I have been writing this post in my head for a long long time and am so glad to be finally sitting down to do this. Friends keep asking when I’m going to blog about our son Reid, and I’ve been wanting to so badly, trust me! So here goes. Just a warning: there are a bazillion photos of the same kid in this post, but because he’s mine I make no apologies!

It all started at my 35-week midwife appointment. Well it started well before that of course ;), but the CHAOS started at my 35-week midwife appointment. Up until then I’d been having what I thought to be the perfect pregnancy: no morning sickness, no heartburn, no aches or pains. Apart from a few weirdo skin tags and a mild hernia I felt great! Baby was kicking and twirling and my belly was growing. But at 35 weeks one of my midwives noticed I was measuring on the small side and I had higher than normal blood pressure. (I had two oh-so-awesome and amazing women taking care of me through my pregnancy by the way.)  She called for an ultrasound which revealed that my baby was too small, way too small. The obstetrician diagnosed it as IUGR, Intrauterine Growth Restriction (or Retardation, but I prefer the former!). More tests were done that Thursday and by the afternoon I was told that this baby had to come out as soon as possible. Since Dusty was away at the time for work and only able to make it back by Friday night, they negotiated Saturday morning so that Dusty and I could be together. This news from the doctor was so devastating to hear. I cried and cried. I also questioned the doctor and was skeptical of the recommendation: induction. Would my baby not grow more if we waited longer?…I’m not a big person, maybe I just have a small baby because I am small?? My baby was moving, had lots of amniotic fluid, and my blood pressure had returned to normal….are we SURE this is the right thing to do??? I felt stupid pushing back but I only wanted what was best for our baby and the doctor’s decision was so sudden and shocking. That evening I went to my prenatal class whose topic ironically was ‘intervention and informed consent’! Thankfully the couples in our class were so great and supportive and it was nice to be around people while I waited for Dusty’s return. By Saturday, the doctors had reassessed and were recommending that we go straight to cesarean delivery. Do you think I pushed back on that one? You bet. Throughout my pregnancy whenever I heard ‘C-section’ I basically tuned out. That wouldn’t be me. I don’t need to listen to this part. I’m having a natural delivery. I’m fit, I do yoga, I know pain- I used to row and I tree-planted through university. I KNOW pain. Preggo ladies, listen up: whether you like it or not a c-section could be in the cards! For me they knew that induction would be stressful on baby and because he was so small he might not have tolerated the intense contractions. Even without contractions, Reid’s delivery and the days and weeks that followed were intense. Reid was born April 28 at 1:18pm and weighed only 3lbs 8.8 ounces. A tiny chickadee. When he came out he immediately wailed which sent an overwhelming wave of relief rushing through my body. Dusty announced that he was a he (a feeling I had all along :)!) and then they took him to the warming table to check him over. I didn’t see this part of course but Dusty said he peed a big sprinkler pee and managed to hit all the observing resident pediatricians- I believe there were four. We had a feeling our son was a trooper!

Reid spent 19 days in the hospital in the NICU amidst many amazing nurses and doctors. He was tiny, but other than that healthy and just needed to grow. After 5 days I was discharged, but Dusty and I stayed the following 13 days at Jeneece Place which is reserved for families travelling to Victoria for medical care, but allows locals to stay if there is availability. We were so thankful to be able to stay there as it made feeding Reid every two to three hours manageable since it’s on the hospital grounds. Reid was a little superstar in the NICU. He learned to breastfeed quickly and wanted to eat all the time- it’s like he knew that hitting four-pounds was the goal and then he could go home. We joked that one day we would come into the NICU and he would be jumping up and down in his incubator, pounding the plexiglass with his little fists like a caged animal demanding release.

Reid has come a long way since his entry into this world. He’s changed so much! My little birdie is now giving us smiles non-stop, is holding his head up like a champ, and he rolled over for the first time the other day! No longer does he look like a scrawny baby Mr. Burns! Hee hee.

