Brianna Davis is the sweetest woman you'll ever meet. She is a registered respiratory therapist, but currently living her dream as a stay-at-home mom to her super-handsome son, Kaiden. Brianna is married to Tyler.

Y'all.

They're the CUTEST couple in the world. Their love for each other radiates out into the world in a way that'll make you jealous. Tyler is in the Army and you can just see that taking care of his family is kinda his thing. 

This past April, they were ECSTATIC to find out that they were pregnant for baby number two! The pregnancy went along as to be expected... until their 20-week anatomy scan. You know, the one that everyone is excited to go to so they can find out the gender of the sweet little babe they've been getting to know over the past 20 weeks. 

As the anatomy scan progressed, something shifted in the room. They noticed a change in the tone of the ultrasound. And then they got the most terrifying news a parent can receive; something was wrong. 

Sweet baby Jackson had something going on with his brain. It wasn't yet clear what that was and they had to endure a weekend of hell waiting to find out more.

Cue a sweet post by Brianna's friend in an Austin Mom's Group begging for prayers and positivity... When I read about their story, I instantly felt for them. It's terrifying to hear that something is wrong with the sweet babe you've been carrying and getting to know and dreaming up a million different futures for. I knew that I had to do something for this family and the one gift that I could give, of any kind of meaning, was the gift of imagery to document their journey. It's not much, but it's something. Something to give them to look forward to and find some beauty amongst the stress. So I reached out to Brianna and met who I now know is the sweetest woman EVER

Their journey has come a long way since then and they've gotten a lot more answers. But in the meantime, they met with countless doctors, heard terrifying words like "termination," and worried about the health and wellbeing of this baby they'd come to know as Jackson. They've now gotten a diagnosis of Midline Dural Sinus Malformation, which has contributed to a blood clot in baby Jackson's brain. It is EXTREMELY rare. They're hopeful because thus far there is no brain damage seen on the frequent scans they receive, but they still don't know what to expect after he is born. They have to check his heart immediately upon birth, then complete an MRI, and then potentially go straight into procedures to stop the extra blood flow creating the blood clot. Best case scenario, they'll have to monitor him closely for the first few years of his life and worry and wait. 

They've had to have hard discussions with their son, Kaiden, about the "boo boo" on baby brother's brain and the extra special love and care that he will need when he arrives. Kaiden is so concerned for his brother and is very clearly going to be the best big brother to him. 

So for now, keep the Davis' in your thoughts. They've had a long, stressful journey bringing Baby Jackson this far. He'll be here before they know it and who knows what the first few days and weeks of this little one's life will bring. I know I can't wait to meet him and I can only hope that it's under the best of circumstances, following an easy birth and uneventful hospital stay.

Stay Strong, Baby Jackson. We all can't wait to meet you.

If you'd like to follow the Davis family's story, check out their youtube channel: The Davis Fam

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyH2FOk8EiC_gvsymjPZA6Q
 

Simplicity is defined in part as the quality of condition of being natural. 

Let's stop there. "Being natural." 

This is how I want you to remember your kiddos. Something timeless and classic; something styled so that it doesn't take away from them or distract from their cute little faces. Something that won't scream "Oh, this was taken in the '90s" in two decade... because we ALL have THAT photo hidden in our parents' photo albums, right?? 

I want to create something that you can hang on your wall and love forever. 

Everyone has their own taste and style. Many photographers offer beautifully styled sessions with TONS of props and color. But it's just not me. I tend to lean towards fine art portraits with a good mix of the big grins and serious stoic faces on babes (which are my FAVORITE). Check out this photo of my own super-stoic babe, Miss Monroe. 

The moral of the story is this: I may not be everyone's cup of tea with my super-simple style, but it's what I do best and it's what I love. If you love it too, let's talk and make some magic.

Newborn Simple Sessions are designed to focus solely on your sweet babe. Bonus, they come with a smaller price tag, so they can fit within more budgets. {Did you know I also can work out payment plans, too?}

If you've ever wondered what you might get with a Newborn Simple package, take a look at this sweet girl's images. Simple, beautifully curated images to show off that beautiful babe.

