Finley’s 3rd & 4th Month!

December 11, 2020December 11, 2020 Alexandra Michelle Photography1 Comment

I have been trying to get this post created for (obviously) two months ::face palm::. I have been making a concerted effort to get TONS of pictures of our life with Finley as she gets older. I’ve been taking my camera everywhere and unapologetically been demanding pictures because the cliche saying that they grow up too fast is too true – THEY GROW UP TOO FAST. I’m so glad I have these images and these frozen moments in time but now I have a back log of images to share :). A good problem to have, no doubt.

That other cliche saying of “I wish there were more hours in the day” is also very true of parenthood. In the hubbub of Fall Minis, a 12 week growth spurt, the holidays, Christmas shopping, and a four month sleep regression, I have found so many excuses to put off writing this post. The thing is, I WANT to share these images because in a few months, a year or more I will be so glad that I can look back on this post. I have been blogging here since 2011 and every so often I’ll go back in time and look at personal blog posts of what I was randomly doing. This place is like a scrapbook of my post college life and I LOVE it! So as much as I’m sharing these images for you to see – I’m totally sharing these images for me. 🙂

NOW the reason for the post – Finley updates!!

In the past two months she has really grown SO much! Not only is she significantly bigger but she also has a bigger and bigger personality! Between 3 and 4 months she became so much more interactive and you can see it in the pictures below. At three months she’d make eye contact, track us and smile but also had a real serious face (as seen below) and would still space out. Jump to 4 months and she smiles ALL the time, has tons of little facial expressions and even laughs! Even her doctor kept saying at her four month check up “WOW she is so expressive!” :).

I love that she LOVES being read to and will even grab the book and push to move the pages. She is OBSESSED with her play mat and all the things we have hanging from it for her to grab, chew on and feel. She found her hands and loves chewing on them. She LOVES the bath and makes a HUGE mess as she kicks like crazy – splashing water EVERYWHERE. 🙂 At 11 weeks she started sleeping through the night but has recently hit a bit of a sleep regression. We’re hoping it won’t last long but who knows. It’s hard that she struggles to fall asleep but I do love that she’s easily comforted by being held and snuggled, so I’m exhaustedly soaking up the snuggles.

I’m so glad to be sharing these images and want to give you fair warning that this is a pretty big photo dump. 🙂 We love this girl more and more and as hard and exhausting as it is – it is truly the so much fun watching her grow and learn!

Finley LOVES this fox. We named him “Mr. Fox” and she thinks he’s the greatest.

The face on the left KILLS ME – I’m DYING laughing!!

The next few pictures are from the beginning of October when Finley had just turned two months (and was in her third month – thus being included in this post). We had just taken the Perez family pictures and we hung back after their session so Sterling could get some pictures of me and Finley. She looks SO different here! It’s amazing to see the difference, she’s so much more interactive with people and her surroundings now.

One day this past October I was driving past the Maryland Agriculture Resource Council and noticed this GORGEOUS road that was tree lined with BEAUTIFUL colorful leaves. I came home and said to Sterling that we HAD to get fall pictures there before the leaves fell. Thank God we did because three days later I drove past it again and EVERY leaf had fallen off. We tried so hard to get a family picture together using my tripod but the distance was too far for the phone remote app and none of them turned out. I’m so grateful I got preordered a clicker for my camera to own for any future spontaneous photo shoots. 🙂

When we were in Richmond for minis Sterling’s family came over from Charlottesville to have a socially distanced lunch with us. Sterling’s sister’s family had never met Finley so it was especially nice. His mom even got a COVID test so she could hold Finley.

FOUR MONTHS

Now for some iPhone pics

Holding her bottle for the first time. I only sobbed a little bit 🙂

My friend Jessie, Finley and I went to a park and walked around together. We took off our masks for a second to snag our own socially distanced pictures in front of this really cool painted barns.

Finley’s First Month

September 1, 2020September 1, 2020 Alexandra Michelle PhotographyLeave a comment

It has been a whole month since our baby girl was born and it feels oddly like it was yesterday and forever ago all at the same time. It’s 9:38pm on the night before September 1st and I am forcing myself to sit down and write out this post because 1) it has been on my to do list for awhile now and 2) I know I will be so mad at myself if I don’t. So… in the full transparent parent truth, I’m sitting here with the messiest bun, spit up on on my shirt, haven’t eaten and Sterling is taking one for the team trying to put Finley back to bed as she’s upstairs crying. Now this picture may seem chaotic (and it is) but through all the chaos and tears, mess and poop, this has been the most beautiful month of my life.

