I’ve struggled a bit with expectations, peer pressures, and realizing that I need to find happiness with the choices I’ve made as a parent, and let those who aren’t happy with them fall by the wayside.
I mean honestly, you never find so many people with opinions as the day you find out you are pregnant!
How this family photo shoot came to be is my friend Angel Ceballos promised us a portrait as a wedding present.
I never took her up on it, even though she offered multiple times. When my daughter hit six months old I realized I would always regret not capturing this time of her life, so I needed to get a move on.
Being old school elder gothlings the idea of an Addams-esque portrait tickled us to no end so we set it up and made it happen.
We live in Seattle (which has been very, very good to us) and live in a house that’s filled with books, movies, felines, and dust. Our life is adventure, exhaustion, and wonder and we could not be happier.
Can I ask how you pronounce your daughter's name? I like the spelling but I don't think I have it right.
It's pronounced 'TEK-la'. I was lucky enough to spend a couple of hours entertaining the little darling for her mom and dad for a while last night.
Tec la, It's originally Greek.
This little girl is so adorable, and I love her name!
Thank you! Being a Jennifer born in the 70's I pretty much tossed out any names that were in the top 100.. She may thank me or hate me for it later.
"But Moooooom, why couldn't you have just named me Sophia, or Isabella???"
"Cause I didn't want to shout your name and have half the neighborhood kids comes running, that's why!!"
This kid is going to rebel and get a tan.
I think it's worth noting that this family lives in Seattle, so a (natural) tan's not likely 😉
Great photos, she's so cute! I'm also a goth mom and I love it! You're so right about the opinions, too. I had a son when I was 19 and thought in retrospect some of it might have been related to my age, but now, 18 weeks pregnant at 32 I find it's no different! Opinioins on what I eat, what I drink, what I wear, where I go, where to give birth, where to raise the child, and everything beyond that are so prolific it can make your head swim. I try to focus on the positive supportive people in my life, and tune out the judgment. Moms and moms-to-be need support not criticism. I know I can be hard enough on myself as is! After struggling for years with questioning my ability to parent my son, I've finally made peace that I have done and keep doing the best that I can, and will do the best that I can for my coming arrival (also in March!) and believe that every mother and baby is different and we all inherently know what's best for ourselves and our children. Blessings to you and your family!
So very well said. Thanks for the great comment.
This is soooo cool. I am def going to use this as inspiration for a family photo shoot. These photos are great, thanks so much.
Blessings