Baby Magic

Meet Jacob. Can you say sweet?!?

It's no surprise really. His mother and my husband went to business school together (swanky elite b-school no less) and she was commonly known among our crowd as the nicest person in their class. I don't think anyone would dispute that title. So I have no idea why I was so taken aback by how sweet her little baby Jacob is and how quickly I just fell.in.love! Apples don't fall far you know.

Knowing his mother I should have expected that. The other thing I didn't expect was that she would have her act so completely pulled together. Showered. With make up. And clothes without baby drool and spit on them.

She looked so pretty I just wanted to take her picture all morning. Seriously. I had to restrain myself and focus on that baby. But I was so mesmerized. And it's not just that her body is at this perfect voluptuous shape, and that she has the most amazing blue eyes you've ever seen, and a sparkly smile that lights up a room. It's that she's literally glowing from the inside. The love she has for motherhood and this baby and this family of hers comes shining out of her. She has a sincerity and a confidence and such joy that she brings to every single little task of parenting. I truly felt like I was under a spell and when I left I was walking on air. So moved and inspired and, well, HAPPY.

I'll be quiet now so you too can bask in the glow of these two....

And my very favorite picture from the shoot.....

I think these two have a magical future ahead of them. With this much love and sweetness, how can they not?

The Miracle of Normal

That's my fancy new logo. My husband was smart enough to befriend the nicest guy in his office who also happens to be a brilliant graphic designer. And in exchange for photos of his family in perpetuity he designed a logo for me. We had a brief email exchange in which I said very little about actual design. I wrote of mood, feeling. And somehow he was able to cull, from a sentence I sent him in an email, this logo that says everything I want it to say about me and my business. He's a genius.

Long overdue and with a heart full of gratitude and humility I arrived at their charming home to begin the first of many gazillion photo shoots with their family.

This is C. A completely normal 8 year old kid. Active, healthy, good student, loves his dog and sports and video games.

What is not at all obvious from looking at him is that he is a miracle of modern science. You see just a week or so after a perfectly normal 6 month old check up little baby C was in the PICU on a ventilator. So sick there were periods of time when they wondered if he would make it. And after running a series of tests and trying to determine what was going on with the little guy they discovered he had a rare genetic condition called XHIGM Syndrome. So they were faced with not only the challenge of getting him through his current bout of pneumocystis carinii pneumonia but also looking at an uncertain future even if he were to survive.

Ironically enough, baby C was taken off the respirator after 3 weeks and breathing successfully on his own on September 11, 2001. That's a date that means something to all of us. Can you imagine all this family was facing that day?

So he was in the clear for now but there was still the genetic condition to worry about which basically compromises the immune system. The cure for the condition? A full stem cell bone marrow transplant. Neither parent was a complete match. Their only hope was to have another baby who could be a match. They turned to IVF and some mad scientists. Two rounds and 27 embryos and only 1 was even viable. And that special one just so happened to be a complete match, a girl (girls are carriers and don't have the condition) and, lucky for her and her future, she wasn't even a carrier.

Meet 6 year old E, lifesaver extraordinaire....


E just explodes with life. She has enough not only for her and her brother, but for her entire family, block, town, city, state and country. She's joyful, enthusiastic and quite possibly the silliest little thing I've ever met.

When E was a year old she was able to give a successful bone marrow transplant to her brother which effectively cured him of the condition.

And it's clear she feels some ownership.

It's impossible to imagine all this family has been through. They've each had their own unique experiences and journeys and jobs to do. But having recently celebrated the 5 year anniversary of the success of the treatment, their life is simply normal. A gift and a blessing they hoped and prayed for in their darkest days.

And C & E are like any other siblings. Rough housing, annoying one another, playing together. But there's something between them you won't find in other families. A quiet undercurrent of all they've been through. Some intangible bond that is rather breathtaking to witness.


Miraculous aren't they?

The Sweet Life

We recently traveled to Ann Arbor, Michigan (a city with which I fell completely in love) to visit our dear friends and their precious daughter. You may remember her from her appearance here on the Blog. It was a perfect fall weekend with the leaves starting to change, crisp weather, apple and pumpkin picking. This is Clara's pumpkin. I love the way kids take ownership of things and transform them from objects to playthings, companions. We were trying to get holiday pictures (which we did) but kept having to explain that pumpkins don't belong in Christmas pictures. So we took plenty of pumpkin pictures to satisfy her. And with that smile, that sweet face, that adorable personality, well, I'm putty in her hands. What Clara wants Clara gets.
We got a few without the pumpkin too. I seriously could photograph this beautiful child every day. I don't know how her parents haven't had cameras surgically affixed to their limbs. She's just.so.precious!


There are several from the Holiday collection that are wonderful. But I want to save those for the holiday card "ta-da!" But I can't resist giving you a glimpse. She's so dreamy!


But enough about Clara. Can I talk about her Mom for a second? A woman with incredible intellect and charm, grace and beauty. She reminds me of a Kennedy and this picture captures the feeling I get when I think of her special magic.

