My Sleeping Child||Arlington,MA family photography

"It's time to sleep, little bird, little bird, so close your eyes not another word...." 

-Mem Fox, from Time for Bed

Is there anything more amazingly sweet then your little one sleeping? My heart feels so big and full when I gaze at my boy's freckles, his absurdly long lashes, his kissable little lips. The love feels so big that it aches sometimes, needing to burst out as an energy to share with the world. When I was pregnant with my darling boy, I read a quote by Elizabeth Stone that struck me hard, and has remained lodged as a jewel of truth throughout my momma journey: "Making the decision to have a child... is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body."Watching my little one sleep restores so much goodness - it refills some of the energy that has waned after a day of arguments over putting on shoes, clearing his place at the table, or negotiating for more screen time, more treats. Loving my child awake is often joyful - he is hilarious and creative and fun, but it also pushes me to new levels of patience, and doubt and questioning: parenting is so hard. Of course the love never falters, but it's not the same as when he sleeps - loving my sleeping child is sweet, and quiet, and easy.

One of my favorite writers and momma bloggers, Glennon Melton, writes about the struggles of parenting with so much humor and wisdom. Her viral post, Don't Carpe Diem, is a read I can't encourage strongly enough. She writes, "I think parenting children is a little like climbing Mount Everest. Brave, adventurous souls try it because they’ve heard there’s magic in the climb...They try because even though it hurts and it’s hard, there are moments that make it worth the hard...[but] I think that if there were people stationed, say, every thirty feet along Mount Everest yelling to the climbers – 'ARE YOU ENJOYING YOURSELF!? IF NOT, YOU SHOULD BE! ONE DAY YOU’LL BE SORRY YOU DIDN’T!” TRUST US!! IT’LL BE OVER TOO SOON! CARPE DIEM!' those well-meaning, nostalgic cheerleaders might be physically thrown from the mountain."For any weary mommas or daddies out there, definitely check out the post. It has helped to ground me many a'time, offering much needed reassurance that I'm doing the parenting job-thing alright.

And for mommas and daddies that are still at the pre-toddler stage, that magical era* before our tiny humans become so disagreeable?  I'd love to suggest the gorgeous little book- Time for Bed by Mem Fox & paintings by Jane Dyer - that I quoted at the beginning of this post. Of course you can find it many places, but since I'm a huge fan of supporting our independent peeps, I'm linking my local readers to the fabulous Porter Square Books.

With love and many glimpses of your tiny one sleeping,

Ceilidh

Postscript for you all: 

Do you need beautiful sleepy photos of your little one? I would love to take heirloom photos of your family!  It's never too early to contact me about a future session - booking is usually done months in advance - 617-480-0387 or cwy@willowbabystudios.com  

Also, for more daily cuteness, please jump on over to Instagram and follow me there for daily adorableness!  #willowbabydaily

6 Month Old Eloise||Waltham, MA Baby Photography

Guess what's below?  It's the (very) belated blog post of the (very) amazingly, ridiculously cute Eloise! Look at this perfect, sassy little face!  So! Much! Adorable! I know there are a plethora of words that could be said about this sweetie pie, but.... I falter with the words every time I look at her photos... for instance.....

...and then there's this..... similar, but both expressions both so adorable. 

I mean, it's actually a problem - Ellie's mom really had an almost impossible time choosing favorites (end result - she didn't really choose and instead, has them all to enjoy!)

Speaking of Ellie's momma, here she is, snuggling up with her sweet little one. I love seeing Ellie's chubby little fingers grabbing her momma's cheeks, her little mouth so very close to nibbling momma's nose.... 

Below, Ellie is psyched by the kisses when she is the center of attention, and classically less enthused when her mommy and daddy turn the focus towards one another :-)

One last bit o'cute for you - if you can stand it. Ready?

As this post is up belatedly, you, dear reader, only have a few months to wait till Ellie's one year session. Yay!!!

Postscript for you all: 

Do you need more adorable baby photos in your life? Please jump on over to Instagram and follow me there for daily cuteness! #willowbabydaily

Do you have a little one on the way? Or little ones already that are needing photos by yours truly?  I would love to take beautiful, heirloom photos of your family! 

It's never too early to contact me about a future session - booking is usually done months in advance! 617-480-0387 or cwy@willowbabystudios.com  

Baby Thomas||Arlington, MA Newborn and Family Lifestyle Photography

Sweet baby Thomas, expressive little one, has arrived to join a very exuberant and impish big sister!

