Sarah Mahen Photographers

Last week my dear friends Karlene and Shawn had a new little girl enter their lives. Annika Jewel was born on March 23rd and she is just the cutest thing ever! I ran over to the hospital the afternoon she was born to snap off some shots of her first day on earth. It was delightful!

How cute are her ears! I love them! There will be many more pictures of Annika soon! I can’t wait to cuddle on her… she is delicious!

We are so excited to announce the birth of our super cute baby boy Benjamin Lee. Ben was born last week on July 6th at 8:12am weighing in at 9 pounds on the nose and 21 inches tall. Everything went really well, and we are so happy that Ben has joined us. He is so even tempered, and really laid back – obviously he gets that from his dad.

Dustin was amazing during Ben’s birth and photographed the whole thing AND videotaped it on my iPhone4. He’s such a multi-tasker! We had to be at the hospital CRAZY early (5am!) for my scheduled c-section. I was tired, hungry and strapped up with crazy baby moniters. Dustin thought that would make for some pretty great pictures. Me… not so much.

And then it was go time! We headed to the OR and had ourselves a baby! They apparently gave me a little something to calm my nerves and it REALLY calmed my nerves.

And then at 8:12am our baby boy was born!

One of the nurses offered to take a few pictures for us as a family, and of Dusty and the baby. Poor thing was REALLY confused by our gear. Back button focus? Viewfinder not screen? huh? But she did a great job and I am so grateful for the photos she got of us and especially of this one of Dustin and Ben. It makes me happy.


It was nice to get some baby time with my boy. Then Ben was off for a bath… which apparently was not his favorite.

Then came one of the best parts of the day… Lauren meeting her new baby brother. She LOVES him and it just amazing to watch. Every morning the first thing she wants is Ben. She has also taken to telling us that she is the ONLY one who taken care of Ben… THE ONLY ONE! I find it pretty cute. I also like that she pets him like he’s her pet. It’s pretty adorable.

Ben and Lauren also had a little gift exchange. Ben brought Lauren a Buzz Lightyear (he’s such a thoughtful brother!) and Lauren brought Ben a silkie teddy bear. I think they both enjoyed their gifts.

We are so happy about our Benny boy, and are so happy to have our little family. Thank you to our family and friends for all of the love and support you’ve given us. And a huge thanks to my clients for your patience at this time. We are slowly getting back to our computers, but we really like this baby boy… he’s pretty fun to look at and snuggle and kiss and love. I mean…hello! He’s pretty irresistible!

Last week I was super duper blessed to be witness to the birth of Keegan Andrew. Sure it was the middle of the night, but holy moly it was worth it. Whitney and I had been texting all day as she’d been induced that morning. After all day of laboring and progressing, I finally got the “Get on over here” text. Dustin had my bag all packed and ready to go, and with a kiss and a reminder that we can’t have a baby for a while, I was off to Kaiser Morse. I arrived a little after midnight, and all I can say about that is I got some great parking. As I was was pulling into my princess parking spot I got a text saying things were getting ready to start! I was so happy! Maybe I’d be to bed by 2am! Yeah, and then I remembered that this is Whitney and Phil’s first baby, and first baby’s are kind of known to be a pain to get out… literally.

Whitney was nothing short of amazing! She had some serious back labor early in the day, and had opted for an epidural. (Let’s me be honest when I tell you, I would have had an epidural in the parking lot when Lauren was born… I am a fan.) By the time it was really time to get the birthday party started it was after midnight, and poor Whit was tired, and not feeling very good but she was lucky to have her cute hubby Phil and her delightful sister, Wendy there to champion her on. She pushed for a long time… 3 hours and 45 minutes long. This was a new experience for me, as the other births I’ve photographed have been pretty quick, this was not. THIS was LABOR. But in the end, it was very, very worth it.

Whitney and Phil thank you again for inviting me to be a part of such a monumentous occasion. Keegan is BEAUTIFUL, and I can’t wait to photograph him even more. I am so very happy for you, and your lovely family. Check out the slideshow HERE or below for images from Keegan’s birth day.