We got several pictures of the family together for the cards but this one is what every day looks like in their household. Clara is obviously chattering on about something that is very important to her (verbal skills as off the charts as her adorableness people) and her parents, not for the camera but for her, just sit and enjoy her, allow themselves to be fascinated and amused. And shower her with their loving attention.

Ah sweet life. Sweet, sweet life.

The Early Bird Catches the Worm

My dear friend Michelle is chronically early. Seriously, it's like a disease with her. One that I really hope is contagious. (Along with several other qualities of Michelle's - her generosity, her ease, her ability to maintain a sense of humor and fun even when the situation calls for the opposite.)

My early bird friend has her holiday cards printed and IN HER HOME right now. All they need is the photo (that's where I come in naturally), the stamp, and well, the month of December. But knowing Michelle she won't be able to wait that long and they'll hit the mailboxes before Thanksgiving. I can feel it.

Anyway, we had a lovely shoot with the entire family. Our first time to get Mom and Dad in pictures which was great. We have several quality contenders for the beautiful card (and one perfect submission for Awkward Family Photos) but I won't show you those here. That is for Michelle to reveal on her own timetable in her own way. But I will show you some glimpses of the day. These girls should look familiar, they've graced this blog here and here and here.


According to Michelle there aren't enough pictures of The Vic with The Chicks. Which is a shame because this is one Daddy with 2 Daddy's girls and he wouldn't have it any other way. This man LOVES being a father and his girls love him.

Michelle adores her girls and would do ANYTHING for them. She is a uniquely wonderful person with an ocean of love to give. They are lucky to have a Mom like her, who is fun and doesn't take life too seriously. That's another one of her qualities I'm hoping rubs off on me.


Theirs, while never dull, is a happy home. (One whose halls will be fully decked the minute the turkey leftovers are in the fridge.) And it's clear that these beautiful chicks feel loved and nurtured and cared for by their charming and devoted parents.

Lucky Number Seven

September 24, 2002, seven years ago, I became a Mom. My sweet Collin came into this world a little peanut of a guy. 6 pounds 8 ounces. It was a long and medically complicated labor that ended in a c-section from which he kind of sauntered out. Laid there under the heat lamps, quiet, observant, hands behind his head, totally relaxed. We quickly learned it wasn't a predictor of his temperament, but it was an indication of his wisdom.

Dubbed the "Professor" for his serious and studious nature Collin has always behaved more like an adult than a child. Except when he's throwing tantrums which he does regularly. Even at 7. And honestly I believe the tantrums come from his frustration at having to exist in the world as a child. His brain works quickly and he does not suffer fools gladly, especially his Mother. And if only we would all just let him do what he needs to do when he needs to do it there wouldn't be any problems at all.

I don't mean that disrespectfully. The kid is a genius and far surpasses my intellectual capabilities and capacity for learning. He's always thinking, has a fast processor, and is usually several steps ahead of me. Even when he's wrong about something there's a clear logic flow to how he ended up at his destination.

But he's not ALL seriousness. He's developed this bond with animals this year. He dotes on our cats Linus and Lucy and has a relationship with them that is parental and nurturing. He's taken it upon himself to be their caregiver. He tends to their physical as well as emotional needs. It's clear he takes animals very seriously (oh...there's that word again...) and I have to admit his tenderness with them fills me with so much pride.

Collin also has a sincere passion for soccer. He commits 100% to the whole game with total focus. He runs at top speed, always follows and charges the ball, plays his position even when it's defense. And, well, coaches the other players as he does so. There's always sort of a running commentary coming from him, a coaches narrative about strategy and who should be where and doing what.

But what is pressing on my heart the most on this seventh anniversary of the day my life changed forever is how much he's changed in just one year. The physical difference is symbolic. He's becoming a KID as opposed to a child. And I'm finding myself needing to make adjustments in how I parent him. Give him more freedom, more independence. More credit for all he knows. Trust myself that I've taught him enough for now, trust him to do the right thing. Let him make some mistakes, figure some things out on his own. And it's scary. This shift, ever so subtle, away from needing me so much.


We struggle often. We don't understand each other. We battle over small things. I frustrate him, he aggravates me. So much of our household dynamic is dominated by his anger and attitude. And yet, this kid, is one of the sweetest you'll ever meet. He's got a heart of gold. He's popular at school, the teachers love him, he listens attentively and behaves well. He is a good kid. As much as we sometimes think he's not, as much as he sometimes feels he's not, he actually is. And he has a smile that simply melts this Mother's heart.


Ours is a complicated relationship. We're both complicated people with our own big ideas about what it means to exist in the world. And often there's a clash of wills. But what is absolutely true is that seven years ago my life changed for the better. For I am a better person for parenting Collin. He is teaching me things about myself, about life, about love that I would not have learned without him. And every night I go into his room while he's sleeping, lay my hand on that growing body, and fall in love all over again. And always strive to do better tomorrow.

I love you my Doodle.

Love,
Momgom