Newborn Simple packages include two wrapped sets, designed with your tastes and decor in mind, 15 digital images, and a print release. They generally take under an hour to complete, and you get to relax and enjoy the quiet while I work with baby.

Message me now to talk more about my package options, starting at $295, with payment plans available.

For about the past month or so, I've been a distracted mom. A distracted wife. A distracted business owner. 

You see, about a month ago, I had a nursing-related issue... mastitis. Moms, you know all about this. Either you've had it or you've heard about someone who has. It's the bane of a nursing mother's existence. Luckily, for us, it's relatively easy to treat usually. Here's the thing. After treatment finished, the pain went away, but the lump didn't. 

Cue my anxiety.

Has this always been there and I just didn't know it???

And so began the diagnosis process. First step was a mammogram. 

They found something. Cue even more anxiety. I guess I shouldn't have been surprised. Of course they found something! There's a lump there! 

Round two... an ultrasound and follow-up. Which was today. 

Y'all. Between the time I got the phone call that they found something and the time I went in for my ultrasound, it was a mere 5 hours. It was the longest five hours of my life. My brain, despite all my best efforts to be logical and play the odds, which were in my favor, kept going to the dark scary place. What if it's something malignant. What if it's spread. What if I leave my babies when they're still babies. 

I got LUCKY. It's not a tumor. It's a nursing related issue. I'm okay. There's not even anything that needs to be done about the sizable lump that has been this aching worry in the back of my head for days and weeks. But between the time I found it and the time, TODAY, that I found out it's nothing, I realized how important my memories with my kids are. For me, but more importantly for THEM. God forbid we leave them. What do they have left to remember us by?

This isn't some guilt being laid out by a photographer trying to drum up business. This is a plea from a MOM who just had the scare of her life. Take the photos with your kids. BE IN THEM. Take all the photos you can. Because one day we really will leave them. Hopefully that day doesn't come until they're grown and they have a lifetime of memories with us and no longer need us, but just in case, and even so. TAKE THE PHOTO. 

This photo will always be super important to me. I wanted to document my time nursing my littlest little, just in case I wasn't able to anymore. Just in case my breasts went from being something taken for granted, used to nourish my sweet babies, to being the source of an illness that could take me away from them. It's a reminder to never take ANYTHING for granted. 

So take the photos, everyone. 

So their safety is the MOST important thing to me, as I work with your sweet little bundle. 

Newborn photographers should be well-versed in how to safely handle, pose, and style babies. This is a huge part of why it's important to work with experienced, vetted photographers for these sessions in particular. If you're browsing through new photographers to stick to a budget, because we ALL have budgets, please just be sure to touch base on this oh-so-important matter.

The wraps, layers, and fabrics used need to be soft, clean, and hypoallergenic against their soft, new skin. I have SO many parents cringe when their baby spits up, pees, or poops on my stuff... DON'T. Everything we use is washable. And it's washed whether they soil it or not to avoid any contagions being passed from one baby to the next. The props need to be sturdy, balanced, and sometimes weighted to keep baby safe. We need to ensure there's no rust and the distressed items we use are actually generally new and designed to look vintage, but created with safe, non-lead paints, with no flakes that can be left on baby. 

The posing we do with your little one is very industry-standard. We have spent countless hours researching, watching, and practicing in order to achieve some of the poses you see, all while keeping an eye on the color of little toes and fingers, watching for good circulation and any signs of discomfort. Babies are bendy, but we are always mindful to pose them in the ways that they're accustomed to from their time in the womb. 

As a photographer, and mom of my own littles, I'm also Red Cross certified in CPR and First Aid, and I'm up to date on all of my vaccinations, including scheduled boosters for Tdap, which protects your little one from the dreaded Whooping Cough.