Thomas' big sister, Madeline, (who was one of my early Willow Babies!) is quite expressive herself, as you'll see below. I can easily imagine the many homemade skits their parents will be treated to in years to come.Madeline was happy to let the spotlight highlight how sweet and snuggly a big sister she is!And of course, as older sibs are wont to do, she stole the show a bit.....But really, Thomas didn't mind.  He snoozed through most of it.Rockstar Momma, hands full of cute and wildness, moved through the session with so much humor and acceptance of the chaos. Daddy, too, had plenty of grins to share with the littles.

Impressive amounts of smiles, especially given the lack of parent sleep!!!

This is a family that knows finding laughter in the hard, hard job of parenting two littles is the way to go - I love it!!!And when one is just too tired out for laughter, there is always the possibility of amazing light fixtures to, (oye, I'm going to do it...... don't say I didn't warn you about the upcoming cheesy pun!) brighten one's day!! (groan).

I had so much fun with you four, and I'm super happy I had the chance to capture Thomas' arrival into your awesome family!

Love,

Ceilidh

Postscript for my dear readers:

Do you need more adorable baby photos in your life? Please jump on over to Instagram and follow me there for daily cuteness! #willowbabydaily

Do you have a little one on the way? Or little ones already that have only been captured on your cell phone?  I would love to take beautiful, heirloom photos of your family!

It's never too early to contact me about a future session - booking is often done months in advance! 617-480-0387 or cwy@willowbabystudios.com  

The Magical Growth of the First Year||Boston Newborn and Family Photography

Us humans are pretty amazing creatures! One of the many things I get reminded of time and again through my work.  Below left, Ethan & Noah, sleepily starting life outside the womb. And below right? A little over a year later, in all their curious, exploring, smiley, toothy glory!Watching their relationship to each other is such a fascinating treat.... I love their puff sharing/dropping/consuming antics below (definitely the snacks were a great motivator to keep them semi-still for a moment!) Here's the dashing Ethan, smiley as can be...... And Noah, enjoying a balmy December day, showing off an amazingly sweet little face..... Despite the chaos that comes with identical twins, their Mommy & Daddy keep lots of joy at the forefront, laughing about much of their currently very hectic life.

It has been such a pleasure capturing this first year for your family - I adore you four, and hope to be on hand for so many more future moments of cuteness and adventure. Love,

Ceilidh

Three Sillies and a Serious||Arlington, MA Family Photography

I've now photographed this family more times than I can count! I love how silly mom and dad are - they rival older sis M for their antics, and little sister E is the odd one out by taking our photo sessions *oh-so-seriously*! (Although a few hard-to-capture smiles can be seen below!)Smiles while snuggling momma or tickling daddy? No problem!

Photographing her smiling when she's alone in the frame? See the record-breaking capture below! (With all us grownups trying our hardest to be hilarious!)

Now Miss M, seen below, is frequently goofing about, but I love this candid photo of her exploring....

M's smile is big and bright below, and sister "snuggles" (strangles!) along with more goofy parental antics ensured some great giggles. I wasn't going to share the photos below, because they are clearly intended to be for holiday cards, but then I realized that hoarding them did nothing to help me convey how truly fun loving this family is... (with some classic grump faces from Miss E!) Loving our sessions, you four - so excited to keep capturing your fun for years to come! What's the personality make-up of your family? Want to get it all captured in gorgeous artsy photos to enjoy long after the littles need silly faces to help them smile in photos?  A simple little inquiry is all it takes!  Don't have enough free hands to type? You can call me..... 617-480-0387. As my 5 year old says, easy-peasy-ice-cream-squeezy!

Vanessa||Watertown, MA Newborn Photography

A very small and new person indeed: it's the darling and beloved Vanessa.This tiny person radiates sweetness, and those around her radiate a deep, deep love. Her mommy & daddy are moved beyond words by her presence in their lives and home. The joy and love between these three was such an honor to be witness to, and capture.  Congratulations to all of you on being such a remarkable & special new family. Love,