What follows are photos from the last four months, from the operating room to today! Some are iPhone and pocket camera pics as you’ll see, in all their distorted, grainy glory 🙂 Some of the operating room photos were taken by one of our two wonderful midwives, Julia Stolkes. Thank you Julia! Did I mention how amazing they are?! Jill Pearman is her partner in crime and with the two of them I always felt in good hands, so supported and cared for. This journey would not have been the same without these two fabulously smart, wise, and funny women. They deserve medals.

Oh yes, the photos. Dusty took some of the ones of me. And my friend Kyla slings a Samsung Galaxy like nobody’s business and she took the one of the three of us at the beach- thanks Kyla! And of course included are Reid’s nude baby shots I took on his Oma’s hand-knit blanket. I love these shots!

It may look like all I’ve been doing is taking photos of my son these past four months. Not true! I’ve taken other photos too 🙂 We’ve had quite the busy time on the home front actually. Apart from a conveyor belt of visitors, we also nursed a very sick kitty back to health (yay Rudi!), sold our home, and quickly bought another! Last month we moved house to our new home. As for parenthood, it has been a wild and wonderful ride so far and I’m loving every minute of it. It’s true what everyone says, ‘it changes your life’. It really does. You can’t love anything more than your child. Not possible. For me I find parenthood has helped me know what is important and what is maybe not so crucial in my life. It’s helped me focus my energy on the big picture and to ‘not sweat the small stuff’. I love how this little person can have such an effect!

If you’ve gotten this far, thanks for reading. I hope to fill you in on more of Reid’s shenanigans in the near future!

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  • Made me cry. Too beautiful for words. You are all champs. Love you. xoReplyCancel

  • Auntie Nene

    Awe Vivian, he really is adorable!!! So beautiful. Great pictures too!! Love the hat ones and the one where Dusty is blurred in the background…actually I love them all. Total squish of you two. Miss you and really hope to meet the little man someday. Love you guys!!!!

    OXOXOXOXXO
    ReneReplyCancel

  • Beautiful! Your story and the photos brought tears to my eyes!

    I can only imagine how intense and scary that time was for you. Thank you so much for sharing your birth story!ReplyCancel

  • […] thought I would share this self-portrait I took the night before I went into the hospital to have Reid. Throughout my pregnancy I knew I wanted to capture images of my body and my growing belly. This is […]ReplyCancel

pregnancy photography vancouver islandP I N this to pinterest

When I heard that old friends Kris and Chelsea were pregnant, I was sooo excited!! When I found out they were spending time on the island during Chelsea’s pregnancy I was even more thrilled. Kris and I went to photography school way back in the 20th century, ha! How time zips by. It had been a while but so great to reconnect with these two lovelies. We met up in Nanaimo on what turned out to be a crazy weather day. Rain, sun, wind, and even hail, oh my! We were all grumbling over the elements except for their pooch Tacoma who was just glad to be sniffing fresh air. The park at Beban provided a neat setting and a reminder of Kris and Chelsea’s farmhouse in Yorkton. Sad to see these two slip away again but so happy to know they are enjoying their little monkey Lukas in Saskatchewan! By the way, check out Kris’s work http://www.grunertimaging.com/– I always get lost in his amazing architectural and industrial images. So gorgeous and unique!

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A fun summery session with friends Amanda and Jeff. The occasion? They are (well were) pregnant!  Yes, I am behind in my blogging 😉 but I feel I have a fairly good excuse, ha ha. I’m so glad to have these two in my life! They are such great people and will make super parents. Can’t wait to share with you photos of their little guy soon….don’t you love Amanda’s feather top??

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bride and groom on cliff by ocean Pipers Lagoon NanaimoP I N this to pinterestIt has been a while since my last post as I’ve had a few exciting personal distractions that I can’t wait to share with you! But first I would like to share some images from Mica and Peter’s pretty spring wedding in Nanaimo. What a wonderfully sweet couple! It was such a pleasure to work with them and to capture these moments of their special day. Among weeks of horrid rainstorms and even hail, the sunshine came out for Mica and Peter’s wedding- how lucky!!  These two were troopers too with no fear of heights as you can see. Mica didn’t even bat an eye when her crazy photographer asked if she wouldn’t mind perching on a cliff. Her response: “Anything for the shot!”

