Dexter's First Birthday Session at Gantz Park

Columbus Baby Photographer

My journey of photographing Dexter began in his mommy's tummy at this same park. I feel like I've been there every step of the way documenting his little life. I thought I'd share a little collage to show just how much he's changed but also how some of him looks exactly the same! We started out with a maternity session at Gantz Park in Grove City, a newborn session in my studio, three month photos at Gantz Park, six and nine month photos in studio and a first birthday session at Gantz Park again! It was so neat going back there each time with him!

Baby Bump News

Our Pregnancy Journey

I promised in my first pregnancy blog post that I would blog my journey. Well I totally failed at that! I shared our announcement, gender reveal and baby shower but not much since then. I thought it would be fun to talk about the last 15 weeks.

Most of my second trimester was enjoyable, although my morning sickness didn't end until the end of my 18th week. I also received an early diagnosis of gestational diabetes. With our family history I was tested quite early and discovered I already developed GD by 12 weeks.

What does this mean?

It means a lot of things. It means pricking my finger four times a day. It means timing my meals and snacks and not eating between those time frames. Also, I'm not able to give into cravings unless they're not going to set off my blood sugar. Let me tell you, being diabetic AND pregnant at the same time is like dangling a dozen doughnuts in front of a starving dog and telling them they can't eat it, ever. The scary part is messing up and getting a high blood sugar reading and feeling those effects. Not only does it make me feel physically horrible but it's not good for my baby. A baby who's mother has GD can and usually is born totally healthy but a mom who doesn't take care of herself can end up delivering a baby with a set of health issues ranging from temporary and fixable to some more serious issues.

What's even crazier is your body changes constantly. So one week I can be totally on track with my diet and then the following week that diet won't work for me anymore and I'll have to adjust it once more. Some women find after a certain amount of weeks they have to be put on medication or insulin. I have been crossing my fingers that I can maintain GD with diet alone. So far, so good. It helps to finally have an amazing midwife that I can trust and feel at ease. If you need info on a great doctor or midwife don't hesitate to contact me!

Okay, now to the good stuff!

What I enjoyed most about my second trimester was the energy and ZERO morning sickness. Eating food and not getting any bad after tastes. Swallowing pills and keeping them down. Haha! I took on photo sessions and enjoyed the fact that I no longer looked lumpy, but actually pregnant! My bump was taking shape and I got to buy some adorable maternity clothes. I also helped my sister plan some of my baby shower which was a lot of fun! Something really silly I enjoyed (and still do) was not having to suck in my tummy EVER. Walking proud with my belly pushed out and not worrying if something made me look big. I had dinner with friends, photographed babies, and generally enjoyed every single day....

Until...

I woke up exactly one day into my third trimester and immediately noticed a difference. Gone was the energy I had to clean the house and photograph little ones. Bending became a chore and I got really good at picking things up at home with my feet (or just leaving it on the floor haha). I started getting uncomfortable pains and this weird feeling of having a hard time breathing. I wanted to nap constantly. I still do. But let me tell you. Nothing is as bad as that first trimester. And feeling my baby move makes up for every. SINGLE. Bad day I've had so far. And Rick feeling the baby for the first time was a moment I'll never forget. It took her weeks upon weeks to show herself to him, but when she finally did I full-on ugly cried.

A few fun questions

(some are the same from my first pregnancy blog post)

When is your due date?

August 28th. We're still so excited to be having a summer baby. Yes it means I'm dealing with the heat of summer during my pregnancy but it's worth it!

What are your cravings so far?

Luckily I'm still mainly craving savory foods. Mexican cuisine & BBQ are at the top of the list. Along with pickles. But I've also started craving doughnuts, which I can't have right now with my gestational diabetes diagnosis. I'll be accepting doughnuts as gifts at the hospital though. Hah!

How are you decorating the nursery?

It's funny how quickly I changed my mind the moment we knew we were having a girl. We decided on white and pink with floral accents in her nursery. We just started the process of painting and decorating. I'll probably end up blogging that little journey as well!

Have you chosen a name, and why?

We chose the name Katie based on Rick's grandmother, Katherine. Her middle name will be Ann, which is my middle name and also my grandmother's middle name. Katie Ann just seems to fit her already!

Hopefully I'll get the chance to write another pregnancy blog post before my due date with some maternity photos! Thanks for reading guys.