These past couple of years have been an adventure, and that’s putting it mildly. In July of 2014, after 4 years of infertility struggles, my husband and I welcomed Juniper into our lives. In April of 2016, Amity arrived. In the years that preceded the births of my daughters, I worked, I beaded, I read, I watched movies, I cooked, I spent time with friends, and on and on. For those of you with children, you already know where this is headed.
Having babies is hard. It’s an immersive experience, a consuming state of existence. For the first six weeks of a baby’s life, she needs so much attention. Feeding, rocking, changing, putting down, and repeat. After those first six weeks, things get a little easier, but incrementally. At this point, a year into Amity’s young life and almost three into Juniper’s, I’m just starting to see the light. Amity is sleeping well, giggling at the funny faces her sister makes, and eating like a horse. We’re lucky. But the reason we’re lucky is that my husband and I work hard–incredibly hard–at parenting. Having this chance to be a mom is both the greatest blessing and the most difficult challenge of my life. It’s one I welcome, but I’d be lying if I didn’t also admit that having two tiny humans at home can redefine the way my time is apportioned.
If you’ve read this far, I just want to say this, and I’ll be both honest and blunt: thank you. Thank you for sticking with me these last few years, as I’ve figured out how to balance my career against my growing family. Thank you for trusting me to capture images of your families; for maintaining your relationships with me; for entrusting me with the enormous honor of chronicling your lives and the lives of the people you love the most. I do what I do because of how this profession allows me to connect to my clients. All of you mean the world to me, and more than anything, I want for you to know that these last couple of years, which have been both incredibly challenging and indescribably rewarding, have only increased my passion for what I do.
As I approach my 41st birthday in mid-June and my 9th wedding anniversary in July, I feel a renewed enthusiasm and commitment to my craft, to my family, and to my life as a whole. This–this current moment in my life–is the best part so far, and I can’t wait to share with you this wonderful feeling of vitality, creativity, and passion.
So again: thank you. Thank you for hiring me. Thank you for allowing me into your families. Thank you for giving me the chance to do this job I love so much.
-Piper
These people are my whole world.