Sarah Maren Photography » Birth Portraits

Our Sweet Boy Benjamin Lee {personal}

Sarah Maren — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 19:49:40 +0000

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!

Keegan Andrew {Birth Portraits}

Sarah Maren — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 17:39:19 +0000

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.

Keegan Andrew {Welcome to the World!}

Sarah Maren — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 05:34:00 +0000

I just wanted to quickly blog a couple of pictures from the blessed birth of beautiful Keegan Andrew. Keegan made his debut at 3:43am on Sunday, December 21, 2008. He weighed in at 7 pounds, 1 ounce and is 21 inches long. He is beautiful and amazing, and I can’t thank his parents, Whitney and Phil, enough for letting me be there with them to witness this incredible event. I will be blogging a full post and slideshow soon, but just wanted to share a couple pictures on his birthday.

And here they are… one happy family. This picture made me sob when I pulled it up on my computer this afternoon. There is nothing like a family… nothing.

Congratulations Whitney, Phil and Keegan!

Rya {Newborn Portraits}

Sarah Maren — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 18:07:00 +0000

I am not afraid to admit this to all of you, my loyal and faithful readers – I am PROFOUNDLY baby hungry right now! And while babies are no good for eating, they are really good for holding and snuggling and smelling miraculous about 40-75% of the time. So with the crazy influx of baby portraits I have taken lately my husband has been hearing me coo about babies a lot. This has been met with a large amount of eye rolling. That being said, I just want you to take a peek at these pictures of beautiful little Rya and try with all your might not to get a little baby hungry yourself. Don’t be disappointed when you fail.

You may remember Melanie and Jason from their wedding last year and their maternity portraits from a few months ago. It means so much to me that they had me make these images of their family. My heart was just bursting with joy the whole time. I remember so clearly those first few weeks with Lauren, and it was just a delight to be around this little family during such a special time.

Also, I am DEEPLY in love with Rya’s room and wish it were mine. Melanie and Jason did an amazing job getting ready for the sweet baby. She sure is one lucky and adorable girl!
Big hugs to Melanie, Jason and Rya! Thank you so much for letting me be a part of such huge times in your life together. It just means so much to me! I can’t wait to keep photographing Rya as she grow! Congratulations on the birth of your beautiful baby girl!!

Click the image below to start the slideshow

Nora Lynn {Newborn Portraits}

Sarah Maren — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 13:43:00 +0000

You might remember our darling Nora Lynn from her birth portraits last month. I had the joy of doing some newborn pictures of her a couple weeks ago and had to share them with you! There have been LOTS of babies being born as of late, so brace yourself for an onslaught of baby blog posts. Personally, I couldn’t be more excited about it. Holding other people’s babies helps me fight off my own baby fever.

Nora is so tiny, and so adorable and well… so perfect. She is just the most beautiful little thing and I loved taking pictures of her while she was trying to decide if she was going to nap or not. When I see brand new babies it’s so hard to remember that my almost 2 year old was once that small (well… close to that small) and that she wasn’t always running around the house saying, “No Mama! I do it!” to just about everything. I think newborn portraits are important to mothers, especially about the time the child is two. They need to be able to remember the tininess of everything.

By the end of our shoot, Nora was ready to be left alone as you can tell from the image below.
Thanks again to Bethany and Mike for letting me photograph your too cute for words family! It is always a joy to be around you and your brood. We love you guys lots and lots!

Click the image below to start the slideshow

Lukas Jaxon is born!

Sarah Maren — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 23:27:00 +0000

You might remember Karlene and Shawn’s AWESOME maternity session from a few weeks back. Well, their baby FINALLY joined us out here and he is just beautiful!

He was born at 6:55am Saturday morning and weighed in at a whopping 10 pounds, 8 ounces and is 21 inches long. After our wedding yesterday, Dustin and stopped by the hospital to see the sweet baby boy and OF COURSE photograph him!

A big congratulations to Karlene and Shawn on their new addition! We are SO excited for you! And we can’t wait for our LJ’s to start their band!

Nora Lynn {Birth Portraits} slideshow

Sarah Maren — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 17:13:00 +0000

I finally am finished processing Nora’s birth portraits and wanted to share her slideshow. Nora is such a cute baby! Her mom says she is just perfect and such a good baby. I can’t wait for some newborn pictures with her next week! It was so amazing to witness her birth! Thanks again to Bethany and Mike for letting me be a part of this special time in their lives.

