Hospital Birth Story // Baby Mason // Tulsa, OK

My sweet Mason. My sweet, squishy, stubborn Mason. That's right, I said my Mason! No, Mason isn't my squishy baby. He is, however, my squishy nephew. (Note the excessive use of the word squishy... Mason is very squishy).

Mason’s birth story is one that I’m bumping ahead in the queue because it’s one I’m so excited to tell. It’s a story that I’m going to tell much more personally and honestly than any other birth story. It’s a story that’s so important and close to my heart, and such a huge and special part of my relationship with my older sister. Mason is my sister, Meghan’s, fifth (and last) baby.

When my sister called me crying last winter, I had a pretty good feeling why. “I’m pregnant!” she sobbed. I remember pacing excitedly around my living room and trying not to let my smile leak into my voice. I was bouncing my 5 month old stage 5 clinger on my hip, and 2000 miles away, she was probably doing the same with her equally clingy 1.5 year old. We were together in that we were completely touched out and a little overwhelmed with motherhood as it was, whether or not we wanted to admit it. And here, another baby!

So why was I smiling?

My sister is an amazing mother. The birth of her first daughter was the first labor I ever attended. I was a few weeks away from my 12th birthday, and my sister had just turned 16. We were still babies ourselves. It was through that pregnancy and the first few years of Abigail’s life that my sister and I first started building our now incredibly close I’d-do-anything-for-you bond. Motherhood is, in a sense, our thing. Of course I knew my sister could handle a fifth baby. And I knew that this baby was going to be a blessing.

Mason proved himself to be a blessing long before he was born. It was through this pregnancy that my sister learned of some health issues that could have been missed had she not been under maternity care. To us, this was the only sign we needed that Mason was meant to be an instrumental part of the family.

In that initial phone call, I promised my sister I would be there for this birth. I was determined to photograph her last pregnancy, labor, birth, Mason meeting his siblings—all of it. By some stroke of luck, I was able to schedule my trip for the weeks spanning her due date and document his birth.

You see that adorable preteen? That's our Abigail, my sister's oldest daughter! Can you believe I attended her birth?

One might think that, this being my sister's fifth delivery, Mason's labor was a quick one. But no, not quite! My sister was scheduled to be induced a few days before her due date because she had been measuring several weeks ahead her entire pregnancy. Meghan tried everything in the book to get the induction started at home. This being her fifth induction, she really wanted to experience the rush of going into full blown labor on her own. Mason, however, was not on board. He wasn't even really on board with the induction. Things went along very slowly...

Around 3 PM, Meghan's two youngest babies came to visit. By this point, she was starting to hit a wall. I stood by while Josh comforted her. I didn't catch what he was saying, but their body language was amazing. It was a perfect picture of support and love.

"What's wrong?" I asked her. "Are you in pain or are you feeling discouraged?" She laughed through her tears: "Yes."

Around dinnertime, things finally started picking up.

The second shift change of her labor approached, which was a pretty difficult goodbye. We knew that Mason would come soon, but there was no telling how soon. So although she offered to stay, Meghan said an emotional goodbye to her favorite nurse.

After a few trial pushes, Meghan moved positions to help Mason move down into position. It was almost time! While we waited out those last few minutes before delivery, we made guesses on how big he would be.

As you can see in the note, we made baby Mason's weight guesses at 7:52 PM. I closed my computer and walked over to Meghan to ask how she was doing. "Um..." she said as her doctor was walking in the room to check on her, "I'm ready. He's coming."

At 8:02 PM, after just a few short minutes of pushing, Mason Wyatt was welcomed earthside. He weighed in at a whopping 9 lbs 1 oz!

Sweet Mase, you are one loved little dude. I'm so grateful that I got to be a part of this birth experience, and I can't wait to get back to Tulsa and squeeze those perfect cheeks on a regular basis!

With Love,
Aunt Memily

2015 // A Year of Growth

2014 was an awesome year. It was the year that, after 7 years of pouring my heart into my photography, I finally took the leap to license my business and start taking clients. This was a huge commitment--not just the investment of time and money, but the enormous responsibility of delivering valuable, once-in-a-lifetime artwork to paying clients... and without ending up treading water.

There are a few things I want to talk about as we begin this new year, as I will be making some big changes in my business. First is my pricing. In the spirit of being transparent, I'd like to explain my recent increase in prices.

I have always regarded photography as more of an art and a creative outlet than a service, so for years, I made myself a hobbyist instead of a professional. Because of this, when I first crossed into professional portrait photography and priced my sessions, I missed the mark. I greatly undervalued my work and my business. I didn't realize my expenses, and I completely forgot about paying myself for my time! This, unfortunately, is a mistake that many photographers make in their first few years of business. This is why, especially in a market as saturated as the one here in the Puget Sound area, it is so easy to find a photographer with decent skills and prices so low that you could afford to use them every month. But a person can't build a successful business on those prices. A $100 session doesn't even cover overhead, never mind a salary or profit. When, at the end of 2014, I was totaling up my sales for the year and finding that I still had nothing substantial to show for it, I knew I needed to make a change.

Provided I meet my goals, my new prices allow for enough to cover my overhead, a modest hourly pay for myself, and a small profit to help build my business (including furthering my photography education). For me--for now--this is enough. Should I meet my goals this year, I will make enough for a few equipment upgrades and adequate marking materials to help build my business. Yes, as my business grows, I will need to raise my prices again. However, now that I've based my prices on numbers and necessities, rather than how I feel about my own work, I am much more confident in what I'm offering. I know that my products are worth what I'm selling them for, and I hope my clients will agree!

Second is an even bigger change--a change in location. In 2014, my husband and I were faced with the difficult decision that comes around every few years in an Army career. As his separation date was approaching, we knew we needed to come to an agreement on whether we would stay in the Army and move again, or leave the military and make one big move home. We finally decided that this year, we will leave the Army and relocate to our hometown of Tulsa, Oklahoma.

We don't have a definite move date. It will be sometime between July and September of 2015, and I will surely keep everyone posted in the meantime. As of now, I am only accepting Washington sessions through July 1 and I am not taking Oklahoma sessions until September 1. As our move gets closer and we have more information, I will open up more summer sessions.

I'm going to miss my wonderful Washington clients who made my launch year such a smooth and memorable experience. I'll miss watching your babies grow up, and I'll especially miss getting up in the middle of the night to help you welcome your soldiers home! I will always be grateful for the amazing clients that I got to know here.

However, on the flip side, I'm thrilled to be going home. I have many clients back in Oklahoma who watched my work change and grow from 2007 until now. I love and appreciate that so many people back home are already looking forward to booking with me in the future, and I cannot wait to work with you!

So, here's to 2015--another year of growth, change and love. These, after all, are the things that the human spirit thrives on, and I can only hope that my art and business will do the same.

Yours,
Emily