Saturday, May 7, 2011

happy mother's day!!!

Happy Mother's Day!  There has been no greater honor I have been given in life than to be the mom to two (soon to be THREE) of the most amazing little boys ever.  Motherhood is something you will never understand until you are there, no matter how many times people explain it to you.  Whenever friends of mine ask for advice before they have their first child, the best I can tell them is to be prepared for your heart to be rocked in a way you can never imagine.  You never know that kind of love until you look at your child & you will never be the same.  Well, I tell them that and that I'm a huge fan of the epidural ;)  I never knew how much my mom loved me until I became a mom.  I mean, I always knew she loved me but not the depth of that love... I couldn't understand, I had never felt it before. I am so thankful to have experienced that love.

I am also thinking of my friends & those I don't know who are having difficulty or have been told they are unable to have children.  I know that Mother's Day is often a painful reminder of that struggle, and I want you to know that you are not forgotten and are honored on this day as well.  A mother's heart is a mother's heart, whether or not you actually gave birth to a child.

What a fun day to enter a special photo into the I Heart Faces challenge this week!  The theme: Motherhood!

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The last week of March I was given the opportunity to photograph the birth of a very precious baby boy, Joel.  My friends Jeremiah & Cheryl trusted me enough to be in the room & capture the first amazing, miraculous, precious moments when life is born.  This was not only my first birth I had captured, it was also the first birth I had the experience to witness (besides when I gave birth to my own children, and that doesn't count).  Oh. My. Lands.  I don't even know where to begin.  I told them it was a good thing I was already pregnant, or after that I would want to have another baby asap! Ha!  The miracle of life is something that really can't be put into words.  Neither is the emotion in the room when the parents see that precious life for the first time.  But this photo- my favorite photo of the entire day- says so much.  The love & emotion in Cheryl's eyes brings tears to my own... I think because I know the feeling, the one you can see all over her face, in her eyes, & in her smile.  The one that messes up your heart forever (in the best of ways).  The one that overwhelms you the moment you become a mother.  

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I do have to add that while I was in the delivery room with this beautiful family I got a text from one of my best friends telling me that she was pregnant (with her first baby)!  So one friend was just beginning her pregnancy, and another friend was about to step from pregnancy to motherhood.  Pretty sure this was one of the best days ever ;)

If you want to see more motherhood entries head over to I Heart Faces! There will be so many beautiful ones, I'm sure!

24 comments:

Nancy said...

Precious post, Erica! Happy Mother's Day!!!

blessedbeyondmeasure said...

Great capture and I love the story, too! My best friend is pregnant with her 2nd baby and I can't wait to shoot her delivery!

Lizz said...

Gorgeous capture! Just gorgeous!

Christina said...

You nailed it! As you said, her expression is priceless...and her hand reaching out is wonderful too! Beautiful!

Tamar SB said...

Gorgeous!! That is the look of pure joy and total love!

Happy mother's day!

Tamar

Unknown said...

That is pure joy! This seriously makes me want to cry! There is nothing like the love of a mother and her child.

freshphotos said...

beautiful moment! thanks for your comment re: "arms full".
- from fellow i heart girl

jgdavey said...

Her face expression is pricelss

Jenae said...

Wow.. what a beautiful photo..

Anonymous said...

Beautiful, beautiful! The emotion in her face is pure joy.. what a special moment to be captured. I love it!

Allison Christians said...

so sweet! what joy. thanks for sharing!

Rachel @ Simple Girl said...

What an amazing opportunity to witness and capture a miracle! Love this photo!

Anonymous said...

Gorgeous capture, pure joy and love there. Great job!

Tanya said...

Great capture! I am sure they will love and cherish this photo for many years to come. Photographing a birth is the most amazing experience! I am waiting for a friend to go into labor any day now so I can photograph her peanut coming into the world.

Crystal Starr said...

This is such a beautiful photo! You rocked it! I love your blog!

Jenna (Cammi J Photography) said...

Wow...what great emotion. I love pictures that speak to me and this one did for sure! :)

Jamie said...

Wow! This photo says it all. I just love the look on her face. You did amazing.

Danyelle said...

Absolutely beautiful capture!

heather nan said...

So so lovely! Such an honor to be present at the birth of a new life... wonderful capture!

Wendhy Jeffers Photography said...

That's an incredible photo! I can't wait to be a mommy!

RueRue Photography said...

What an amazing and real expression of joy and love on her face. Love it!

Our Family said...

WOW! What a post! I loved your comment "A mother's heart is a mother's heart, whether or not you actually gave birth to a child." This is SO TRUE! And I too hope that all those 'mothers at heart' are honored on Mother's Day.

Then your photo and words about new life. Whoa. An overload of awesomeness here.

TFS!

Tabitha Blue said...

gorgeous shot!

:)

Piper said...

This is such a beautiful picture and I'm sure such a keepsake for this family! Love it!