Merry Christmas!

Our first studio visit!

We took the girls to the studio today. Funny with clients I try to get creative and do different things, but with our kids I'm just happy if I get them both in a shot and... lol. Here's a few that I wanted to get for our holiday cards. Wanted to wait for our baby girl to get here to add her to the cards so we're a little late this year!

Our beautiful home waterbirth... a not so short story.

Ahhh... life is grand with a newborn in the house. We all just can't seem to stop smiling, and are giddy over our new little lady. She's quite the little person and definitely has her own personality already. We just can't stop staring at her... she consumes every moment of our day lately.

A little about her birth... many have asked how it happened and for me to tell the story, so I thought I'd share.

I had been having contractions for several weeks that were annoying, but not doing much of anything as far as giving me real labor. Finally on Saturday morning, labor came. It started at about 9:45, by 10:30 I was in the tub in our bathroom breathing through each contraction. Things really started progressing and John called our midwife and doula at 11:00. They both arrived at 11:30 and things really started getting going by then. We had already called our friend Margie to come and photograph the birth and she arrived at the same time as our midwife and doula. I swear it was like once they all got there my body just let go and did what it needed to do. I spent the first two hours in our bathtub, and John got to work on filling up the inflatable tub that we had rented for the birth. It was bigger than our regular bathtub so I was able to get fully immersed in the water and get comfy. I swear those tubs saved me... without the water I don't know how I would have coped.

My midwife Kelli and doula Maggie both coached me through the contractions once they arrived. Kelli checked me and I was 5-6 centimeters, which I was relieved that I had FINALLY made progress! She told me not to be surprised if I transitioned quickly as she could tell that I was going fast. I had to laugh and ask her "is this my warning that it will happen, or you telling me that it will"... I got her little smile and a uh huh...lol. I got into the inflatable tub and once in there dilated to complete in a matter of a few contractions. Kelli and Maggie both told me to listen to my body and if I felt like pushing to just do what came natural to me. I tried a few pushes and didn't like it... I was trying to find a position to get comfortable and tolerate the pressure I was feeling. It was really hard to find a place and way to sit that worked for me, so Maggie ended up kneeling behind me and I wrapped my arms around her back to support me. John and Kelli each held a leg while I pushed and that seemed to be the way that worked for me.

I remember being hot and heavy into labor and questioning whether I was really ready to give birth at home, but reminded myself that I made this choice for a reason and knew I'd get through it, even if I had to mentally just check out to get there. I felt like I was in a trance, just barely on the edge of being aware of what was going on around me. I knew who was there, heard them talking, but didn't really pay much attention to what was happening. I was so focused on just trying to relax and stay in control of myself. I'm actually quite proud and surprised that I did so well in staying in the place I needed to be... staying calm, collected, and just letting all the tension go away.

At first when I started pushing I didn't think I was doing anything, so it took me a little while to figure out where to push, once I figured it out it was only a few pushes and she was out. I remember the feeling of the burning as she was crowning, and also remember the lovely curse words that flew out of my mouth. YIKES! As soon as she was born I remember instantly feeling HUGE relief, like all of a sudden I went from the most intense pain I have ever felt, to complete and total peace with a slippery newborn on my chest at 1:23 P.M. It was the most surreal feeling I have ever felt in my life. To then sit back and take it all in was even more surreal. To watch John cry, and try so hard not to lose it completely, to watch the way he was looking at me with such pride and love, made me fall in love with him all over again. To see the look on Shaylee's face when she saw her baby sister for the first time... all of that was beyond anything I had imagined. To get out of the tub and into my own shower, and then into my own bed was such a cool thing. To have gotten through labor without any IV's, medications, tubes, needles, etc was the icing on the cake. To get up and take our little girl outside in the beautiful Florida afternoon sun on the day she was born... so freakin cool!

We had the experience of our dreams, one I will remember for the rest of my life. It was everything we wanted and more. Our birth team was beyond amazing, they came in and supported us with everything we wanted, made sure we were taken care of, left us feeling completely honored to have had them there. Each person that was here took part in making Camdyn's birthday a beautiful one. It was by far better than I imagined that birth could be. I knew it would be empowering, beautiful and a joyous day, but I had no idea just how special it would be and how much it would bond John, Shaylee, Camdyn, and I as a now bigger family. I still sit in awe thinking about Saturday and what it meant to us. I look at our new little girl and just can't believe how she made her entrance into this world in such a peaceful and loving way.

