MichaelAnn's Newborn Session | Social Circle, Ga.

Isn’t she so perfect, with the cutest little noggin! I just love her profile.

I’ve known Liz, MichaelAnn and Ella’s mom, for about two years now from church and our weekly bible studies over those years and all of the events we do together. I remember, before Ella started school, she would always come to bible study in the mornings with her mom. As soon as they walked through the door, Ella would belt out in her sweet, tiny but big voice, “Hello! I’m here!!” No matter what we were all doing and no matter how invested we were in conversation with one another, we all would turn to Ella and give that sweet baby the warm welcome she commanded from our massive study group. She is so very precious! And, such a sweet big sister, too!

I asked Liz how they came up with MK’s unique name. Michael is her husband, Austin and his dad’s middle name, Ann is Liz’s middle name and Kelli is Liz’s dad’s name. It’s a beautiful mixture of their loved one’s names.

That last photo! Oh, MK is the snuggliest baby girl! While I was rocking her to sleep, Liz snagged that photo of me loving on MK. Thank you Liz! I am so grateful to get to capture moments like these for my close friends!

My baby boy's room annnnnd due dates are no fun. . .

Our baby boy, Rocco, should be here before the end of this month and he has consistently measured two weeks ahead for months. During our last ultrasound we were told he is on track to be a ten pounder - just like Olivia. Eek. Needless to say, I left that ultrasound appointment feeling a little bummed. I was hopeful he wouldn’t be THAT big. Especially since I had been working out, eating so well and I haven’t gained near what I did when I was pregnant with Olivia. Apparently, if you have big babies, you just have big babies! lol He’s not here yet SO maybe I gotta chance of having a small-er baby?! We shall see! The past two weeks have been the most challenging. I keep having these serious pains that take my breath away and make me feel like I am going to be sick. I keep thinking that all these things I am feeling are a sign that he is about to be here and then I wake up annnnnd. . .nothing. lol Due dates are just an estimate based on too many different factors. I have got to get it out of my head and carry on. Literally! Carry him on! I think with him measuring two weeks ahead of “schedule” I have just had it in my head that he will be here two weeks sooner. lol

The good news is I have had this amazing burst of energy today and I have gotten so many things around the house done. Closets are all cleaned out and organized, the girl’s bedroom has been rearranged and organized, bags and bags of clothes and toys are ready to be taken to Goodwill. I could go on and on about my laundry, dishes and how awesomely clean my kitchen cabinets are! BUT I won’t. lol Instead, how about I take you on a tour of Rocco’s cute room?!

I wanted to go bold on the color! I knew it would be fine to go with a darker color because of how high the cream colored wainscoting is up the wall. SO happy with our decision!Before we knew Rocco’s gender, I purchased these cute stuffed animal heads. I wasn’t quite sure how we were going to place them in his room. Trey came up with the idea of taking pallet wood and cutting it down into these little plaques. Perfection!Check out that light fixture! Originally, we installed Edison bulbs and they looked beautiful. However, the hue they cast in the room was just TOO orange for our liking. Trey got super creative and built lots of cool pipe shelves and he even made the curtain rod. Look at all those clothes AND diapers! Woohoo! His drawers are even full of clothes, blankets, sweet little swaddles and SO much more!

When we had our baby shower (which I promise I will share photos from soon!), we got the cutest most helpful gifts for him. I am really looking forward to him being here and a part of our family. So, now I wait and pray! If you would, please keep me and Rocco in your prayers. It would mean so much to me! I remember when I was pregnant with Olivia, I asked all of my friends and family to cover her and I in their prayers. It gave me a confidence like none other I had ever had.

My goal is to have Rocco, non-medicated. That is how I had Olivia and it was so amazing. I used hypnobirthing techniques and they worked perfectly! So perfectly, I had ZERO pain! It's all mind over matter. If you will keep us in your prayers. My prayer is that his birth will be quick and pain free.

