My Favorite Things As a New Mama

Lifestyle newborn photos | Lorin Marie Photography
Lifestyle newborn photos 2 | Lorin Marie Photography

Before Madison was born, I would have said that I loved when my hubby said sweet things to me (love language = words of affirmation) and that I enjoyed cooking and eating delicious dinners from various cuisines - Southern, Italian, Mediterranean - yum! While I still enjoy both of those things, there are ways that becoming a mother changes what you appreciate. Words of affirmation are still great but acts of service - yes please! And while I still LOVE a delicious, hot-cooked meal, a granola bar can go a LONG way when you're hungry and trying to eat after/before your baby eats (again lol). That, along with a few new things, have come to be greatly cherished as the mama of a 4-month-old.

1. Naps - Because, yes, when your baby is sleeping, you should be too! It's easy to say and hard to do sometimes but snoozing while Maddie is napping makes sure I'm refreshed and ready to care for her when she wakes up. Naps for the win!

2. One-handed foods - Things I can easily grab while nursing or holding your baby like granola bars, cut-up veggies and hummus to dip, trail mix, crackers, smoothies, chocolate. Yes, chocolate is a key food post-partum. Now if anyone questions for affinity for the dark, milk, creamy treat, you can say you read on the internet that is practically mandatory for new mamas to have some every day :) Budget Bytes has easy step-by-step directions for making freeze-ahead smoothie packs. I made tons of these while I was pregnant so now all I have to do when you I the hankering for one is to dump it into the blender, add milk and blend!

3. Refillable water bottle - Y'all, breastfeeding will make you thirsty. It's like your little one is sucking out your water intake when she eats! I carry my refillable bottle with me from room to room throughout the house so it's always within reach (or Dean will bring it upstairs for the times I forget. Acts of service alert!). I like this one from Target - although the mouth piece does get cloudy and needs to be cleaned regularly.

4. Baby tracker app - Seasoned mamas may laugh at this buut I find it super helpful to have something track and remember the hour-by-hour details of Madison's day. So when the nurse asks, "How many wet diapers has she had over the past week?" I don't have to somehow keep of tally of those in my head, I can quickly pull it up on my phone. Feed Baby is fabulous (for Android users). We upgraded to the paid version - I think it was $2.99 - and it is worth it. From baths, naps and diaper changes to feed times, average hours slept and medicines taken, you can take your little one's growth quickly and easily all in one spot.

5. BF station - I wouldn't have thought to set this up before I started nursing Madison but this post from Val Marie Paper led me to do some more pre-baby nesting. This is lovely for making nursing a relaxing, enjoyable time - having everything you may need all in one spot. In Madison's nursery, my breastfeeding station is situated on a small table next to our glider with a ta breastfeeding pillow (for my top pick, see my post here), a current book or devotional I'm ready, extra nursing pads, a burp cloth and granola bars in a basket below. I also try to keep my cell phone charger nearby so it doesn't go dead during a long feed.

6. Baby monitor - We originally thought we would go without a monitor but after Madison was born, we realized how helpful it would be to have one. Especially living in a two-story home, having a monitor makes it easy to be downstairs but safely keep track of Madison while she's napping. We decided not to move Maddie out of our room and into her big-girl crib until we bought a monitor. There are tons of options out there but we decided to go with the Summer Infant In View Digital Monitor and it's been great to us for the past two months.

7. Nursing pads - Some mamas may prefer to have reusable pads but I've found they do not do justice to the disposable pads. The Target brand is fairly inexpensive and you get quite a bit for your money, especially if you only need to change out your pads once a day.

8. Coffee - I can't believe this is number 8 on the list! But I think I hadn't had any when I started typing out this post and so, those it's not eighth in priority, it's late in making it on my radar ha. Although these days it's usual decaf, or maybe half-caf, coffee makes the world go round. Or at least it really, really, really helps me get up, feel energized and get through the day with a little more pep in my step. SO many options - iced coffee, a warm latte, cold leftover coffee from hours earlier (because, you have children, who will inevitability start crying/need a diaper change/need to eat as soon as you finish brewing it and pour it in your cup!). I'll take it any way!

9. Date night - Getting out and having quality time with just Dean has been such a refreshing thing for me, for our relationship and our role as parents. Being able to leave Madison with trusted family or friends so we can enjoy a few precious hours together is one of the biggest blessings. Becoming a parent changes your whole world, and though the uninterrupted hours together are more, well, interrupted these days, we wouldn't have it any other way. It just makes the time we do have together sweeter and more meaningful. It's been fun to do things for date nights that we can't do as easily when we have Madison - like riding go-karts (although, DON'T WEAR A DRESS like I did haha), playing arcade games and sampling beers at a local brewery. The two best things I've learned are to schedule our date nights and to be flexible if things are shorter/different that planned, it's still a date night!