A huge thank you to those that were here, you know who you are... you all made our day so beautiful. We love and cherish each one of you for being here for us at this most special time! Our friend Margie captured our day with the most amazing photos I think I have ever seen. Here is the link to the slideshow she put together of Camdyn's birth. These photos are such a treasure to us, and we are so glad that we have them to remember that day. Click HERE to watch!

Also, here's a few photos of miss Camdyn. Just some snapshots, we're headed to the studio on Friday to do her official newborn shoot, but for now here's a few more. Thanks to everyone for their support and well wishes on the blog, in email, and the phone calls. We are truly blessed to have such wonderful friends in our lives!

She's HERE! We proudly welcome...

Camdyn Jewels Nielsen

Born 12/15/2007 at 1:23 pm

8 pounds, 2 ounces, 21 inches long

Waterbirth at home with 3 hours of labor

Such an amazing and beautiful experience!

I'll post more details later, but wanted to let you all know she's here and everyone is doing well! Shaylee is a wonderful big sister and we are so thrilled to have had our birth our way and for everything to turn out so wonderful. A special thank you to our midwife Kelli Johnson, Doula Maggie McCarthy, and friend and photographer Margie Schultz for capturing the photos I have attached. What a crazy hectic day and wonderful day!

Taking her sweet time!

Well Saturday was our due date and it came and went with no baby yet... she's apparently pretty stubborn and has her own date in mind. We went to our midwife last night and things are progressing, just not as quickly as we had hoped they would. I'm trying to be patient and realize that things will be harder once she arrives, but it's a hard thing to sit here and wonder when she'll come! Julie had to go back to Utah yesterday, so that makes me sad to know that she won't be here to witness the birth, but she'll be back in 7 weeks for our convention here in Orlando and get her baby snuggles then. So say a prayer for us that our baby girl comes soon and arrives happy, healthy, and safely in our arms! We'll continue to update and keep you all posted!

Here's two quick photos of Shaylee to tide you over... probably one of her last photos as a only child. She's so excited to meet her baby sister. She keeps talking to the belly and last night told the baby to "send the signal" so she can be born. She's been so patient, and I know these last days are just as hard for her as they are for us. By far the moment I am looking forward to the most if the first time Shaylee holds her sister. I think I will just lose it and turn into a pile of mush...lol.

Julie and I did a family shoot yesterday!

So I know I said my last shoot was a while ago... thank goodness for Julie coming to town so we could squeeze this family in. May of you may recognize CJ and her family. They came to me for maternity and newborn photos and we did their big group family portraits yesterday. A huge thank you to Julie for working your magic during this session. I always love working with you and watching you do your thing! Here's a slideshow from the session.

One more day...

One more day till Julie gets here. I pick her up at 4 p.m. tomorrow and I'm so glad that she'll be here for the birth of our baby girl. We finally finished getting the baby's room ready today. She won't be sleeping in there, but we got all of her clothes and everything in the closet organized so that it's all done when she gets here. It's so weird to see little clothes hanging in the closet again. And to see some of our favorites from when Shaylee was a newborn is pretty wild as well. Can't believe Shaylee was ever that small.

Anyway, one more day... Julie was only here six weeks ago and it seems like forever! She's running crazy trying to tie up all of her loose ends in Salt Lake City so that she can be here for a week and take some much needed time OFF! The fact that she is packing up, leaving David and her 5 kiddos and coming to help us still blows my mind. I am so lucky that I have the best friends in the world to help take care of Shaylee, John and I. Tamu will be around also, and Lesa will have Shaylee during labor. I swear I don't know what I'd do without those 3 women in my life!

Here's two photos, the first of Lesa, me and Tamu. The second with Julie and I. Can't wait to get photos of our new little girl with my favorite girls in the world!

This is GREAT!

As many of you know we homeschool our daughter. This was posted to a homeschooling group I am a part of and not only did it crack me up, but it really hit home. Thought I'd share...

http://www.secular-homeschooling.com/001/bitter_homeschooler.html

Hooked on Henna!!

I'm hooked on henna... love these things! Thought I'd share the latest tat. This was done by several of my doula and midwife friends. Each took a turn painting a bit of it and it was so fun! I'll be looking at this during labor and reminded of all of my support from my birth buddies.

No baby yet...

