5 Months with Dom

This month has been such a fun one with Dom! I feel like he's changed a lot this month and become much more interactive. He is super cheerful and usually content and Alex and I are SO thankful for such a sweet, fun baby!

He still wears 3-6 month clothes and still wakes up 2 times a night. :-/ I was hoping he'd be sleeping through the night by now but I can't really complain because other than waking to eat, he's become a great sleeper during the night. We also seemed to get through the four month sleep regression I've heard about very easily, I think that is thanks to the sleep training we did at 3.5 months (or maybe we just got lucky!).

Dom loves:

• Talking- Dom is making LOTS of new and loves being social!
• Being on his tummy- this is a very new development!
• Toys- he's still not super into toys but he's definitely appreciating them more and he especially loves his activity center
• Peekaboo- he currently finds peekaboo hilarious!
• Bananas- he just had his first taste of solids recently and so far he LOVES bananas
• Sucking on his hand
• Rolling- ever since he figured out how to roll, he's pretty much obsessed with rolling and spends most of his wake time practicing his new skill!
• Grabbing my hair...unfortunately!

Dom doesn't love

• Being left alone- He's definitely very social and always wants to be in on the action!
• Loud noises
• Naps- he's still not a good napper and usually doesn't sleep more than 45 minutes. He also FIGHTS hard when I bring him to his room and turn the sound machine on because he knows that means a nap is coming!

Firsts this month:

• Rolling- Dom is rolling over...woo hoo!!! We went through a difficult few weeks where he'd roll from his back to his front and get stuck and then wake me up. Thankfully now he can also roll from his tummy to his back, but it does still take him a lot of effort and he gets frustrated at times!
• Solid food- Dom has had his first taste of solid food! We've just been experimenting a little and so far he has tried rice cereal,  bananas, and sweet potato. He's done really well with the spoon and has swallowed everything well so far. Currently bananas are his favorite!
• High chair- I just started putting him in his high chair for very short periods of time recently. He seems a little freaked out by it.
• Dom played in his activity center for the first time
• Dom slept his first eight hour stretch this month...unfortunately it only happened once ;)

Other iPhone pictures from this month (thanks to Erin DiPrima & Alex for several of these!):

4 Months with Dom

I can't believe it, Dom is 4 months old! Life with Dom has gotten better and better and it's SUCH a joy to see how he grows and changes with each passing day! 

He just had his 4 month appointment and he now weighs 13lbs 9oz and is 24" long! He is now wearing 3-6 month clothes and even those are starting to look tight! He started waking up every few hours when he turned 3 months old and I wrote it off as a growth spurt but then he continued to wake up very frequently. Alex and I decided to do some sleep training and start letting him cry it out at night, and he immediately improved a TON. I took away the swaddle so that he could suck on his hands and he quickly learned to suck his thumb. He went from waking up multiple times a night to waking up twice (typically at about 1am and 4:30am) to eat and then go back to sleep. I'm thankful he's sleeping so much better and I'm hoping this continues and that he doesn't go through the 4 month sleep regression I keep hearing so much about!

Dom loves:

• Thankfully he seems to love his bath time again!
• Grabbing everything...especially my shirts and hair (he's pulled out a LOT of my hair)
• His bouncy seat...he LOVES being bounced and will often fall asleep that way for his last nap of the day
• Pacifier. He now loves sucking on pacis during the day and seems to always want something in his mouth!

Dom doesn't love:

• He still doesn't like tummy time but I think he's starting to get more used to it
• Loud noises. Perhaps it's because we don't have other kids but when we go to church or are in large groups and there's a loud noise or he's around a lot of kids and loud noises for a while, sometimes he'll freak out and burst into tears and I have to bring him into a quiet room. I'm hoping this starts to change as he's able to handle more stimulation!

Firsts this month:

• Sucking on his thumb
• Falling asleep on his own! I now put him in his crib awake at night and he falls asleep on his own and I also put him down awake for most of his naps.
• He learned how to splash water with his feet in the bath and splashes everywhere now!
• Laughing much harder than he ever has
• He has started reaching and grasping and can push his paci back in (yes!!)

Tanglewood Park | Allen Family | A Winston-Salem, NC Lifestyle Photographer

People often ask if I photograph families and the answer is, "yes, absolutely!" I don't post many of the family sessions I shoot simply because weddings are my focus, but I love to photograph families and children!!

Today I am sharing one of my favorite families in the whole world! I photographed the Allens at Tanglewood park this past fall and we had so much fun! The Allens actually moved to Winston-Salem with Alex and I to be a part of our core team and to help us plant Emmanuel church. They have been INVALUABLE to the church and to both me and Alex personally. We frequently say that we can not imagine planting this church without them! We love their whole family and so I was especially thankful to be able to photograph them! Here's a few of my favorites from their session:

Sunset Country Club | Emily & Drew | A Sumter, SC Wedding Photographer

Emily and Drew had a beautiful wedding day full of friends and family! Even though their wedding was in January, it was a beautiful and mild day in South Carolina. Emily was a STUNNING bride and she and Drew were so perfect together. I absolutely love all of the details throughout the day including the stunning bridesmaid dresses, florals, and reception decor! 

The Vendors Who Made This Day Possible:
Ceremony: First Presbyterian of Sumter
Reception: Sunset Country Club
Photography: DiPrima Photography
Dress: Fabulous Frocks of Charleston
Florist: Country Rose Flower Shop
Band: The Heather Hayes Experience
Cake: Pam Chandler
Invitations: Reaves Engraving
Bridesmaids Dresses: David's Bridal
Groomsmen Attire: C. Anthony's Menswear
Catering: Catering for all Occasions
Second Shooter: Leah Daugherty Photography LLC

Pilot Mountain State Park | Jenny & Zach's Engagement Pictures | A Winston-Salem, NC Wedding Photographer

Jenny and Zach were super brave and met me at Pilot Mountain Park during one of the many freezing cold days we've had in January! I was so excited they wanted to do their session there because I've been dying to get out there and shoot (it's only 30 minutes from my house) and it did NOT disappoint. I had so much fun hiking around with Zach and Jenny and they were such troopers in the cold and had a great attitude the whole time. I'm so excited for their April wedding at The Bradford!! Here's a few of my favorites from their session: