Romantic Palos Verdes engagement session // ©2018 Sun & Sparrow Los Angeles engagement photographers
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PALOS VERDES ROMANTIC COASTAL ENGAGEMENT // NEIL & NICOLE @ 2019 Sun & Sparrow // Coastal Wedding Photographers
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FROM MOMMY & DADDY // On April 4th, 2017 at 6:11pm Kaynen Austin filled our hearts with more love then we could imagine. The saying “Making the decision to have a baby is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body.” could not be more true once your little one is born.
Throughout my whole pregnancy we were all betting on how big he would be since Michael was 9lbs and I was 9lbs 2oz. To say the least, I was petrified of delivering such a large baby. Yet, Kaynen entered the world weighing 7lbs 9oz and he was 21 inches long, thank goodness!
On April 3rd, all of Michael’s coworkers pushed him to come home since Kaynen was due April 7th and I could pop any day. That evening I started having contractions 3-6 mins apart at 8:30pm, we kept thinking is this the real thing or is this just false labor? Regardless, my goal was always to labor at home for as long as possible. I bounced around the house on my exercise ball, did squats and curbs walks to make sure this little boy could drop down since he was still up so high. At 10:30pm my water broke at home and I had told myself all along I would shower, do my hair, make up and walk the neighborhood to ensure I labored at home for as long as possible before going to the hospital. YOU BETTER BELIEVE I ACCOMPLISHED IT ALL! At 2:00am after walking a few blocks as Michael drove next to me laughing and video taping me, I got in his truck and we drove to the hospital. We both joked all the way there on how all the movies everyone is screaming and rushing and I was happy as a clam.
We got to the hospital and it felt like they didn’t believe my water had broke but sure enough just like the movies as soon as I undressed the last of it waterfall’d all over the floor haha.
Once that happened I was strictly put in bed and told not to get up or walk around to labor as the baby was up too high and his umbilical cord could come down first causing complications. So when you think you have a birth plan… think again, it will all go out the door. After 20 hours of labor and only 4 pushes later, Kaynen came into the world bright eyed and screaming his little lungs out.
The day he was released from the hospital was very special to us. It meant that he was ours… just ours for the rest of our lives and it was so surreal. After a long drive home from the hospital, constantly looking back to make sure he was ok, Kaynen has been settling in at home better than we could have ever imagined. He loves how calming his room feels and is obsessed with his Dockatot (highly recommended to every Mom!). He’s still very unsure about the licks from his furry sisters Hurlie and Chevie, as they were also a bit hesitant in the beginning but have now become protective of him when guests come over and have to be in the middle of them. Chevie gets very excited when he cries so she still has a bit of adjusting to do.
We are absolutely obsessed with our little man. Its been 4 short weeks of sleepless nights, constant breast feeding (he’s a porker), lots of cuddling, and starring…..lots and lots of starring at him. Its been incredible watching him grow and change from looking just like Daddy when he was born, to now looking just like Mama. We got 4 weeks of pretending he was still only a week old since his belly button just fell off, so we are still in dreamland with this little guy and couldn’t love him more. 39 weeks and 4 days of waiting to meet this little guy that made Michael a Father and Me a Mother was surely worth the wait.
::Nursery Decor::
Crib – Babyletto
Mattress & Changing Pad – Nook Sleep
Rocking Chair – Living Spaces
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Dreamy California Coast Engagement // © 2016 Sun & Sparrow – Southern California wedding photographers
HOW HE ASKED // Ever present and endlessly inquisitive Aubrey proved nearly impossible to surprise with a proposal. Needless to say, Ben enlisted the assistance of Aubrey’s best friends, Stefenie and Tye, and devised a plan to propose at Huntington Gardens, the site of an important milestone in their relationship. The plan was a picnic in the rose garden, some champagne and a life changing question that would come full circle.
Both Stefenie and Tye were going to be in Los Angeles, a rare occurrence and each pledged to help and keep the plan secret. As the big day approached, Aubrey became more suspicious and inquisitive, finally cornering Ben and asking why all her friends conveniently wanted to see her the weekend of the planned proposal. After what felt like hours of questionable interrogation practices outlawed by the Geneva Convention, Ben finally admitted what Aubrey already suspected, he was planning to propose at the Huntington that Saturday. Ben then proceeded to tell Aubrey the plan was off, that she’d just have to wait until he could surprise her another time.
Resourceful and undeterred, Ben came up with an audible worthy of Peyton Manning to propose Friday, the day before the original plan. That Friday morning he journeyed to the downtown flower market and told the vendor he wanted “all the roses”. Twenty dozen roses and hundreds of tea candles later Ben, Stefenie, her fiancé Simon and Tye were ready to surprise Aubrey in their shared apartment.
Tye was flying in from San Francisco and Aubrey was picking him up from the airport. Ben knew he had a window of opportunity to transform their apartment and execute his plan. Ben sat camped outside their apartment, air conditioning on full blast, praying the roses wouldn’t wilt. Atypical, Aubrey was running late, first ten, then fifteen minutes, slowly eating away at the precious time Ben, Stefenie and Simon needed to transform the apartment. Finally, 30 minutes late Aubrey departed to pick up Tye.
Ben rushed into the apartment and together Ben, Stefenie and Simon began transforming their shared space into the canvas for the proposal. All the furniture needed to go, the thorny long stem roses all needed to become rose petals and the candles needed to spell out marry me. With only 45 minutes to accomplish everything they needed to hurry.
Ben’s phone rang, it was Aubrey. Aubrey was only 15 minutes away and they hadn’t even begun lighting the candles. They needed more time. Ben asked Aubrey to pick up ice, and Tye stalled. A broken lighter, dozens of matches later and two minutes to spare everything was finally set.
Aubrey walked into their apartment and was instantly overwhelmed. Clutching the ice for dear life, she exclaimed “I can’t even.” Aubrey explained to Ben later that this was a good reaction. After what seemed like the longest 30 seconds of Ben’s life, Aubrey dropped the ice and raced through the open flames to Ben’s side. Ben dropped to one knee and asked the question Aubrey had been hoping he would ask for a long time. Aubrey of course said yes
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