Click on the image below to start the slideshow

(PS – the slideshow does not show the actual birth, so fear not. It’s just cute baby mostly. )

Nora Lynn {Birth Portraits}

Sarah Maren — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 04:00:00 +0000

I couldn’t wait to share these! Today I had the joy of witnessing the birth of Nora Lynn. She was 7 pounds 11 ounces and 20 inches long. Her birth went without a hitch! Everything went perfectly. Her mom, Bethany, is a PRO! I photographed Nora’s brother’s birth a few years ago, and it was very similar – quick and totally amazing! Nora is welcomed by her mom, dad and older sister and brother. Thanks to Bethany and Mike for once again letting me be a part of such a huge event in your lives. It meant the world to me! I will post a slideshow soon, but as most of Bethany and Mike’s family are out of state I wanted to share these images of their beautiful baby girl. Congratulations!!!

Welcome Baby David!

Sarah Maren — Thu, 24 May 2007 03:09:00 +0000

I had the amazing experience of photographing the birth of David Michael on Monday evening. Seriously, I can’t even find words for how completely and totally astounding it was to be there for such an amazing time in the life of my dear friends. David didn’t seem to want to be born and was hanging on by his toenails all day long. Then all the sudden Bethany went from thinking we were going to be up all night to pushing! Because my daughter was born via c-section, and I was knocked out for it I have never experienced a birth before. There are honestly no words to describe how amazing it all was. David was born at 7:55pm weighing in at 7lbs 8oz, and 19 inches long.

Shortly after I left, David was taken to the NICU with respiratory problems. He had been cold, and was doing these little grunt noises pretty constantly. Somehow he got an infection and it turned into pneumonia all in a few short hours. He was taken from Mercy General to Mercy San Juan where he will be for the rest of the week. I just got off the phone with his mom and she tells me he is getting better and things are looking bright. When I got the phone call that this beautiful baby boy with a full head of curly blonde hair had fallen ill, my heart just broke. But I can’t tell you how grateful I am that I got to be a part of his birth, to photograph him as he joined his family. I can’t wait for him to come home and we can do his infant portraits. He is a special little man, and already I feel blessed to know him. He has changed me, he has made me grasp just how important my job is, and how important it is that I use my talent to help those in need.

Our love and prayers go out to David and his family. He has been in my mind and heart all day and night. I am so grateful to his parents for letting me take part in this amazing event in their lives, and for being such faithful and astounding people. You have blessed my life beyond measure.

Welcome to the World Baby Girl

Sarah Maren — Sun, 04 Feb 2007 06:28:00 +0000

At 2:14 this morning my family got it’s newest member. My brother, Joe and his wife, Wendy and his 8 year old daughter, Megan welcomed home beautiful Marin.

She weighed in at 6 lbs 13 oz and was 19 inches long. She is SO tiny compared to my Lauren! But she looks a lot like her Mom and is so alert it’s insane.

My mom was able to be there for her birth and said she was born with her eyes wide open and was looking around like crazy. When I went to the hospital this afternoon to photograph her she looked right at the camera several times. Lauren is four months old and I can’t get her to do that. Although, I think she knows when I want her to look at the camera and it is at those times that she flat out refuses. But I digress.

Marin still doesn’t have a middle name. That job was given to her older sister, but all Megan could come up with was Flower and no one wants a baby named after a skunk in a Disney film. So, they have until Monday to think of something. My vote is for Rose or Violet.

Because my sister-in-law is totally amazing, they are already back at home tonight. I literally had to race over to the hospital after meeting with clients this afternoon to get pictures of them before they went home. I was glad I did though. I hate that there are so few pictures of me with my daughter (one of the perils of being a photographer is that you’re nearly never IN a picture) that I am more than happy to take pictures of Wendy and her new baby together on Marin’s first day in the world.

I’m sure in the coming days I’ll have lots more images to share of the newest member of the Veare family. It’s so much fun being an Auntie, and I feel profoundly blessed to have another neice to watch after, have fun with and photograph like there is no tomorrow.

Happy Birthday Marin! We’re so glad you’re here.