Go Away Gustav

Is it fitting that once again on August 29th we spend the day glued to the TV watching the weather news? Three years ago today we watched in disbelief - seven of us crowded around a small battery-operated TV - as New Orleans quickly filled with water. As people climbed onto their roofs and floated on mattresses looking for rescue. We were safely an hour away thanks to the generosity of friends, but up until the last minute we had seriously considered staying. That was Katrina.

Following Katrina we spent two weeks in Houston and then two and a half months in Austin. We were lucky to both still have our jobs. Of course there were no kids at the time, but we did have our furry babies - a dog and two cats - with us. It took us nine months after we came back to fix our house. We moved back in just a few days before Katrina's one year anniversary. It was a draining, back-breaking year. Two years later and there are still small things in the house that we've never finished.

I honestly I don't think I can do it again. Yet here we are three years post-Katrina and we're making evacuation plans again - this time for Gustav. We still have to consider the safety of a cat and a dog, but now we also have to protect and provide for two little boys who have no idea that there's a hurricane heading toward their home. So please cross you fingers for us - all of us in the New Orleans area - that Gustav will fizzle out and go away. Because we're still tired. Way too tired to do it all again.

Happy Quarter-Year Birthday

My sweet little boy...

Sneak Peek: R & T's Maternity Session

I recently had the pleasure of meeting R & T, a happy couple excitedly expecting their first baby. We had a great time exploring their very cool apartment complex for photo opportunities - I love a couple that's up for anything! Below are just a few of the pictures.


R & T - I hope you enjoy the sneak peek and I can't wait to meet your little one!

Yesterday

Yesterday I nearly lost my mind.

Yesterday Dylan wanted Moo, Baa, Lalala and But Not The Hippopotamus read to him 465 times each. He screamed when I finally refused to read them for the 466th times each.

Yesterday Logan refused to sleep unless I was holding him. He screamed every single time I tried to move him to his swing.

Yesterday Dylan drew on the couch with black marker while I was busy emptying the stuffing out of our sofa cushions to get the cushion covers drycleaned. (This is because the day before yesterday Dylan used his sippy cup to make a lovely CSI-style milk splatter all over the sofa and loveseat.) He screamed when I put him in time-out.

Today has got to be a better day, right?

Life with Two Under Two

I get a lot of questions about how Dylan is adapting to life as part of a duo rather than a solo act. Mostly from wary friends and clients who are expecting their own second bundle of joy. Well let me tell you, it's certainly been interesting. At only 18 months old when Logan was born, Dylan was still very much a baby himself. And he still is, but less and less so every day.

I won't lie. The first few weeks were ROUGH. Every time I needed to hold, nurse, or otherwise care for Logan, Dylan would cry. And if you have any experience with newborns, you know that means that Dylan was crying ALOT. For a tired, frazzled mom with a newborn that was so, so hard. We actually kept Dylan in daycare part-time for the first month or so just to preserve my sanity. But as difficult as those first few weeks were, Dylan seems to have adjusted quickly. Now he loves patting Logan gently on his head and belly. Rocking him in his carrier. And giving him kisses and love. All closely supervised of course. (I've also caught Dylan trying to ride Logan like a horse when Logan was on his playmat!)

And in return Logan loves Dylan. I have to work for those big smiles, but Dylan just has to stand in front of him and Logan is all grins. So all in all, it's gotten much easier. It's still hectic of course and getting out of the house is twice the feat it used to be, but most days go relatively smoothly. Dylan even decided to share his toys with Logan today. I swear he did this all by himself!


And if you know Dylan, you know that cars and trucks are his favorite things in the whole world so this is pretty huge. For his part, Logan was appreciative. He thought the car was pretty tasty.

The Michelin Man

I have to admit... I make some pudgy babies. Dylan was a chub the first several months of his life and so far Logan is following suit. But isn't chub just soooo cute on babies? The proof is below. Just check out my own little Michelin man:

Dylan's First Haircut

Well, another rite of passage has come and gone... the first official haircut. It was time. Perhaps past time. I had taken to trimming the stragglies myself with less than stellar results. Poor boy. So this time when the straggly hairs threatened to create some terrible baby mullet that he might never forgive me for later in life, I took him to the barber shop. Yup, a real barber shop. I'd like to say that the haircut went well and Dylan was a brave boy, but it pretty much went like this:


And this:

And this:

And THIS:

But in the end, we got this:

Sneak Peek: J Family Session

A few weeks ago I posted baby Zack's newborn session. Well Zack's family is so excited about his arrival, they had a party to welcome him, complete with his two older cousins.

Hot Mamas & Cool Babies Promotion Now Closed!

Wow, that filled up fast! Thanks for all of the interest, I have my five hot mommas signed up. Stay tuned here for photos to come over the next few months!

Forgotten Gems: Daddy's Little Boy

Back when Logan was only two weeks old I did a session with him and Kevin. It was not a good session. I broke my own cardinal rule for newborn sessions and only left us an hour window to get the pictures I wanted. It was an hour in which Logan was awake, fussy and wanted to nurse constantly. Yeah, fun. Not surprisingly, I chalked that session up to being a bust and never spent much time on the images. Well yesterday I came back across the pictures and I'm in love. Mixed in among the images of a crying baby and a stressed out dad are some real gems...

New Promotion: Hot Mamas and Cool Babies

I'm looking for five local mommas-to-be to help expand my maternity portfolio. I'm combining it with a newborn promotion because... well because I just can't get enough of those sweet little brand-spankin'-new babies. Sad, but oh so true!

The Deal:
* You pay one joint session fee of $50 and receive two full sessions (one maternity and one newborn) as well as one free 8x10 from each session.

Criteria:
* The maternity session must take place between mid-August and the end of October.
* You must be between 28 and 36 weeks pregnant at the time of the maternity session.
* The newborn session must take place within the first two weeks after the baby's birth.
* You must be willing to sign a model release which allows me to use the images in my portfolio and on my website.
* All sessions will take place on-location in the metro New Orleans area.

Only the first five mommas-to-be to book following this post receive the promotion pricing so don't wait too long. Email me at amydrouet@yahoo.com if you're interested in participating and be sure to put "Hot Mamas and Cool Babies Promotion" in the subject line. And if you're not "with child" yourself, be sure to pass the information on to anyone you know that is!