It’s finally my turn!  I love taking maternity pics and I have many sweet clients awaiting their babies who come to me to document their baby bumps.  For those of you who don’t know, I have three children and we have been trying to get pregnant with our fourth and final baby for three years.  It’s been a long process and there have been many ups and downs.

We have experienced three miscarriages, two laproscopic surgeries, two d&c’s and test after test during the last three years.  I can’t even say how much money I spent on pregnancy tests only to be disappointed time and time again.   Seeing three positive results only to find out the baby wasn’t viable took it’s toll on us emotionally as a family.   Finally, at my doctor’s request and after hearing really great things from past patients we decided to make a visit to the Center for Assisted Reproduction in Bedford and made an appointment with Dr.  Nackley.  She determined the best course of action was a simple surgery to unblock one of my tubes and then to start Clomid treatments.  I had the surgery in July 2012.  Unfortunately, we were scheduled to go on vacation in August so I couldn’t start my treatments until we got back.  A week before we left I took another test.  It was positive.

Fear and anxiety set in along with happiness.  Was I going to be able to keep this one?  I immediately called her office and went to see her.  She tested my HCG levels.  For the first time in three years they actually looked good!  We left for vacation the next day.

When we arrived in Florida I was instructed to go to the hospital and have another HCG test.  Then I waited.  She called me on the first day of vacation, my numbers had more than doubled!  We cried and celebrated.  We were going to get to keep this one.  After coming back home a week later and having one tiny little scare all the major milestones were met and we made it past the first trimester.  I remember the day we found out we were having a girl.  Lola.  We had picked that name when we were pregnant with Sophie and had a really hard time deciding between the two.  The kids were excited and we began to make plans.  We were having our miracle baby.

This is the last time I will ever be pregnant and this is the last baby I will have.  I wanted to document the joy in our family so I had to have my own set of pictures, the ones like I take for others experiencing the same joy.  I hired two photographers.  First up was my maternity session.  Miss Amanda with Amanda Marie Portraits met us at the Ft Worth Botanical Gardens and took these….  I love them.  They are special.  No, my belly is not that perfect.  There was some Photoshop involved but the last one is perfect.  Those are my scars.  They are a reminder of a Mother’s love for her babies.  All of them.