring to my clients that reassure me I am doing what the Lord has called me to do.

Send your photographer friends a little thank you, coffee, sweet note of encouragement or just let them know you appreciate them! A little can go a long way. We all need it during this season!