10. Support - From your spouse, family, friends and other mams, support is so crucial to thriving in this crazy new motherhood role. I am so thankful that God has brought new couples who have kids and new mams with babies near Maddie's age into our lives. We are grateful for their encouragement, advice, tips and getting together with people who just get the joys, frustrations and wonderfulness of parenting.

BONUS: Buy funnyman and father of five Jim Gaffigan's audio book Dad is Fat. It is hilarious. You will laugh, and cry from laughing so hard. Dean and I have listened to it so many times in the car and can't get enough of the hilarious-because-it's-trueness of it!

I'd love to know - new mamas and seasoned mamas, what things do you now love after becoming a mama?

If you liked this, check out my top 10 must-haves for a newborn!

August Gratefulgrams

St. Lucia honeymoon | Lorin Marie Photography
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"We cannot make things grow...ours is only to grow in grace. Ours is
only to let God grow good things in us." {Ann Voskamp}

This is one of those takes-your-whole-life-to-really-get-it-lessons. I can't be in charge of changing things I can't change - others' opinions, my family's problems, and on and on. I have to surrender it all at the foot of Him who does make things grow.

God is the ultimate gardener and tiller of our hearts. He knit us together in our mother's wombs but sometimes we act as if He couldn't possibly keep working on us now. Take hope, my friends. "And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ." {Philippians 1:6}

I've been so encouraged by Ann Voskamp's daily email, A Holy Experience, (sign up here) and she wrote about this beautifully last week: "In a world preoccupied with control - the most radical act is openhanded trust. It's happening slowly now: I am learning to fall asleep with hands open, palms waiting and open to the willing sky."

Let us grow in trusting God as He grows goodness in us, grace upon grace.

1. Reminiscing about traveling to the beautiful ends of the earth, like St. Lucia / 2. Daddy + Maddie time makes my heart smile / 3. Giving purpose and sharing the why beautiful capturing pretty wedding details / 4. Couples like this who have made it work over years and years of marriage / 5. Three generations of family gathered together / 6. A sweet photo of me with our baby girl

Winchester Wonderful | Sunrise Portraits

Columbia photographer | Lorin Marie Photography

My dear friend - and future LMP bride! - Priscilla joined me at sunrise in a sprawling field near her hometown in Winchester, Virginia. Although it was seriously cold, and I was suffering from not-at-all-fun morning sickness, at the time, she was such a gem and hid her shivers and modeled so beautifully in her soft, flowing blue gown.

The inspiration for the shoot was elegance, whimsy and beautiful light. A girl and her books, twirling in a field without a care in the world. As the great C.S. Lewis said, “You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me.”

Sunrise photography | Columbia photography | Lorin Marie Photography
Sunrise portraits | Columbia photographer | Lorin Marie Photography
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Wedding photographer in Columbia SC | Lorin Marie Photography
Style shoot inspiration | Lorin Marie Photography
Sunrise portraits | Lorin Marie Photography
Book inspired styled shoot | Columbia photography | Lorin Marie Photography
Book inspired styled shoot 2 | Columbia photography | Lorin Marie Photography
Whimsicial photo shoot | Lorin Marie Photography
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4 Ways You Can Help Your Wedding Photography Go Smoothly

Columbia South Carolina wedding photographer | Lorin Marie Photographyy

There is so much planning & preparation that goes into a wedding! Hours & hours & HOURS that all come together for one 8-10ish hour celebration - that a lot of prep work, right?! Having been both a bride who poured nights & weekends into planning my own wedding & as a photographer capturing weddings, I know there's so much to be processing, thinking about & staying on top of. all. the. time.

And the last thing you want is for something that could have been discussed before your wedding day to not turn out great simply because it wasn't discussed. So here are 4 simple things you can do to help your wedding photographer help you have a stress-free wedding day:

1. Gather all bridal details to be photographed before your photographer arrives - When a bride has her dress, shoes, jewelry & all her details ready to go when I arrive on the wedding day, that just kicks things off to a spectacular start! No photographer wants to be rushing around asking, "Sorry, do you have the wedding bands?" & "Excuse me, but have you seen the bride's veil?" By printing off & checking over a Bridal Details List, that's a great way to remember everything & have it all in one corner of the hotel suite, easily save your photographer time & energy which leaves MORE time & energy for your photos. Win WIN!

