Proof I was pregnant (our maternity photos)!

Now that I've shared the story of my pregnancy and the few belly photos I took, I thought I would share the photos we had taken the last full day of my pregnancy. We had my friend Amanda aka Mrs. Hot Cocoa from Weddingbee take our maternity photos. Since blogging on weddingbee she's started a photography business called Doubly Happy Photography, and she's seriously talented! I can't even explain how much weddingbee has positively affected my life. I've met so many unique women I can now call friends, and the support system is amazing. I'll forever be grateful to my friend Emily at Oh! Apostrophe (aka Mrs. Tiramisu, and now Finn's mom!) for introducing me to the blogosphere and to weddingbee, and for inspiring me to blog about both our wedding and now my life as a mom.

I planned all along to have maternity photos taken, but I didn't think they would be literally the day before I went into labor with Luca! We had a doctors appointment on a Friday, and they had me start the 24 hour urine collection process that night. We had to reschedule our maternity photos a few times before this because of weather, and there was no way I was going to cancel the only date that worked for both of us, so I just brought my "collection tub" along for the ride. Thank God we were at my in-law's house for the shoot! I felt swollen and stiff (later to find out there was a reason I was so suddenly swollen), but Amanda kept the sweet compliments coming and somehow made me feel beautiful- even with a swollen nose twice its normal size :)

Hub's parents have a farm with a beautiful setting for photos. His sister actually was married there, and it's just the perfect setting for intimate photos and occasions. Strangers have actually stopped by the house to ask my MIL if they could host an event at the farm!

And portraits of us wouldn't be complete without our little man Maxwell! He made an appearance five years ago during our engagement photos too!

We chose Luca's name a few months before I gave birth, but we didn't tell anyone. The first time I said the name "Luca" out loud, I somehow knew that was his name. At the time I had no idea how much I would love this little guy, and just how much he would change my life.

I'm so glad we had the photos taken at my in-law's house, because it gave us a chance to snap some photos with them! Hub's family has seriously been more supportive than I thought family could be, and I'm so incredibly thankful to have them in my (and Luca's) everyday life. Look how beautiful my MIL is in this photo- she radiates positive energy.

My MIL talked to Luca my entire pregnancy through my belly, and I swear he came out knowing her voice. I found that having others excited about my pregnancy made it all more exciting for me, and it was fabulous to be around people to seemed to be genuinely invested in my health and our baby's health.

All photos Doubly Happy Photography

So thank you thank you Amanda for capturing my pregnancy and for making me feel beautiful. I can't wait to show these photos to Luca someday to show him how loved he was even before he was born.