Virginia Beach Sunset – Family Portraits

August 15, 2019August 14, 2019 Alexandra Michelle PhotographyLeave a comment

This might be my favorite session to date. It’s true, I said it. It was a mix of everything going just right in the most important ways. The session was during golden hour, in a beautiful location, we took into account where the sun was setting so the light was ideal, and most importantly, we were SO comfortable with each other! I should add that the reason why we are so comfortable together is because we are good friends from JMU! Drew and Sterling (my husband) are fraternity brothers from JMU and Stacy and me are sorority sisters from JMU. Since we are good friends from college, coming together for this session was so sweet and easy! Additionally, Stacy’s mom and dad came along which was so nice to have extra helpers to watch our bags and be the smile task force. They were so sweet to come and help and such a Godsend! Read More »

Baltimore Newborn Session – Baby Pike

February 21, 2019April 3, 2019 Alexandra Michelle Photography1 Comment

Pike Newborn Session

— Baltimore, Maryland —

Can you believe I’ve known Peyton since we were TEENAGERS!? Yes! She was 14 and I was 12 when I first started going to Camp Mont Shenandoah and she became not only a friend to me but in a lot of ways a mentor. As a camper, I looked up to her as a legacy camper, a Green team cheerleader and then the Captain! When I joined her as a counselor she helped show me the ropes and always made sure I was included. She took me along with her on days off, showed me how to be a mentor to younger campers and even sat outside a bathroom stall of Junior Four (a bathroom at camp) when I was in tears because I was so afraid of going to college. When we moved back to Baltimore this summer she was one of the first to reach out and invite us over to hang out and have dinner. She is a great friend. Read More »

Tenney Family Neutral Newborn Session

July 31, 2018 Alexandra Michelle PhotographyLeave a comment

Tenney Family Neutral Newborn Session

— Richmond Virginia —

When Anne reached out to me a few months ago about doing her newborn pictures I actually had a moment of “pinch me!”. I knew Anne in college as she was kind of a big deal in sorority life at JMU! She was a Tri Delta and I was an Alpha Phi and while we never officially knew each other I definitely knew of her! She was Panhellenic President and was known as one of the nicest women at school. Panhellenic for anyone who isn’t a sorority person is the overarching organization that each sorority is involved in. It’s kind of like a community counsel and puts on events such as recruitment. Being President of Panhel is a HUGE honor and an even bigger responsibility! It’s a two year commitment and running recruitment is no easy task!

After we got talking she sent me over a Pinterest board of the type of shots she was hoping we’d get. It was such a wonderful surprise to see that most of the pictures on the Pinterest board were mine!! I couldn’t believe it!! They were mixed in with other images by people that I really admire and look up to which was so humbling!

When I got to Anne and Aaron’s house it was nothing less than what I expected, beautifully spaced with an amazing layout. Her nursery was decorated neutrally with basic white, grays and light beige/brown. I honestly had never seen a nursery that neutral before (usually there is more splashes of pink or blue) and I loved it! It was easy to get bright and clean images of the space and of the baby plus it had a simple feel that was refreshing and classic.

What impressed me more than their beautiful home and their clean and well planned nursery though was Anne and Aaron and how gracefully kind they both are. They are people of faith and you can tell it’s very important to them. I walked into their house and immediately felt welcome and trusted. Anne and I talked like two old friends and I have to say – she really is one of the nicest and down to earth people I’ve ever met! She was kind enough to hold up a blanket in the background as a reflector for almost the entire time! Beyond their kind hearts, Aaron and Anne are such natural parents and in the most genuine way. I noticed it in the simple ways they care for Will and each other. Like how Aaron snuggled up with Will just to watch golf, or how Anne talks to Will to sooth him and calm him. They were born to be a parents and God has blessed them in a beautiful way. Their parenting was never flashy or braggy, but sweet, humble and natural. You can tell that this was path is blessed by God and that they are in it together every step of the way!

Anne and Aaron – I LOVED getting to know you better during this session and am so glad that we are doing at least two more milestones together! You have a beautiful family and hearts of gold, I’m grateful to get to work with you both!

Newborn Portraits – Virginia Beach Session – Sexton Family

May 9, 2018May 8, 2018 Alexandra Michelle PhotographyLeave a comment

These two are probably one of my all time favorite couples! They started dating at JMU and so when Sterling and I started dating at JMU we would all meet up on the dance floor on Friday and Saturday nights! Mike (also fondly known as Big Sexy by almost everyone) lived in the house behind Sterling’s house and we were always at either of those two places during my Grad year. Kevyn is a teacher like me and tons of fun! The two of them are the kind of friends you want to stay have in your life forever.

The two of them are genuine in every sense of the word, they are loyal, kind and warm. Kevyn has a spirit that lights up any room she’s in and a contagious laugh! Mike gives the best hugs and an equally good listener. The way they treat their friends though is nothing compared to the love they have for each other. It’s undeniable. Even just the way they look at each other from across the room, you can tell that they deeply cherish one another. It’s a love that their son is so blessed to be a part of, one that some people only dream of and others can only emulate; true, constant, big love that pushes into everything they do. To see these two as parents was amazing because it’s as if the love they have for each other just grew ten fold to include this little tiny baby boy.

Mike and Kevyn, we love you guys and feel so blessed to call you friends. I’m so glad to have gotten to take these images for you.

Ps. You may also remember them from their engagement session! Click here to walk down memory lane!

Balch – One Year Portraits!

April 13, 2018March 20, 2019 Alexandra Michelle PhotographyLeave a comment

This little girl quite possibly takes the cake for the best facial expressions! This whole session she had me won over! The best part was seeing how much she LOVES her parents! She lights up when they talk to her and just howls with laughter when her dad gets her going.