2. Have your florist deliver your bouquets to your getting-ready location - You found the perfect colors & blooms to grace your bridal bouquet so having them in place with your bridal details before any portraits are taken gives your photographer the opportunity to photograph them, along with your bridal details, which helps to connect the beautiful moments of your day & tell the story as it unfolds. Plus, if your bouquets are with you & your bridesmaids before you get dressed, they will be in place & ready for bridal party portraits! For your DIY brides, I'd suggest having a flower point person so that you aren't the one stuck doing last minute stemwork. And give way more time than you need for them to be put together. Depending upon the type of arrangement, have them finished the night before if possible.

3. Consider the natural light available when choosing a getting-ready location - If you have a choice between a room with no windows or sunlight pouring in & one that has at least one window, definitely choose the room with a window! Your photographer will thank you for allowing some of the sunshine in as he/she is capturing these once-in-a-lifetime moments of you stepping into your dress, laughing with your girls, holding back happy tears & slipping on your wedding shoes. Soft, natural light is just heavenly when it graces the lines of a bridal gown & is much more skin-tone friendly than tungsten or fluorescent bulbs buzzing overhead. 

4. Pass along the time & location for Family Portraits in advance - By letting your family know when & where they are needed for Family Portraits, you're setting up yourself for Family Portrait success! It can be difficult to wrangle a missing aunt or uncle when everyone else is in position for the photo, plus that can very quickly eat into the precious minutes set aside for portraits. As a photographer, I cannot keep the sun from setting (although it would be nice, only God has that kind of power!) so doing what you can to pass along that Family Portraits will start at this time immediately after the ceremony is so, so helpful! Less questions for your relatives to be asking you day of, less running around trying to find your missing cousin & more beautiful portraits!

Happy planning!

For even more advice for brides, check out my past posts here.

Top 10 Must-Haves for A Newborn

Newborn girl photography | Lorin Marie Photography

"I just love seeing what first-time mamas-to-be register for. It cracks me up at the amount of unnecessary items they put on there." A mom of 5, nursing her littlest baby boy, shared with me her thoughts on registry ridiculousness.

That was not going to be me, I told myself :) After talking with other experienced mamas, reading many product reviews & baby guides like Lucie's List, we put together our registry for Madison. I have to say, we may have fallen victim to "Look at this baby thing! We MUST need this for Madison!" for a few items but overall, Dean & I regularly use just about everything we registered for & received.

After our first 3 months with Madison (see her newborn session here), I wanted to share what items we used & valued most! As a new mom, I know that everyone has their own thoughts & opinions about what works best for their baby, for their family. These are a few of our favorite newborn items, intended to be a guide for anyone just starting their registry or wondering what to buy for their little one - beyond an infant car seat, stroller, onesies, diapers & wipes :)

Top 10 Must-Haves for A Newborn

Top 10 Newborn Essentials | Lorin Marie Photography

For sleep time:

Newborn Essentials | Lorin Marie Photography

1. Woombie - It's like THE ultimate swaddle of all swaddles in our household. The Woombie is like a baby sleeping bag, complete with a zipper up the front! Ain't NO baby busting out of this swaddle. SO handy for mamas (or dads!) like myself who couldn't quite master the art of swaddling with a regular ole blanket. Madison slept like a dream in her Woombie, til she outgrew it. (Currently, she is in swaddle transition in The Magic Sleepsuit. Yes, it looks & sounds hilarious. Yes, we laugh sometimes when we put her in it. And yes, it really works great!)

2. White noise machine - Oh, white noise. So underrated & unappreciated by the vast majority of the world, until a new baby enters the family. We usually keep our Graco Sweet Slumber Sound Machine on the white noise sound but there are also options for heartbeat, ocean waves & rain, too. We even brought it with us to the hospital when Madison was born - it was great! It's a wall plug-in (no batteries required), easy to transport & also has an MP3 jack if you want to play lullabies or other music from an iPod or your phone. (BONUS: Buy a handy travel version for road trips! We love our MyBaby by Homedics Sound Spa - & for $9.99, it's a great deal).

3. The 5 S's - I first heard about these 5 from Lauryn Galloway's blog before I was pregnant & tucked it away in my to-be-used-in-the-future file in my head. Dr. Karp is a pediatrician & professor of pediatrics who researched & developed an easy-to-remember way to help soothe your fussy baby: Swaddle, Stomach, Shush, Swing & Suck. We weren't sure how effective they would be until we tried it with Madison - so, so helpful! We always swaddle & generally add in some shushing & swinging with Maddie. It does take a few minutes to get her calm but boy oh boy, does it work! But each baby is different with what will help soothe him or her! If you want even more info about it, Dr. Karp does have a book (I read it while pregnant) but you can totally get by just knowing how to do each one. All you visual learns, check out this video to see the Baby Soother in action.

