WELCOME TO MY BLOG

Come on in. Kick back. Relax. Stay a while.

This blog is dedicated to my adventure in photography. You'll see bits of my adopted hometown, New Orleans, as well as plenty of pictures of my sons, Dylan and Logan, and, of course, the children and families that allow me to capture the special moments in their lives.

I'll be updating the blog frequently, so add me to your blog reader. And if you have a blog yourself, I'd love to be added to your blog roll. Lastly I love comments so if you've particularly enjoyed a post or a photo please let me know!

Thursday, September 25, 2008

A Note About Holiday Sessions

I've received a few questions as to whether the mini-sessions on October 11 are the only opportunity for holiday-themed sessions. The answer is... of course not! I'm happy to do full-length sessions geared to your holiday photo needs. But here's the catch... sessions for holiday delivery must be completed by Sunday, November 16 and orders must be placed by Sunday, November 30. I cannot guarantee delivery in time for the holidays for orders placed after November 30.

October and November are almost fully booked - I only have three slots for full sessions left before the November 16 deadline so if you're interested in booking a full-length session in time for holiday delivery please get in touch with me as soon as possible at amydrouet@yahoo.com. Alternatively, I can still accomodate 2-3 additional mini-sessions on October 11.

Happy (almost) holidays!

Sunday, September 21, 2008

Sneak Peek: A's Maternity Session

My good friend A is expecting her first baby very soon and, happily, she was willing to trek around with me a bit to try some different shots and locations than what I typically do. What a good sport! A, I hope you enjoy the pictures and I can't wait to meet your little one.








Sneak Peek: M & M's Maternity Session

I recently had the opportunity to do maternity photos for M & M. What a sweet couple! Poor M (our mom-to-be) has had a few bouts with pre-term labor so I was happy we were able to squeeze in the session before the baby arrives. Isn't she tiny and cute?! I can't wait to meet their baby.








Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Sneak Peek: R & G's Maternity Session

I recently had a maternity session with one of my favorite families. I've been photographing their little girl Raegan since she was four months old. And now she's going to be a big sister!

R&G - Here's your sneak peek - sorry it's late! Keep an eye out for your full gallery later this week.








Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Sneak Peek: Miss Maddie

A couple weeks ago I had the opportunity to visit with my friend Laura and (of course!) photograph her beautiful new daughter. The "session" got off to a rocky start. Miss Maddie clearly has a mind of her own already and she did not want to be sleepy or naked for me. I got lots os shots like this:





And this (don'cha just love that grumpy face!):


But we persevered and eventually little Miss Maddie succumbed to sweet baby dreams...



Sunday, September 7, 2008

Christmas in October!

Holiday mini-sessions are here! Last year I had so much demand for holiday sessions, I couldn't possibly fit them all in, so this year I'm doing something different. The mini-session is perfect if you're interested in commemorating the season with some special portraits and holiday cards. So dress your kids - or the whole family - in holiday finery and email me at amydrouet@yahoo.com to book your session. All sessions are booked on a first come, first served basis. Additional details below and... happy holidays!


Saturday, September 6, 2008

Our exciting day yesterday

Yesterday was mostly spent settling back in post-Gustav. While we didn't get hit, Gustav still left behind some repercussions. Mostly a ton of debris and several days without power - which equals one distgusting refrigerator.

So I was cleaning all the refrigerator shelves and Dylan was "helping" me when he took a spill on the kitchen floor. But instead of bouncing back like my baby normally does, he kept fussing and holding his wrist. I couldn't see any swelling, bruising, or marks and he was super tired so I put him down for a nap. He woke up about an hour later crying and still fussing with his wrist. He was holding his right arm straight down by his side and wouldn't use it all. So off we went to the pediatrician.

The doctor thought it was something called "nursemaid's elbow," where part of the elbow pops out of joint, but he didn't want to pop it back it without making sure there wasn't a cracked bone in there somewhere. Dylan was crying so hard while the doctor was moving his arm around that it brought tears to my eyes and broke my heart. He's normally such a rough and tumble kid.