Finally, an area that unfortunately some parents and potentially new photographers may not be aware of (because why would you??), is that a lot of what you might see in image is thanks to the wonders of Photoshop! Some of the shots you see cannot be safely achieved just the way that you see them. Some of these shots that you pin on Pinterest and see posted all over social media are what's known as a "composite." It's a combination of a couple of images so that we can remove the things supporting baby and keeping baby safe. And sometimes we just remove things entirely from a single image. If something looks too good to be true, it probably is! 

For example, here is a recent photo I took for a mama who wanted a favorite toy included with her new little man:

Never in a million years would I balance baby on the top of a toy, with no support on the back, with a set of wheels, just asking to roll off with baby inside! So you can get an idea, here is the SOOC (straight-out-of-camera) shot that this came from:

So the moral of the story here is to be SAFE. You're your baby's biggest advocate. Make sure the people who handle your baby know what they're doing. And be careful yourselves if you see something fun and cute on Pinterest and want to capture those sweet moments yourselves. I'm always here to help if you have questions, clients of mine or not! 

Whether you're a stay-at-home parent, or a working parent, we all have those days. Those days where we can't seem to get ahead. Those days where it seems like it's one spill after another, one tantrum after another, one angsty teenage outburst after another... fill in your brand of chaos here. 

Today was one of those days. We ALL have them. The most together parents I know have them. 

HERE'S MY REMINDER TO YOU -  A reminder I have to give myself ALL. THE. TIME.

Stop and just breathe in the moment. Don't get caught up in the hustle to keep the house clean. Don't get caught up in the need to fill the calendar, fill the day, fill the hours. Just breathe in your children for a moment. For me, this happened as I finally got some quiet during nap-time. We all know the coveted quiet that comes with getting all our kids to sleep at one time. The moments we have to decompress and reset mid-day. The time we have to FINALLY get something done. I challenge you to just sit in the quiet. Go look at those sweet, peaceful faces. Admire all their sweet details that we love so much. Their long lashes. Their pudgy little fingers. Those baby toes that no one can get enough of. Preserve that moment. And give yourself that hard reset you deserve. 

Here's the cliche: They're only young once and one day you'll miss it. It's cliche, but it's true. So stop and breathe in these moments with your littles and let the small stuff go. 

That is the number of women who experience a miscarriage or infant loss in their lives. Every single day in the US, 2,000 women lose a baby to pregnancy/infant loss. That’s 700,000 a year. One quarter of all of the females in this country. The numbers are staggering and, yet, women who go through this feel SO. ALONE. 

There is something that is gaining awareness and helping to open up the conversation on this, a term for the babies we have after a loss... Rainbow Babies. They're our beauty after the storm. The color after the grey. The light after the dark.

While our rainbow babies are celebrated and loved so much, they don't take the pain away. We don't forget the loss. BUT, part of the beauty of the rainbow baby is the significance they give to those lost. They acknowledge the loss of one babe, while celebrating the life of another. There's nothing more beautiful. 

I don't hesitate to share that I too am a rainbow baby mama. My youngest, Miss Monroe, is our rainbow baby. And our last baby. So she's kind of our whole world. I know firsthand the anxiety that goes with a pregnancy following a loss. And the joy you experience when you make it through to the other side and meet your sweet rainbow baby. So here at MiraBella Photography, rainbow babies are CELEBRATED.

I frequently run specials for Rainbow Baby mamas and I will always create custom sets for your rainbow babies if you want them. They can be understated small details or front and center. So message me today if you want to celebrate your rainbow after the storm... as a newborn, sitter, or in a rainbow cake smash to celebrate the passage of their first year.

Y'all. It's my FAVORITE. 

If I had to pick one type of session to do for the rest of my life, this. is. it.

So what is a sitter? Just like it sounds, it's a sweet little babe who is at the "sitting" stage. This generally happens between 4 and 8 months, depending on your little's developmental timeline. Every babe is different. 

This sweet spot in a little's first year is perfect for photographs. They're upright. They're smiling. They think everything is amazing. And they haven't developed stranger danger yet... which means they still think I'm super cool and funny. I will probably make a complete fool of myself for your sitter. Because their little toothless smiles are EVERYTHING. 