Ceilidh

A Most Darling Family Indeed||Arlington, MA Family Photography

Such a delightful family below!  Ready for a joyful batch of people? Meet the kiddos, Dominic, Maisie & Josie: And, unsurprisingly, the whole family exudes a pretty high level of fabulous, Baby Doll, Helicopter, and all..... The kiddos took turns having some special solo photos, and here you see the happiness conjured for Dom when describing some traveling adventures he's taken with his dad.I don't remember what Maisie was laughing about, but it was clearly pretty amusing.... And Dom's twin sister Josie was one of the most easily photographed kiddos I've had the pleasure to meet! (If Momma A wants to remind me of what she was telling me about, I'd love to relay it below - In the jumble of fall photo madness, I've completely forgotten what Josie told me was her favorite thing!)This photo shoot yielded so many sweet moments and adorable interactions that it was hard to narrow down what to share during the sneak peek.... To the A Family, thank you! thank you! thank you! for choosing me to be in charge of your first official family photo session. You all are a delight, and I hope I will have the privilege of capturing wonderful moments for you five for years to come!With gratitude,

Ceilidh

The Bravery of the Rosenlunds||Boston Baby Photography

This dapper little gentleman is Lucas, and he is a TROOPER.Lucas is from Utah. But he and his momma Stacie have been living here for over 1/2 of his seven months, needing the medical experts at Boston Children's.  He was born with a rare condition called Esophageal Atresia (EA), "a birth defect that causes the esophagus to end in a blind-ended pouch rather than connecting normally to the stomach"(wikipedia).

Little guy has had 3 major surgeries (and is coming up on his 7th minor) since birth. And two medically induced comas, of two long weeks each. When Stacie told me this - one the day after he was born, and another after arriving in Boston - my own momma-heart ached for her (I've been so very fortunate to have a healthy son of my own, and I remember how scared I felt when he had to go under for a minor tooth surgery that wasn't even two hours long!) I had originally entitled this post "Lucas the Brave", but during the writing of it, I felt I needed to give more accolades to his family. Of course, this little dude IS super brave. And he is remarkably good-natured. But his Momma's bravery is what I am truly stunned by. What an amazing, beautiful person. See?Now the Rosenlunds are almost ready to return home! Stacie called me a few weeks ago, wanting to get a photo session to commemorate their time in Boston. Her mom has come for many helpful visits, and she joined us for photos near Fenway.Here's Stacie hugging her little guy during an outfit change, and one of his major surgery scars is visible.Thank you, Rosenlund Family, for the remarkable honor of being Lucas' first photographer. I am so very happy that your little one is healthy, and you'll be able to return home soon.

Love,

Ceilidh

Daddies-to-Be: Andrew and Brian||Boston MA Family Photography

When I arrived at their home for our photo session, Andrew & Brian had a bunch of outfit options laid out for me to see - including a different pair of amazing socks to go with each one. The effort and dedication they put into this photo shoot was impressive - and second only to how much fun we had taking the photos, I dare say!

Andrew and Brian are a brilliant, fun-loving and easy-going couple - and they're ready for a baby! As they've worked through the adoption process, it became clear that they needed some updated photos to show off their wonderful personalities on their adoptive parent's profile. So the three of us set to work....They made my job really easy. I love these guys!

We all scoffed at the idea of taking overly "cutesy" photos, and yet, somehow we ended up with this. It was, initially at least, organic. I suppose when folks have such a great sock collection, it's basically inevitable. The love and mutual respect this couple has for each other is clear. I can't wait to see them move forward on their journey towards parenthood!Andrew and Brian, you guys will make amazing dads! Thank you so much for the honor of helping you - we'll be booking your newborn session before we know it!

Love,

Ceilidh

Erica and Jack||Arlington, MA Family Photography

I'm here to introduce you to this AMAZING nine year old, Jack, and his stunning Momma Erica! I admit that I don't know any other nine year old boys, but I was so incredibly surprised by Jack's sweet and sassy, smart and thoughtful nature. He kindly indulged all my questions about playing football (still, I will never understand it), dealt with two ladies offering numerous "suggestions" and "requests" (okay, okay, we bossed him around a bit), sweetly kissed his mom's cheeks as many times as I asked, allowed himself to be taken over by laughter as Erica made goofy faces at him, and let himself get photographed while being snuggled. Pretty awesome in my book!Momma Erica is a fellow small business owner, and I'm so excited to encourage you to check out her fabulous shop, Wild Child  in Arlington center - a wonderful place to pick up new duds for YOUR family's next photoshoot ;-)

To Erica & Jack - thank you for letting me have a glimpse into your beautiful momma-son relationship. It brought me such joy seeing you two together - a true honor indeed.....