I’m at the tail end of my pregnancy and, shame on me, I haven’t officially let you all know, yet! My original plan of sharing photos and little nuggets about how the pregnancy was going every week didn’t quite come to fruition. A new (to us) house with lots of fixing-up to do, traveling, and general baby preparation has kept me away from blogging about the awesome experience of being pregnant. For the next ten or so weeks, I’ll make it up to you.

Needless to say, Jamie and I are absolutely thrilled to be welcoming Baby Doser some time in late July/early August. This week is kind of a big deal. Thirty weeks just seems like the home stretch, and Baby Doser is full of energy lately. Last night I felt like there was popcorn popping in my belly, and the little one kept right at it this morning. We had an appointment with our midwife tonight, and everything is looking good. Head is down, heart rate is 140, and I feel amazing. I’ve found it increasingly difficult to put on my tennies, so I’ve been opting for flip-flops. The warm weather is a great excuse to wear a dress, which is awesome. I’m so over maternity jeans. I’m guessing the next few weeks are going to be some of the best weeks of pregnancy. I’m not really uncomfortable yet, I feel super-cute in my dresses, it’s not incredibly hot (yet), I’m not to the point where I just want this baby out of me, and he or she is super active. I’m going to soak it up while I can!

Here is a summary of how the first 30 weeks of my pregnancy went, in case anyone is interested. I found out in mid-November and we told our parents and close friends & family around Thanksgiving. I never had bad morning sickness, just a little nausea now and then. I found that, for me, eating every 20 minutes helped curb it. So I gained 15 pounds right off the bat and was showing pretty early. I first felt the baby move around 18 weeks, but Jamie had to wait another 2 weeks before Baby Doser was strong enough to be felt from the outside. The 20 week ultrasound was amazing. We couldn’t believe how much Baby was moving around! I have felt great, aside from the occasional back aches, and quite a bit of “baby brain”. I’m the woman other pregnant women don’t want to hear about — the one with no terrible side effects or horror stories. So far, anyway.

You just got engaged!? Congratulations! Your wedding is going to be everything you ever dreamed of and more. You show off your shiny new ring, start buying every bridal magazine you can get your hands on, add 500 new Pins on www.pinterest.com, stalk every wedding blog ever created, choose your date, your venue, your colors, your theme…it’s all so exciting!

I offer a unique approach to wedding collections. I find it difficult to offer a set of collections that are able to meet the needs of every couple I work with. So instead of forcing you to choose between 3 or 4 predetermined collections, I let you decide. Firelily’s Custom Wedding Collections are tailored to you. You decide what you want, and that’s what you get. It’s that simple. Not sure what you want? I help guide you through the process, from start to finish. We’ll sit down together and up with a Custom Collection by looking at all the options. I give you a quote right then and there. We can adjust the collection as needed and come up with the perfect collection for you, that fits your budget.

I love photographing weddings. I love getting to know the couple and telling their story through photographs. I always feel so honored that I’ve been given the opportunity to create images that will be cherished for decades and passed down for generations. If you’re planning a wedding, I would love to meet you and discuss what you want out of your photography. If you’d like to take advantage of our Custom Wedding Collections, please contact me today at 608-513-3100 or jen@firelilyphotography.com.

Here are a few of the items you can choose to add to your Custom Wedding Collection.

I don’t usually post this many images, but how could I not? This party was fantastic. The best kid’s party I’ve ever had the pleasure of attending. Super Hero theme = win. Always. Awesome kids in capes and masks = super amazing win. Hats off to Keegan’s mom and dad, Lindsay and Mike, for the fantastic party planning. This party was destined to be amazing, given the bounce house, capes & masks, and super hero telephone booth. Add to that a bunch of amazing kids, and you’ve got one super-fantastic party.

The Spring Bridal Show was a great success! Despite my built-in handy-man (my husband, Jamie) being out of town for a weekend with the guys, it all came together nicely. I met some awesome brides and grooms, as well as other fantastic Madison wedding vendors.

If you’re getting married and are looking for a photographer, give me a call at 608-513-3100 or drop me an email at jen@firelilyphotography.com. I’d love to hear about your wedding and talk about what we can do for you!

Special thanks to Aileen Wall for helping me set up (or rather, setting everything up for me) and Lisa Adams for hanging out and chatting with folks while there was a line!

Baby G had an awesome Dr. Seuss-themed first birthday party to celebrate this incredible milestone. We were lucky enough to have the honor of photographing him for his birthday. I just can’t get over those cheeks!

I don’t usually write much (or anything) about my posts, but today is different. I feel the need to express how awesome Andrea and Joel are. They are two of the most giving people you’d ever meet, and I couldn’t be prouder to call them my friends. I get to be in their wedding this June, and I am incredibly honored.

In addition to being totally awesome people, they gave me the opportunity to create my first stop-action film! I have to say, I’m pretty proud of how great it turned out, and I’m excited to do more of these spectacular short films in the future.

Enjoy!