This past month, I had Milestone Minis specifically for babies 18 months and under, specifically because I love these ages SO MUCH. Babies change so much their first year that you have to document them quite a bit to catch all those beautiful little stages. Minis are a great, budget-friendly way to do this. Want to know the best part? EVERYTHING  you see here is part of my client closet. That means you show up with your kiddo (NO SHOPPING AT THE LAST MINUTE) and I put them in these adorable little outfits and style them in a way that highlights their cuteness, but doesn't distract with a bunch of background noise. Don't worry, I have plenty of cute things for the fellas too! Certainly if you have a slight shopping addiction like I do and love to style your own tiny human, you can do that too! 

Which brings us to this girl. She is perfect, no? I have never met a more picture-perfect baby girl. And her beautiful little personality matched her beautiful face and she just sat happily, smiling and giving me the sweetest faces in the world. 

HOW CAN YOU RESIST THAT FACE? 

I wanted to put her into all of my little outfits and rompers and style her with ALL. THE. THINGS. I could have kept going forever with this little sweetie. 

But this is what a Sitter Session looks like. They're glorious. And here's the good news... MiraBella Photography will now offer MONTHLY MINIS for your littles 12 months and under. Have at it, parents. Capture all the moments. All the monthly photos. All their personality changes. All their new tricks and faces.

Maybe you are them. Maybe you treasure them because they give you brief breaks and take your kiddos for date night. Maybe you're like me and your Mom is your bestie and you can't function without calling her daily... Sorry, Mom. I have to update you on the fact that so far today my kids have screamed at me like four times about their pancakes not being the right shape and that I accidentally managed to throw my latte at my own front door. Facepalm.

Anyways. 

Grandparents are the BEST. Our kids love them. You probably snap tons of photos with your phone at Grandma and Grandpa's house. But have you ever invited them along for a professional portrait session? Maybe you should! You can totally catch them in their element with a fun Lifestyle Session, or have them tag along for an Extended Family Session! 

My parents, who are wrapped around my kids' little fingers, live way on the other side of the country in the frozen tundra that is North Dakota. You know, that place you keep hearing associated with the words "polar vortex." Well, they come down to visit at every chance they get since we've moved to Texas. Last time they were here, I made sure to document as much as I could. Simple things like our trip to Bee Cave Central Park, my kids' happy place.

I know that one day my kids will treasure these photos SO MUCH MORE than any of the hundreds of styled portraits I have taken of them, obsessing endlessly on every last detail.

THEY WANT TO REMEMBER GRANDPA PUSHING THEM ON A SWING.

OR GRANDMA SNUGGLING THEM WHILE HER HAIR BLOWS GENTLY ACROSS THEIR FACE

So, don't forget the Grandparents. Capture those moments for your littles. 

And print the photos. So they can flip through an album like our parents did with us.

One of the main reasons that I picked up a camera was because of my tiny humans. My sweet babies. They're my whole world and the reason "why" behind everything I do. I share a lot of photos of my own kids, but they're usually posed. They are usually some creative vision that I have stuck in my head that I just have to put out into the world.They are fully styled, fully posed, and fully edited.

This year, one of my biggest goals and new year's resolutions was to capture the real-life moments in my own home. To document our lives in a real way. To create beautiful albums of how our everyday life really looks. Without the styling. Without the poses. Lifestyle photography has never been my thing. It probably won't change my business model. *If you love lifestyle, my photographer bestie ROCKS that style and I'm happy to send the referral!* But I've been inspired to do more for my own family.

These particular moments came to be because my littlest little, who is the sweetest, happiest, most laid back baby I've ever met, was playing peek-a-boo post diaper change. Her name is Monroe, but we all endearingly refer to her as Baby Roe, thanks to my 2-year-old who couldn't quite get her name right when she was born. 

Her cute little face and scrunchy smile was too much to resist. I had to stick my camera all up in her face. And the results have me swooning. 

Introducing my sweet Baby Roe, in all her naked, pudgy, flirty glory.