November 1st, the start of a new month, and the beginning of the month I would need to return to work. I knew that I wanted to go back to work, but I also dreaded it. I didn't know how everything was going to play out, and that scared the crap out of me.
When we were pregnant, I knew I wanted to have a ton of pictures made because Kaitlyn wasn't going to be adorably little forever. Alex and I had decided on a photographer here in Dallas named Lindsey who had agreed to do a couple of sets of pictures for us: hospital (if Alex couldn't make it back for the birth), newborn, and family pictures for Christmas cards. I have a ton of respect for Lindsey because when we first reached out to her about the hospital pictures she let us know about a program called Operation Attachment where photographers will donate their time and pictures to families of deployed soldiers. I had no idea such an organization existed, and I was absolutely floored that a small business owner would be so generous as to recommend it for us when there was money on the table. After that incident, I had decided that we would definitely be doing all three sessions with her because I want to support someone with such integrity.
The morning of the 18th, Alex sent Lindsey an email to let her know what had happened. She had immediately written back and told us about the Now I lay Me Down to Sleep organization, and even though we had already contacted the organization through the hospital, I just love Lindsey for thinking of sending that to us with such urgency.
Anyways, over the last few weeks, I started feeling sad that we had never gotten to meet and work with Lindsey, so I shot her an email to see if she would still be interested in meeting us and doing some pictures for our Christmas card. I have always loved sending out Christmas cards, and I was really looking forward to doing something really cute with the three of us this year. I had talked to Alex about doing Christmas cards again, and he agreed that even though our Christmas was going to look totally different than we wanted, we should still have cards made. Plus it was a good excuse for use to have some professional pictures made of the two of us, which we hadn't had done since our engagement pictures nearly three years ago.
Lindsey agreed (with enthusiasm!) to do the pictures for us, and I was super excited about meeting her. I also knew I needed a new outfit because I really didn't want the stretchy maternity jeans to be what I was wearing and not a whole lot of my old shirts fit in a flattering way. Plus, Alex had lost some weight while he was in Afghanistan, so he needed some new clothes, too. Shopping spree!! Off to the mall we went, and I am happy to report back that I am able to get in to jeans with an actual ZIPPER at this point, and I did a big happy dance!
We met Lindsey at a nature preserve in north Dallas. I had forgotten that she was pregnant with her 5th kiddo in December, but I remembered when I glanced back at our email chain and warned Alex so he wouldn't be surprised when he first saw her.
Lindsey is a petite thing with long brown hair to the middle of her back and a big ol' pregnancy belly under her shirt. She was so sweet when she met us, and had thought enough about a shoot outside to know that she brought a blanket with her for us to sit on. We had talked a little bit about what kind of pictures would be appropriate for Christmas this year; I really didn't want one of us smiling at the camera because it just felt fake. I wanted something peaceful and uplifting, so we decided to have a picture of the two of us with the sun breaking through in the background. The weather was absolutely perfect for it, and below are a couple of previews she sent me after we finished up.
And I lied, we did do some smiling. Not for Christmas cards, but just for us.
One of my favorites:
When we were walking back to our cars with Lindsey, she told us again how sorry she was about Kaitlyn, and she hugged on us both. "I just feel like I know you because I read on your blog!" she said as she hugged on me. That meant a lot to me, and I hope there are others that feel that way, too.
Even if we never meet, thank you for reading our story, and I hope that our hope has inspired you and maybe even comforted you if you have been in a similar situation. You are never alone, and you have a King that cares deeply for you and your pain. He makes beautiful things.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.