A Laid Back Home Newborn Session
Welcome to the world, little Warren! This perfect little boy is the first baby for proud parents Sydney and Stephen, and we had such an easy, laid-back newborn session in their home when he was just under a month old.
This was the second time that Sydney and Stephen had invited me into their home; the first time being for their maternity session, just a few days before this little guy was born! Sydney shared her birth story with me, and if you haven’t read it yet, go check it out here!
Sydney was also kind enough to share some of her thoughts about new parenthood, and how she and Stephen are adjusting to life with a newborn. Her thoughts echo so many of my own when my daughter was born, and I know so many first time parents feel the way that they do! Enjoy!
“I had no expectations of what Warren might look like, but I had always told Stephen that I wanted a ‘darker’ baby. The genes in both our families tend to lean towards the lighter hair and lighter eye colors, but I have always had dark hair and eyes. I wanted a baby maybe a little like me instead of like all the other cousins. (I admit, maybe a bit selfish here).”
“When the nurse helping me deliver saw his head, I remember asking what color his hair was. Stephen said I went ‘Ha!’ after she said it was dark colored! Even though I know it could change at any point in his life, after that, I didn’t really care what he looked like. Turns out he will probably have lighter eyes! The hair, we will have to wait and see.”
“The first nights at home were nerve-wracking for me. Stephen settled into fatherhood perfectly. If there was anything that made his anxious, he never showed it. Stephen gets Warren each afternoon when he wakes and I keep him home on days that I’m off.”
“However, just me being alone with Warren gave me anxiety. How could I be responsible for this fragile thing that can’t even tell me what it needs?! Any time Stephen had to work, or was sleeping after a shift, I spent that time at my parents. If Stephen worked overnight, my mom stayed with me at our house to help. While she was just doing this out of kindness and to help our adjusting and give me some sleep, she doesn’t know how much less anxious I was having her nearby. I don’t really think I got over that anxiety until Warren was maybe 6 weeks or two months old.”
“As of now, the hardest part having Warren is going back to work and feeling like I’m taking advantage of my mother’s generosity. She has offered to be childcare for Warren on days that I work and while Stephen has to sleep. I know that babies take a lot of energy and my mom being willing to do so much for us keeps me perpetually thankful for her. Being willing to balance her life and duties with my child is a sacrifice only a mom (or nana) could make.”
“I think that Stephen and I have settled into parenthood nicely. We are able to complement each other in unique ways due to our occupations. Since Stephen works at night, when he’s not scheduled, he handles night feedings and I get to sleep! This allows Stephen to stay on his sleep schedule, Warren to get fed, and momma to not be a zombie!”
“When I’m off and Stephen is sleeping, I take Warren on errands or we do chores together so that we don’t disturb dad’s sleep. Stephen has also taken up most of the parenting at church on Sundays as I sing on the praise team. And I try to entertain Warren in the evenings so Stephen can have some cave time. Thus far, he’s been a wonderful partner through it all.”
“So far the best part of parenthood has been the snuggles and seeing the development in Warren already in his short lifetime. I love being able to come home each day and pick him up and just hold him. It soothes all my stresses away! And I love seeing that he now looks at people, he tracks movement across the room, and he’s just now beginning to have purposeful interacting smiles!”
“It’s hard to tell what Warren’s personality is like this young. So far he seems pretty serious, as smiles are hard to get from him. He will smile in his sleep all night long, but coaxing one from him while he’s awake is a rare and recent occurrence. He seems very mild-tempered as he only really cries when he’s truly hungry.”
“While we try to turn him away from any screens, like any male, the TV will memorize him instantly. He seems to enjoy music because it can calm fussiness often. He especially likes the sounds of guitars. He also doesn’t mind loud noises! Big groups of people or the band playing at church just means better sleep for him.”
“I’m sure Warren’s presence has changed me, but I’m not sure how quite yet. It’s still dawning on me that I am responsible for raising this baby to be a responsible, contributing member of society. This is constantly in the back of my head. I will say that I have become more appreciative of my quality time with Stephen. Between baby duties and him working half the nights, being able to just sit down with him and decompress after Warren is asleep has become very cherished time.”
“I am most excited to see Warren learning more in the days ahead. I look forward to more smiles from him as he learns what that is and I look forward to him chewing on his fingers and toes. I wonder if he will actually like green beans (his dad and I are split on this topic). I pray for his future constantly and hope he knows he is loved by mom and dad, as well as God, and many others around us.”
Congratulations, Sydney and Stephen! You are doing amazing, and sweet Warren is so lucky to have such loving parents. Thank you for welcoming me into your home to photograph your sweet little family!
CLICK HERE TO READ WARREN’S INCREDIBLE BIRTH STORY AND SEE SYDNEY’S MATERNITY SESSION!
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