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For feeding + diaper time:

Newborn essentials 2 | Lorin Marie Photography

4. Breastfeeding pillow - There are two pretty popular options to choose from - a Boppy or My Brest Friend, both ranging from $30-$40ish. My sister-in-law highly recommended the second pillow, which I snagged from Once Upon a Child for less than $10! Do y'all have those stores near you? So. many. inexpensive. baby. items! While Maddie was teeny, fresh-from-the-womb, I really liked the My Brest Friend because I could easily rest her on the flatter surface of the pillow, compared to a Boppy's rounder style where she seemed to fall through more often. Now that she's older, I think having a Boppy would be a great pillow to nurse with! Plus it doubles a tummy time aid. Score!

5. Portable changing pad - If you buy a diaper bag, it seems like most options come with a handy changing pad. If not, definitely register for one of these! My diaper bag did include a portable pad otherwise I had my eye on this JJ Cole Changing Clutch - stylish & practical! Perfect for diaper changes in the car, at church, out to dinner or wherever you two may travel. Yes, many public restrooms have changing pads but not all. Plus, you don't have to worry about laying out the liner to keep your baby from getting germs. You can just pull out your changing pad & put that over the public one. Easy peasy!

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For awake + play time:

Newborn essentials 3 | Lorin Marie Photography

6. Bouncer/rocker of sorts - Ahh there are SO many options for what your baby can rock, bounce, vibrate & swing in! We settled on this great Safari Dreams bouncer by Fisher Price. It wasn't the cheapest option - WalMart has less fancy bouncers - but it has been one of the most used baby items we have! As much as I love to cuddle & snuggle with Maddie, there are times when I need to put her down & she seems most content in this seated position. It's not too upright so it's great for newborn use but it's also perfect to grow with your baby! There are sounds you can play, an overhead mobile with animals & a soothing vibrating option. In the beginning, the noises & vibrations seems to overstimulate her but now at 3 months, that girls LOVES kicking her legs & looking at the animals overhead!

7. Rattle toy - In the first few weeks of Madison's life, there wasn't too much play time since she was such a sleepy head & just adjusting to life in this big world. As she grew though, she absolutely loved looking at her rattle! It's a bright red dachshund puppy that has a clear rattle in his long tummy so as you move it up & down, the rattle shakes back & forth. I can't find the exact version online since hers was a gift from Grammy & Grandpa Fairweather but something with bright colors, sound & good contrast like this Bright Starts Rattle & Shake Barbell is similar & would be great for play time.

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For hygiene + bath time:

Newborn essentials 4 | Lorin Marie Photography

8. Medicine kit - For the times when Madison was really colicky or seemed to be extra gassy, we immediately reached for our Little Remedies kit. Gripe water, gas drops, pain reliever & syringes are all included in this kit, plus a canvas carrying case to stash them all in one place. Although we use these meds fairly often, we're not big fans of the nasal aspirator that's included (it's kind of small & flimsy. A larger one they gave us at the hospital works better for us!) or that you need to refrigerate the Gripe Water. It's not listed on the label but thanks to the head's up from experienced mama friends, we knew to keep ours in the fridge. You'd be better off buying a kin that doesn't need to be kept cold, like Mommy's Bliss, when your first bottle runs out so you can easily travel with it.

9. Infant bath tub - As part of Madison's bedtime routine each night we give her a bath. Which in the beginning, when I was super-tired-mama-all-the-time, was a bit difficult towards the end of the day. Having the Summer Infant Deluxe Baby Bather I could set her in made all the difference in the world. It makes it easier to rest your baby & keep a hold of her while cleaning them so you aren't struggling to hold them up & trying to wet them & keep soap out of their eyes & hold their neck up. Goodness, why don't mamas get gifted with more arms when their little ones are born! It's also nice that you can adjust the back rest to go up or down as needed & it's pretty easy to rinse out if your newborn releases her bowels in the tub. Which may happen in our house a time or two :)

10. Bath kneeler - This goes hand-in-hand with #9! Like the cherry on top of a delicious ice cream sundae, the Skip*Hop Moby Bath Kneeler is a lifesaver on your knees! I have to say, we do have a fairly squishy, thick bathroom rug near the tub but even that isn't so comfortable to kneel on after a minute or two. This bath kneeler is comfy, easy to store (we hang ours on a towel rack behind the bathroom door) & cute as can be. That's a win in my book!

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For a fantastic budgeting resource, check out Val Marie Paper's budgeting spreadsheet. It's incredibly helpful!

Mamas, I'd love to know - what have been your favorite, go-to newborn items?