How did you become a photographer?
I get this question all the time, so those who have asked it know the answer. But for those who don’t here is a short story.
4 years ago I had a great job working in radio, I was pregnant with my first child and fully intended to take a quick 6 week maternity leave and go straight back to work.
I gave birth to a gorgeous baby boy who seemed perfectly healthy, 10 fingers and 10 toes.
My husband and I watched in horror when our 3 day old baby started having violent seizures, dangerous ones that stopped his breathing. He was sent to intensive care where they detected a blood clot in his brain, when he was 4 days old he had a stroke and they put him into a coma. The doctors gave him a 50% survival rate, and if he did survive there was a good chance he would be brain damaged from the lack of oxygen during his seizures. But God had bigger plans for him and slowly but surely after a rough couple weeks we were sent home.
This is where my life changed forever. Because of his special needs (anti-seizure medications and breathing monitors) he couldn't be placed in a “normal” daycare…my radio career was officially over and wah-lah! I became and instant stay at home mom to take care of him around the clock.
Needless to say going from 2 incomes to 1 was hitting us hard, not to mention mounting medical bills. We were newly-weds so we didn’t have savings, neither one of use have rich folks (darn!) So it was up to us to figure out how we we’re going to pay this bills because we we’re B-R-O-K-E!
I remember laying in bed one night with my husband having a long talk…”Maybe I can sell stuff on e-bay”….”Maybe I can babysit a few kids during the week”….”You know, I have always been a good photographer, maybe I can do that on the side”…
And the rest the rest is history. The “extra money on the side” we needed is a full fledged booming business, and that sick little baby is a big healthy boy today! I thank God every single day for the path he has led me on.
So why am I sharing this with you today? Today is a very special day. Today my baby boy is 4 years old! He is a hockey nut and he loves the Blues so we had a big Hockey Birthday party for him!
A couple weeks ago at Target he fell in LOVE with this huge (overpriced) remote control dinosaur and that is ALL he talked about. He was really excited to when he opened it…but once it was put together is was a whole different story….the stupid thing is sooo life-like it scared the crap out of him!
Here he is hiding under the table when we brought it out....
Here he is crying because he doesn't want to go near the dinosaur...
and here he is in the middle of the yard watching the other kids play with his new dinosaur...
Roar!
At 4 months old Rocky was cleared of any and all medical problems and declared 100% healthy. Today he is the perfect picture of a little boy. He is wild and loud, he loves to play in the dirt and squash bugs, he thinks farts and burps are hysterical and he loves his mom dad and baby sister.
Happy birthday to my sweet baby, he is the reason I am a mommy, he is the reason I am a photographer, now please stop growing up so fast because you're breaking mommys heart :(
