I'm really trying to do a good job of documenting this second pregnancy, because it's just as special as the first even if I don't have as much time to dwell on this baby or prepare for its arrival. I decided it would be fun to do a quick maternity shoot in our neighborhood at some of the same spots we took pictures when I was pregnant with Zianne to show our family growing over time. I asked our amazing photographer, Emma, if she could come over one evening to snap a few pictures. But here's how a maternity shoot goes down when it's baby #2... 1. You are a crazy pregnant lady, running around all week with a toddler and trying to finish your dissertation during nap time. So when you drop off eight of your husband's best shirts at the cleaners on Thursday and promise yourself you will pick them up on Saturday so they are ready for photos on Sunday, you completely forget to do so. Sunday arrives and you text your photographer frantically to see if she can switch to Monday... otherwise your husband will be wearing either a suit and tie or a surfer tank in your family photos. 2. The "golden hour" for evening photos is also that awkward hour for a toddlers when their post-nap good mood is fading, but it's not yet bedtime. Do you feed them at 5pm and risk them smearing something that will stain their face or get caked in their hair right before the photo shoot? Do you give them a bunch of snacks and feed them after the shoot, risking that they get hungry and crabby during photos? Whatever you feed them, do you make sure they are only wearing a diaper while eating and save a little time for a quick bath before the photographer arrives? {Spoiler: The answer to this last question is yes.} 3. You set a few goals for this shoot. If you can finish in less than an hour and get five good photos when it's all said and done, you will consider it a roaring success. You outline these goals for your photographer, so she knows the bar is low... like toddler-height. 4. You foolishly think "feeding the ducks" at the park will be a good activity to keep your toddler happy during the shoot. This turns into "your daughter wanting to eat all the bread herself and crying when you try to remove a piece from her mouth to get one more photo." The feeding of the ducks turned out to be the finale of the shoot, and Zianne managed to eat/drop half a loaf of bread by the time we made it home from the park... you live, you learn. It's funny that I set the bar so low, because I LOVE these photos. They are probably my favorites that we've ever done as a family, bread-binge and all. Our patient photographer nailed it, and I could never narrow it down to just five that I like. Thanks, Emma! We adore you! ... Read more