Maternity + Birthday Photos with Elizabeth Tate

Did I cry the moment I saw these in my inbox? Yes, yes I did!

I’m so happy to share these beautiful and special images with you!

In my May + June Haps post, I mentioned that I tried to add a joy-boost to my middle-of-the-week birthday with a morning maternity photoshoot with my dear friend Elizabeth. Being pregnant while also having a baby/toddler has been a whirlwind, and I knew I wanted to honor this precious and fleeting moment in the timeline of my life with some beautiful pictures.

Since John had to run off to work that day, and I was meeting some friends later that morning for coffee, I wanted to keep the shoot simple. On Saturday mornings we have a tradition of making pancakes (we really like the protein pancake mix from Aldi) so I thought that’d be a special way to start my bday, and a fun activity for realistic at-home maternity pics! And while we don’t usually stylize our pancake times with a totally clean kitchen whilst being well dressed, I tried to keep details to a minimum for a stress-free shoot!

Elizabeth and I have known each other since the start of high school. When I think of her back then, I think of the smart, tall, fun-loving friend who loved John Mayer, was great at sports, and appreciated my family’s general hunting/deer-heads-in-the-living-room vibe.

We ended up rooming together (with Nancy) at Appalachian State, and like many early 20-somethings, we learned so much about life, love, and other mysteries (yes, she also has a special love for Point of Grace!) alongside each other!

I am so thankful to Elizabeth for her loving spirit that immediately puts me at ease and her creative, expert eye that captured this beautiful moment in my life and our family.

I will cherish these photos forever!

There were many special, supernatural details woven throughout our pregnancy and delivery experience with Griffin. (The best way to hear ALL those details — and they’re SO good — would be to listen to my podcast episode with Nancy!) From her miracle conception to her appointed name to a joy-filled birth, every step was marked with God’s care and presence.

Getting pregnant again, and so soon, with this little one has been a wild ride. I feel unbelievably thankful and absolutely delighted in my spirit. The hope deferred made my soul sick, but this hope fulfilled (twice!!) is a big, burly tree of life with deep roots!

I have also felt a bit of life-whiplash (as my friend Lisa described during a recent hangout) and overwhelm, and here at 36 weeks, I feel very tired, LOL!

One especially cool thing God has done to show me he is near in this pregnancy is that I’ve found 4- and 5-leaf clovers almost every day in our yard over the last several months. Maybe our little guy will have a fiery, passionate Irish spirit (both John and I have majority Scotch-Irish in our ancestry DNA), maybe his life will be marked with immense favor and blessing, maybe God just wanted to say hi in a way that calms and delights me — I’m betting on all of the above!

Life now looks so very different than it did 10 or 5 or even 2 years ago. I am fuller in many ways. My body has done incredible things that I hoped for so long it’d get to do! My face and body and arms and legs are full. My belly is full of life.

My home is filled with more hearts and more stuff, and my schedule is filled with serving and keeping things clean and orderly, and having fun in tinier, more accessible ways. Even though the girl 10 and 5 years ago might have had more accolades, impressive reputation, good looks, or comments of admiration, I — here at 34 — feel more full of confidence, joy, and wisdom now than I ever have. (And I really do love and honor that girl from my 20’s — she did some hard work!)

To my little guy: I am so happy you are going to be in our family. I am so thankful I get to be your mama! You are going to love dada and Griffin and I am so excited to learn you and know you and live life with you.

Elizabeth, thank you for these precious images!

T-minus 3ish weeks and counting!

Here’s to the gold in the right here, right now!

Sam

P.S. Here are some details from the pics! Griffin’s dress on Amazon / Come, Holy Spirit banner art / Gray Nursery Rocker / My dress + large cutting board were from TJ Maxx