Trey and I seriously can't wait to meet him, for our girls to meet their baby brother and to share him with you guys!

Blakely Harper | Newborn Session

Hello Blakely Harper! She has arrived! This doll was born on Valentine’s Day and boy is this rainbow baby girl loved beyond belief! While Blakely is most certainly the happy ending to their journey, the Goss family, Stephanie (the mommy), Matt (the daddy) and big brother Colton have been through so much. Stephanie and Matt were expecting their second baby, Olivia Blake, just last year. Unexpectedly, Stephanie's water broke and she spent two weeks in the hospital on strict bed rest trying to regain fluids. With all of the efforts to save her doll she had no choice but to deliver her baby girl at 23 weeks and one day. This put Stephanie's life at risk too. She received eight blood transfusions to save her. Miss Olivia Blake is now an angel in Heaven. Stephanie told me, “ We didn’t take a single day pregnant with Blakely for granted because we know how quickly it can be taken away.” I got to meet their little miracle, Blakely a few weeks ago. My, oh, my! She is beautiful! Seeing Colton, her big brother, excited about her and loving on her, made my heart so happy. While I was holding Blakely during her session, I couldn't help but thank God for blessing Stephanie and Matt! God is so good y'all!

The Goss Family is doing their best to raise awareness and funds for Premature Birth with The March of Dimes - March for Babies in honor of their Olivia Blake. Please take a moment to view their site and help support research for full term babies! The March for Babies

Shelby Anne's Newborn Session | Social Circle, Georgia

Today I'm super excited to not only show off this precious newborn session for Shelby Anne but also her momma, Sarah, is our guest blogger! Yay! Sarah is a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner in the ER at Scottish Rite and she is sharing her beautiful cesarean birth. Go grab a cup of coffee, read up and take in all the cuteness! "When Holly asked me to share my birth experience for her blog, I was excited for the opportunity. I had such an amazing experience with something most women fear. I am well aware I am one of the lucky ones! However, I still wanted to share to let other women know, it is not always scary and bad like many would lead you to believe.

The words cesarean section strike fear into the hearts of many women. Whether it be the fear of the unknown, a story you have heard, or just simply because it is a change in how you imagined your perfect birth. Having a major abdominal surgery can be nerve wracking to say the least.

After much discussion with my OBs, we decided a C-section would be the best option for me. Thankfully, I did have a huge advantage as a previous labor and delivery nurse (about 6 years ago) and remembered quite a lot. Being the patient is a whole other story, though. I heard stories from both women who had great experiences, and those who had what they described as “horror stories”. So I tried to go into this experience with an open mind.

My spinal (which numbs you) went great. The actual process progressed quickly and I feel like I blinked and my sweet precious angel was FINALLY here after 4 long years of anticipation and heart ache. My husband was still allowed to cut the cord. We still recovered together and I was still allowed to do skin to skin. The doctors and nurses were quick to address any concern and there was pain medication available when I needed it.

Overall, I really did not experience much more than discomfort. There have been times I have worked out and had far more “pain” than what I experienced during the whole process. The secret trick - stay ahead of your pain! If you take the medication offered when it is available, it actually allows you to take less medication in the long run and be more comfortable. This in turn allows for faster healing.

Moral of the story…having a Cesarean section makes you no less of a mom at the end of the day. Whatever your doctor and you deem as the best option for a safe delivery should not scare you because of someone else’s experience. I can honestly say I have never felt happier and more confident of something being the “right” decision. This was my story. I am happy, healthy and have a beautiful and healthy baby to show."

Sarah, thank you so much for sharing your beautiful birth story. I will say that I was one of those that had only heard the scary stories of C-Sections. Most of the ladies I know have had to have emergency births. Which, yes, can be scary but like Sarah said, having a healthy baby is what it's all about! Now, scroll down for more of her adorable baby girl that has more hair than I have ever seen! So cute!