Poor Boris.

This is Bridget.

Bridget is my baby. She is 6 months old and eats sweet potatoes, squash, cereal, formula and custard.



Boris is my dog. He is quirky. He eats socks, tissues, baby bottles and pacifiers. When I bought him I was a single gal, living in Mount Pearl, Newfoundland. Alone.




Then I met Jamie and Ashley and Daniel. We became a family. Boris would watch Daniel all night. We were unsure of whether he was guarding his 5 year old boy, or stalking his prey. Now that Daniel is 10, we figure he was on guard. Boris still sleeps in under Daniel's bed with his collection of socks, tissues, baby bottles and pacifiers.




Then came baby Bridget. No longer did Boris get to spend all of his time home alone, basking in the quiet. I work from home now. The baby has a million noisy contraptions. The baby is noisy when she is is hungry, thirsty, bored and tired. She is noisiest when she is happy. Boris has retreated to under the bed.

Then this morning, the worst thing that could happen in poor Boris' life happens. He was sitting on the living room floor, petitioning for some toast. What he didn't count on is that Bridget is on the move. She can get from one side of her foam mat to the other. She didn't give him any warning when she moved slyly to where he was. She started to pet his leg like she had done it her whole life. It was lovely. I scrambled for the video camera.

Then she got ambitious. She wanted...no needed....a handful of soft grey fur to call her own.

Well I have to say I am pleased with my 100lb dog for walking away from my 18lb baby when finally I pried her little hand open and gave him his freedom. He has since been camping out in the backyard and refuses to come in. I suspect he is going to be in for a long winter.

(Boris- The Victim)

Baby Bridgets Half Birthday Portraits!

Being a photographer is an awesome job. I get to take photos of wicked weddings all summer long and then in the fall, there are the amazing leaves to use as backdrops for all of my portrait photo sessions. The river valley in Edmonton is a fantastic location for portraits- the leaves are amazing.

Today my baby, Bridget turned 6 months old. It is her half birthday. She was born at 4:12pm at the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Edmonton. I remember at exactly 4:12 marvelling how chubby her little cheeks were and how cute she was with her little purple feet.

However, I don't remember the next couple of hours. It turns out, if you hyperventilate while you are having a C-section, they just knock you out. The thought that a person had just been removed from my body and that there were a room full of doctors looking at my insides freaked me out a little. All I could hear was the man with the drugs talking about stocks and the man with the scalpel (who I couldn't see but only hear past the big blue sheet) discussing his time share with his pretty intern.

A word to the wise, if an emergency c-section is in your future, do not, for any reason, scream "I can't breathe". It turns into the scene in a movie when the guy who is playing the poker game that he has no business playing, in the room where he has no business being, with the people he really should not hang out with, looses consciousness. The amazing thing is, you actually do wake up in another room, and ache all over! The good thing is, you don't get tied to a chair by a big man named Vlad.

Anyway...in celebration of little Bridget's half birthday, we headed down to the beautiful grounds of the Muttart Conservatory in Edmonton to take some photos to commemorate the event! Bridget was a trooper! She even sat up on her one for the very first time! The amazing thing was that when she lost her balance and ended up with her face on the ground she laughed. I think she might brave when she grows up! Perhaps that's where all of my bravery went. I didn't use any myself, I saved it all up for her!

Sweet Sweet Baby

Now that Bridget is a month old, it was high time with toook some nice photos of her! She had fun hanging out with Daddy for her photoshoot at home on Sunday morning! I had been ever since the minute she was born wanting to take the photo of her in her fathers baseball glove, but with all of the visitors, it was hard to find the time for everyone to get their clothes off and stand in for pictures! She is a little bigger than I had pictured in my mind, but she is still precious-even with her angry face!

Bridget and I are both excited to be headed home to Newfoundland for two weeks at the end of May! I can't wait for all the Grandma's and Grandpa's and family and friends to finally meet her!

Check out the full slideshow to see all of the images at www.IslandMistPhotography.com/BridgetDaddy and let me know what you think!

Pretty Lady!

Its been ages and ages since I have posted. It's been a very busy time. Since my last post I have been so pregnant that I only was comfortable in the same pink sweater, what seemed like every day. Doctors were betting on how big the baby was and were astounded to know my mother was over 14 lbs when she was born. I was having regular ultrasounds and non-stress tests due to some early concern with the baby's heart so the size of the baby was a regular topic of conversation. I predicted I would end up with a C-Section, as it did feel like I was totally out of room in there.


On March 11 baby Bridget Annastaisia Reynolds made her arrival. 3 weeks early she did come by C-section, only after I sat in labour at home for hours and watched my favorite episode of Law and Order at 3am. When it was over I woke Jamie and we both figured that it was all in my head so I wandered around the house plotting how to smuggle snacks and bottled water into the delivery room. Finally we headed off and after I was examined, I realized I was halfway there! 19 hours later, Jai, the best nurse at the Royal Alex and quite possibly the world, decided that the baby was post anterior and I got to head off to surgery. The curious cat in me was desperate to see what happens down past the sheet when they are cutting you open while you are awake. Even with my keen persuasion skills, I couldn't convince anyone that it was a good idea for me to watch. Looking back that may have been the best idea for everyone because once I heard the baby cry and realized what just happened I convinced myself I couldn't breathe. I only assume that after that they knocked me out entirely at that point, as I woke up in my room with my friend Peggy and her kids looking at me, and had no idea where I was. Oh the things drugs will do!





Since that time I have been graced with all sorts of visitors who are only using me to visit with baby Bridget. My mom and step dad, my step mom, my aunt Carol and Uncle Barry, aunt Francie and uncle Cec, My cousin Phil and his fiancee Andrea, my great aunt Liz, my cousin Tina and her husband Mark with their kids and even a long lost cousin I had never met! Not bad for a girl who isn't from Alberta I figure!





It's been great and I have loved having everyone. Now its time to get on with the serious work. I have to take her pictures! It's been so busy all I have had time for is snapshots so tomorrow is a big day! I am positing a few of the snaps I have taken until I get the good ones done!





I hope you find her as cute as I do!

Wink!!! What a flirt!

Cuddling with Daddy after my first bath!

Talking to Nanny Barrett!

Spending an afternoon with Nanny and Poppy Barrett!

Hanging out with my Mom and Nanny!

High heels....

You know when little kids try on their mothers shoes and prance around the house? Everyone who bears witness thinks is cute and magical. I don't actually remember thinking it, but believe firmly at the age of 3 that I may have deemed high heels a threat to my future orthopedic health, and otherwise unnecessary. I don't think I did the prancing bit.

That said, in grownup years when finding comfortable, practical orthopedically sound shoes suitable for office environments (not geriatric units) proved difficult, I may have changed my mind!

Last night, I met a cute and magical lady. She traipsed through grassy knolls, muddy puddles, gravel parking lots, through wheat fields and fluff carrying 2 small children. She did it all like a fairy! In 4 inch heels!

I had the privilege to spend several wonderful hours shooting the fairy and her wonderful family in and around Edmonton last night. Aside from being stunningly beautiful they were warm and friendly and a pleasure to work with!

Here is a teaser of their photos for you to enjoy, just as I did!