We had this session over at Belle Isle and the light was gorgeous! The trees were blooming which gave the perfect pink glow in all the pictures!

Katie and Dan – you have the sweetest little girl! Thank you for sharing this milestone with me, I had so much fun!

Williams Newborn

January 12, 2018December 18, 2017 Alexandra Michelle PhotographyLeave a comment

I’m not going to lie to you, I always get nervous before newborn sessions. Mostly because I don’t have children of my own yet so I don’t know all the ways to sooth them the ways mothers do. Also because I’m never 100% sure of how it will go. With kids I can distract them or play games or try to make them giggle but newborns can’t be distracted easily with games or silly phrases.

While I always get a little nervous before hand – I always sink into calm the moment we start. Newborn sessions are special – they are new and exciting and sweet. It’s calm and slower and intentional. It’s not about games and being silly it’s about sweet little moments. Capturing the way moms look at their baby, the way dads hold them and look at their wives. It’s about little toes and tiny ears. Small little smiles and sleepy poses and details. I always love taking newborn images and even more so editing and delivering newborn images. They are a milestone, not just a picture for a card but a memory, a moment, a blink.

Lauren’s little girl made our session perfect. She was sweet and when she wasn’t sleeping she was staring right at the camera with these beautiful big blue eyes. Lauren has these white curtains in the room which we were able to use as a perfectly clean white background. The nursery is decorated with sweet little touches of giraffes – a favorite of Lauren’s. 🙂

Here are some of my favorites from the William’s newborn session, I know I’m biased but I think they are simply precious!

Fall Color Flashback pt. 1 – Franciscos!

December 11, 2017March 20, 2019 Alexandra Michelle PhotographyLeave a comment

So if you know me at all you know that snow is my all time favorite thing – ever! I absolutely love everything about it. I love how quiet it is and how calm it can be, I love how people snuggle up inside and drink hot chocolate and watch movies while it falls and I love playing in it!

This weekend when it started snowing here in Richmond I was OVER THE MOON, literally squealing out loud in the library at school… As it was falling and I was hanging out inside watching my movies I realized that with the snow was the official end of fall. Now snow may be my favorite thing but fall is my favorite season so it did make me a little nostalgic of fall and all the bright beautiful colors. This got me thinking about how I hadn’t blogged out the rest of the minis and all these beautiful fall images.

And so, to celebrate the beginning of Winter (unofficially- I know it technically doesn’t start until the 21st or something) I am spending this whole week sharing out and reminiscing about fall colors with my #fallcolorflashback!

To kick it all off we have the Francisco family and their beautiful little daughter! You may remember them from last spring when I did an extended family session with them. I was excited to see them again for a holiday mini! The colors in these images are beautiful only to be matched by a really beautiful and kind family! Margaret and Ben – thanks for a great session!

Baby Harrison’s Newborn Session

November 15, 2017November 14, 2017 Alexandra Michelle PhotographyLeave a comment

One of the greatest and most surreal part of getting older has been watching so many of my friends become parents. When I first graduated college my friends and I sat down and made a list of who would be the first to get married and who would be the first to have babies. Then a few years later it started to happen! Our friends started getting married and at first it felt so weird – as if to say “Are we all really old enough for this!?” Now as I get closer and closer to the big 3-0 the wedding game has really picked up the pace, this past season alone (April until October) Sterling and I had 11 weddings, including ours! And we had 5 close friends have babies plus three more who are pregnant and due in the next few months! It’s wild! Five years ago if you had asked me what it was like to have so many people around me getting married and starting families I might have reverted back to that initial thought of feeling so old! Now though it’s just really really exciting.

In fact, I’m finding it more exciting to watch my friends become parents than I was leading up to their wedding. Yes weddings are fun and exciting and emotional and beautiful but babies are just such an amazing miracle! The science alone of creating something from scratch is just so cool! Add all of this with watching your friends shine with love every time they look at this little human and knowing that they have a special gift that they will cherish forever is really amazing.

Sarah and Adam are now in what feels like a growing club – Friends with Babies – and they fit right in. I got to their house on Sunday and they were both just glowing with pride and excitement. They had to be tired but you’d never guess it, Adam was all smiles and Sarah has fallen into motherhood with such grace it is as if she was destined for this role all along. Top that off with a beautifully clean house and I’m wondering – how are you two doing this!? Where are you hiding the gnomes that clean everything and make you look so beautiful and can I borrow them for my regular day to day life!?

We spent the time together on Sunday in a very toasty nursery (which sounds like I’m being sassy but I’m not!) It was perfect for newborn pictures because you want a toasty room, it keeps them warm and sleepy. Harrison was the perfect little model, we got him out of his clothes and he fell right to sleep, holding each pose like a champ! We even got him on his stomach for some poses and just kept on sleeping. Needless to say he was precious, with the tiniest little features and a full head of hair – he’s perfect.

Sarah and Adam – I just love you guys and am so glad I got to share this time with you! Congratulations on your beautiful baby boy – he’s lovely!