Anyway we were sent off to the hospital for an x-ray. The doctor's office arranged it so we went to an outpatient xray lab instead of the emergency room - thank god! Keep in mind that in addition to a very clingy, upset toddler, I was also toting around a hungry, fussy baby too. By myself. Luckily, the xray came back clean so it was back to the pediatrician to look at his elbow again. The pedi manipulated Dylan's arm around a bit more and said he could feel it pop back in place. Poor Dylan was screaming and crying, but it really did seem to miraculously feel better. Almost immediately he wasn't fussing or tugging on it anymore and he started using his right hand again.

Fun times... But I'm so glad my little boy is better and acting like his normal self again.

Our Tour of Mississippi

At last, here are the details of our Gustav evacu-cation. Yup, you read that right. Evacu-cation. That's my new word for a combined evacuation/vacation - something we have a great deal of experience with. See, Kevin's never one to miss the opportunity to turn any time away from home into a vacation. We've evacuated for storms that had only the slightest possibility of hitting New Orleans. Just to be safe of course. And maybe to have a little mini-trip too. But that was all before Katrina. Evacuating these days is serious business.

As it turned out though, we really did have vacation plans for just before Gustav was about to hit. We had our annual trip to Percy Quin State Park which took us to Fernwood, Mississippi, just over the state line. I have to say the trip just wasn't the same this year. We tried to be light-hearted and fun, but in the end we spent a great portion of the weekend glued to the Weather Channel. My in-laws had orginally planned to stay home through the storm and were watching our dog, Nola, for us. But when the parish issued mandatory evacuation orders they joined us at Percy Quin and we scrambled to find a kennel (with a generator) for the dog. Happily we found one in nearby Auburn, MS.

With the dog safely ensconced at the kennel, we then turned our minds to our next destination. We had to check out of the park at noon on Monday - and Gustav had just hit Louisiana that morning. We knew that although the New Orleans area had been spared the brunt of the storm, there was still no way that we would be able to return home for at least a few days. Kevin had made reservations at a bed & breakfast, the Cole House, in Philadelphia, MS. Ever heard of Philadelphia, MS? Me neither.

Nevertheless we dropped our cat, Kasey, off at a kennel in Jackson, MS (some people leave a trail of bread crumbs... we leave a trail of pets) and headed for Philadelphia. It was a nice small town and I can't say enough good things about our hosts, James and Linda. They are the living, breathing embodiment of southern hospitality and we are very grateful for their graciousness. I'm sure they don't see many rambunctious almost-2 year olds and little 3 month old babies pass through their beautiful home!

At last on Wednesday morning we got the go-ahead from parish officials to return home The good news was that there was a much straighter way back to New Orleans than the route we had taken to get to Philadelphia. The bad news was we couldn't take it. We had to re-collect our animal companions from their various locations all over the state. So for us, it was back to Jackson. Then back to Auburn. And then, finally, back home. In reverse evacuee traffic. With two whiny, small children, a full car, and a boat in tow. Jealous yet? Oh well, the important thing is that we did get back and everyone was safe, our home is intact, and the city avoided a potential catastrophe. All I have to say is that Ike better turn around and go home. I don't need another evacu-cation for quite a while.

The kids on the Natchez Trail...



Thursday, September 4, 2008

Home Again

After a scenic tour of Mississippi, depositing and re-collecting our pets along the way, we are once again back home. Power was restored today - although we're still waiting for approval to use the water and sewerage system. (Fun times!) I'll post details tomorrow.

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

Safe and Sound

Thank you to everyone that has called or e-mailed to check on us. We are safe and sound in Mississippi at a lovely little bed and breakfast (not a bad way to evacuate!). Like most everyone else, we are thankful that we seem to have escaped the large-scale devastation Katrina inflicted on us this time. We are awaiting news on when we can return from the mayor and parish president, as well as news on when the electricity and running water will be restored, but we expect to be back home in the next few days. I hope everyone else has fared as well.