Photos on the internet

These days if you want to see photos of someones baby you just have to log on to their facebook profile or their blog. It's become common practice for parents to plaster the internet with hundreds of photos of their little ones. As your friendly facebook stalker I do enjoy looking at photos of people I went to high school with and old workmates, but one or two photos of your children are enough. Not 20 of them looking at the camera at one month old, then another 20 at two months old etc etc.

Personally I don't really like a lot of photos of myself on Facebook or plastered on the internet. I don't feel comfortable with hundreds of my pictures being out there for every Tom, Dick and Harry to look at. I can't help but be greatful that Facebook wasn't around when I was a child so that all those family photos aren't out there in the world. And if I think this about myself, why would I want my child to one day google their name and come up with hundreds and thousands of pictures of themselves, right from word dot.

I don't have a child yet, but my point is that I don't plan on posting lots of photos of them on the internet out of respect for their privacy and a right to their childhood being lived in freedom and not constant fear that Mummys going to put this all over the internet.

Bit hypecrtical you might be saying, Heather you have a blog. Yes, however I made the choice to start a blog and to have a Facebook page. My child did not.

However, I totally understand the desire to share stories and photos of the gorgeous wee bubba. My gorgeous wee nephew arrived about a week ago and I've been dying to share photos with everyone that crosses my path. After a discussion with his parents tho it doesn't surprise me that they think along the same lines as I do and don't want a lot of photos of him on the internet.

Of course I'm a photographer and take hundreds upon hundreds of photos all the time. I only share the great ones, or the ones that serve a purpose. I don't post photos anywhere online but here as I don't want my pictures out in the world unless I put them there and even then I have to be prepared that someone one day may poach them.

So while I'd love to share hundreds of pictures with you I'm not going too. Out of respect for Lee and Morgans wishes and my own desire to limit a childs exposure on the internet, I've agreed to only post pictures of Dorian that his parents themselves post online (mainly through Facebook to satisfy friends and families desire for pictures).  

I took a collection of shots over the weekend and luckily for me Lee posted two of my absolute favourites on Facebook. For those of you that love babies and that are dying for glimpse of the gorgeous Dorian. Here he is at just one week old.

I'm an Aunty!

My gorgeous wee nephew arrived on Friday 15 July. His name is Dorian David Lee Samuel. Born 8lbs 9oz after a 24 hour labour! Both Mum and baby doing well.

He's almost here!

There's only two weeks before my nephew is due to arrive, so yesterday afternoon we took advantage of the late afternoon light and took some photos of the baby bump. I've collaged a photo from yesterday with a photo from 10 weeks ago so you can see how much he's grown!

At one point I thought I saw a foot poking out, but it may have just been wishful thinking as whatever it was quickly moved away.

The midwifes have told Lee that her pregnancy has 'textbook' which is awesome. Of course, does this mean he'll arrive on time? Lee and Morgan have been keeping track of everyone's birth date prediction. I've gone for the 22nd July (11 days after the due date) for several reasons. The 22nd is Lexi's birthday, no one else has gone so far past the due date, and both Lee and Morgan arrived late - and still do to this day - so I figure it's a good bet. No matter what date he arrives, I'm going to be there in the waiting room for him. I'm so excited!

Baby Bump Photo Shoot

We've been wanting to do a baby bump photo shoot for weeks, but it's proven difficult to coordinate me, Lee, Morgan and the Sun. It wasn't sunny yesterday but during the non raining moments we ducked outside and took a few photos anyway.

Baby Kicking

I felt my wee nephew kick and move!

While I've felt unborn babies kick before in a fleeting "quick it's kicking, feel this" type moment, I've never really been close enough to someone to spend a good 25 minutes with my hands on their baby belly, so this was quite the novelty.

Brutus (as he's affectionately referred to at the moment) was woken up from his nap when Lee laid down on the couch to look through my holiday photos. After some gentle prodding he rolled around and slowly woke up. I could feel him moving around and kicking every now and then. It was awesome! and so magical.

Little Brutus is already so loved and I made sure he knew his Aunty Heather was there and just so excited to feel him and can't wait to meet him in a few months.

I'm going to be an Aunty!

I'm so excited to announce that I'm going to be an aunty! My sister Lee and her fiance Morgan ('husband' in one month today!) are expecting a wee baby (we hope it's human) in July.

I was asked - respectably- to wait until at least three months before making any type of comments on here "just in case" and fair enough, but it's been pretty hard containing my excitement I must say. To be on the safe side I waited until now - she's 16 weeks, so we're fairly safe now.

The week before the wedding they are going to have the 20 week scan and fingers crossed (or legs uncrossed to be more precise) we'll be able to find out if it's a wee nephew or niece I'm getting. Honestly, I don't mind what it is as long as it's healthy. Sounds cliche to say, but it's so true. They are considering only telling immediate family what it is, so I'll have to stay tightlipped on my blogs for fear of spilling the beans. Lee even threatened not to tell me what it is! So I solemly promise NOT to spill the beans! I PROMISE LEE!!

Tonight we had our weekly wedding meeting at which I had to ask Lee if she was sporting a little baby belly or a big pumpkin and chicken dinner belly? And it was totally a little baby belly! Apparently at 16 weeks the baby is the size of an avocado, so that's pretty big to be hiding in your belly.

Lee signed up to a website that email's weekly updates of "what your baby's doing this week". Among other things it tells you how big it is that week and it's always the size of some fruit, vegetable or food. The first weekly email I read described the baby as the size of a kumquat. What an odd fruit to compare it to I thought and straight away that's the babies nickname.

Oooo, I haven't even told you how she told us. . . Lee and Morgan told his family over the phone (they live up north) but wanted to tell me and Mum in person (seeing as we are the only family living in Wellington). At the beginning of December they invited us over for a pre-christmas BBQ. When we got there they were talking about their flatmate moving out and told us to come and look at their plans for his room. It went something like this:
Lee: So, this is Greg's room. It's bigger than the study so we're going to make this Morgan's office and study. And then come look at the office. . .
we walk down to the office. . .
Lee: See it's much smaller, but it's sunnier so it will make a good room for the baby. . .
Heather: What baby?!
Lee: I'm pregnant!
Heather: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!! (that's me screaming, jumping up and down and hugging Lee).
Mum: ________________________ (jaw has hit the floor at the point) Really?
Lee: Yes really.
Morgan: (Singing) I'm going to be a Daddy, I'm going to be a Daddy.

It was pretty cool. Mum didn't want to believe it was true just in case she was playing some sort of horrific practical joke. I was just to excited and was about 97% certain Lee wouldn't make a joke of this.

So there you go, now you know why my blog posts were a little light in December  - I was trying so hard to NOT spill the beans. I'm going to be an Aunty! and I'm just so excited!

Here's Kumquats first picture (thousands more will follow in time, but for now, this is the first and most precious one of all):