It's amazing how we take family photos every year, yet I forget how crazy it is! I suppose if you have calm or obedient children it's easy but my girls are definitely not the former and only sometimes the latter (unfortunately- but we only have ourselves to blame!).  Anyway, it seems Miss Jordan caught every moment in between the naughty moments.  She encouraged me to do them in the first place (though I was thinking she might have been regretting that in the thick of it!) and I'm so glad I did--especially after seeing them.  Here are a handful of my favorites:

The prospect of maternity photos can be daunting for a variety of reasons. First of all, though we want to capture the memory of being pregnant, especially for the first time, the idea of what we look like may be better than what we actually look like in a maternity photo (I’m just sayin…). I asked myself, really how committed am I to documenting the extra lumps and bumps I’ve acquired during pregnancy? On the other hand there are so many amazing emotions I’ve experienced during pregnancy—both about my changing body and about the remarkable being that is growing inside of me. Regardless of how imperfect my body might be, I definitely wanted to etch the memory in maternity photos that would prompt me to reminisce about being my baby’s first home and just how amazingly beautiful that made me feel.

That said, I really couldn’t afford to spend hundreds of dollars on maternity photos. And because I was a little apprehensive about the idea, spending a lot of money seemed like a risk. I am lucky enough to have an incredibly talented photographer friend who was open to trying something new. Meg wouldn’t call herself a photographer but she totally is. She may not have all the technical pieces down (yet!), but the basics and the stuff you can’t learn (the spirit of the shot and the creativity behind it, for instance) she has down pat. She made me feel comfortable and was open to my suggestions. We researched maternity photo tips as well as poses (who else loves Google images?!) for ideas. We weren’t afraid to copy some of those poses but Meg also used her creativity to capture some unique shots and angles. I’m pretty sure I look better in the photos than I do in real life (which again is a testament to how freakin awesome Meg is!).

So I guess my point is (wait a minute; do blog posts have to have a point?!) even if you are a bit wary of taking maternity photos, you may just want to consider it. Whether you want to invest in professional shots or have a friend or spouse take some pictures of you, it’s worth capturing the moment. There are so many resources and tips online [Meg will post more on that later] to assist you in taking the best photos you can. Check back tomorrow for more of Megan's work. For me, the end result was above and beyond my expectations!

While researching maternity photos (more on that later), I discovered a fabulous website that carries women's, girls, preteens, plus, and maternity clothes. Talk about one size fits all; this site truly caters to every woman. I am totally into pretty much anything aesthetically pleasing, so the layout of this site and its adorable name, Shabby Apple, caught my attention immediately. But besides the package, the content is incredible. They offer a solid variety of couture-ish pieces at affordable prices. Seriously, this chic maternity dress in the most amazing green ever almost makes me want to stay pregnant a bit longer! (I said almost). But since I'm in the home stretch, I'm happy to peruse the baby clothes instead. This adorable "queen of hearts" dress is just one of the many charming and original pieces on the site. If you're loving me for introducing you to this site, you're welcome. If you're hating me for feeding into your online shopping addiction, I'm sorry. Nevertheless, Enjoy. ☺