No details were spared when it came to the look and feel of their day. I love the fuchsia and green theme they chose and the nature-inspired decor. One really neat addition to their reception was a sweet bar- a dream for all candy lovers. Yum!

Thank you Mica and Peter for trusting me to document your wedding day. I wish you all the best! cuff links groom getting readyP I N this to pinterest grooms shoesP I N this to pinterest groom and groomsmen getting ready groom and groomsmen getting ready bride getting ready bride getting ready bridal shoesP I N this to pinterest bridal shoes betsy johnsonP I N this to pinterest bride getting ready in salonP I N this to pinterest bridal gownP I N this to pinterest bridal gownP I N this to pinterest groom waitingP I N this to pinterest bride entering churchP I N this to pinterest wedding ceremonyP I N this to pinterest wedding ceremony wedding ceremonyP I N this to pinterest wedding ceremonyP I N this to pinterest bride and maid of honourP I N this to pinterest wedding partyP I N this to pinterest bridesmaids candid photo wedding partyP I N this to pinterest bridesmaids by oceanP I N this to pinterest bride and groomP I N this to pinterest bridesmaidsP I N this to pinterest bride and groom portraitP I N this to pinterest groom portraitP I N this to pinterest groomsmen groomsmen groomsmenP I N this to pinterest groomsmen funky socksP I N this to pinterest groomsmen funky socksP I N this to pinterest bride and groom portraitP I N this to pinterest bride and groom walkingP I N this to pinterest brideP I N this to pinterest wedding party in treeP I N this to pinterest wedding party in tree Pipers Lagoon Nanaimo bride and groom Pipers Lagoon NanaimoP I N this to pinterest bride on cliff Pipers Lagoon NanaimoP I N this to pinterest bride on cliff Pipers Lagoon NanaimoP I N this to pinterest bride and groom Nanaimo Golf ClubP I N this to pinterest bride and brideP I N this to pinterest wedding reception Nanaimo Golf ClubP I N this to pinterest wedding reception Nanaimo Golf Club wedding cakeP I N this to pinterest wedding dessertsP I N this to pinterest wedding reception Nanaimo Golf Club bride and groom cutting the cakeP I N this to pinterest bride and groom cutting the cake

 

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  • Lovely work, Vivian! The portraits on the cliff are so gorgeous. I love her dress and shoes.ReplyCancel

  • Mica Nelson

    Vivian, truly worth every minute of waiting! Thank-you soo much for your beautiful work! These truly capture who we are and are exactly what I asked for and more! I will definitely be recommending your services to all I know! 🙂ReplyCancel

  • Beautiful work, Vivian. I love the wide shots with the bride on the rocks. Stunning!ReplyCancel

  • aimee

    Such pretty photos Viv! Makes me want to get married again:) I love the shots on the cliff too! So romantic.ReplyCancel

  • My pleasure Mica! I’m so glad you like them 🙂ReplyCancel

victoria family photographyP I N this to pinterestOur awesome neighbours and friends the Silzers moved away last summer and it has not been the same around here without them! We made these photographs together, just prior to their departure at one of their favourite Victoria beaches where they often search for sea glass. They found sea glass that day, as well as a washed up leather suitcase that was strangely fitting for the occasion, so we took some photos with it. Such a beautiful family, inside and out. Kudos to Margaret for organizing the family’s coordinating but not too matchy-matchy blue and grey wardrobe! And I love how they all have Native Shoes -so cute! Margaret, Michael, Josiah, and Noah: we miss you!!! Come back to BC soon please.  family photography vancouver islandP I N this to pinterest vancouver island family photographyP I N this to pinterest family photoP I N this to pinterest beautiful family photographyP I N this to pinterest childrens photography victoria bcP I N this to pinterest family photographers victoria bcP I N this to pinterest victoria bc family photographerP I N this to pinterest vancouver island family photographyP I N this to pinterest

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