I've gotten lots of emails and calls over the last few days asking about our birth. No baby yet... we expect she'll come sometime next week. Think she is waiting for her Auntie Julie to get here to make her debut! I'll definitely post some photos and keep you all updated! Thanks for all of your emails and well wishes. We are all SO excited to meet our new little girl!

:)

It's BLACK FRIDAY! CNP 2008 Special!

Rather than wait in long lines today, give the gift of photography for the holidays! Today and today only we will have a Black Friday special for 2008 sessions. If you've been waiting to try Cristy Nielsen Photography, now is the time to buy a gift certificate and save big on your session!

This "Double Your Dollars" sale will apply to sessions and orders from 2008 sessions only. For example, if you purchase a gift certificate for $300 it will be worth $600. $500 becomes $1,000, etc. This is a special for session fees and prints for regular sessions only. If you know ahead of time that you will be scheduling a session in the spring or summer, you can purchase this ahead of time to save you money when your session comes around. You must purchase your gift certificate today to receive this special. **Some exclusions apply. **Please call or email Cristy to find out more information at 407-619-1359.

Happy Thanksgiving!

:)

Our last wedding before baby comes!

Last Saturday we did Jennifer & James' wedding. They were both totally gorgeous and the wedding was so fun! They got married at Mead Gardens in Winter Park. The weather could not have been more perfect, the lighting was incredible! They are now on a road trip from San Diego to Northern California for their honeymoon! Just thought we'd share some favorites from the day. It's kinda funny to me, they are both high school teachers... teachers just don't look like what they used to! They could seriously both be in magazines!

I'm hoping to have their wedding website up this evening. You can view it HERE!

Our Baby Shower!

Our neighbors Lesa and Rob threw us a baby shower yesterday! Thank you guys for organizing and thank you to my MIL Mary Sue who sent goodies from Hawaii and planned out all of the games for us! Here's the link to photos if you'd like to check em out!

Our hiatus has begun!!

We are officially done with sessions and wedding until mid January. I apologize to anyone that we can't fit in for holiday photos. If you still have orders you have placed, don't worry your orders have been placed and will be ready before the holidays. We have about 2 1/2 weeks till our new baby girl is officially due. I've been feeling some contractions a lot lately, so I'm not sure if she's going to stay put until the due date or not. I'm trying to hold off until at least December 3rd so that my good friend Julie can arrive to photograph the birth.

We are having this little one at home, so please say a prayer for us in the upcoming weeks! Thank you to everyone for your patience and support with our pregnancy, and to everyone who got in early this year to allow us to have this much needed break for our family. I will share baby photos when she arrives, and let you all know when we plan to resume a normal schedule. We do have a waiting list started for first available appointments, so feel free to contact us if you would like to be added and have first dibs on the calendar for 2008.

I plan on spending the net two weeks tying up loose ends, completing holiday orders and getting ready for next year's specials and promotions. We have lots of great stuff to come for 2008, so get ready!! I'm also planning on spending lots of time with our daughter and enjoying the last days of being a mother to one! The holidays make me thankful for all of the blessings we have been given, and for a nice breather for us to enjoy each other!

Thank you again, the support, love and encouragement we have received from our clients, friends, and family has been amazing! We love you all!

:)

Tomorrow last day for 2007 half price print sale!

I've received several requests for gallery reloads for the 2007 half price reprint sale. This is a reminder that tomorrow is the last day to request your gallery be reloaded and to place your order. Any orders placed after tomorrow will receive our regular print pricing. Thank your for getting your orders to us in a timely manner! :)

Exciting News! New Custom Client Services Sites!

We've been working long and hard on this new idea and it's finally come to a close and is ready to be previewed. We will now be offering each client who has a session with CNP a custom website to share their photos with their friends and family, and to have all of their slideshows and images in one place for viewing and ordering. It's such a cool thing and I'm really excited to share it with you all. It will be your main place to go for any questions you have about your session, to confirm your appointment and to access everything related to your session.

To see a sample please click HERE! This is a wedding site for Graham and Travis. Portrait sites will look a bit different, but this is to give you an idea. All sessions from here on out will come with this service.

:)

ONE Week only half price reorder sale!!

Starting today, and expiring next Wednesday we are running a half price off reorders sale for clients who had sessions in 2007. All prints 11x14 and smaller are half off. Canvas prints 16x20 and larger are 25% off. To qualify for this sale you must have placed an order after your session in 2007. Please contact Cristy via email at cristy@cristynielsen.com or phone 407-619-1359 to get your order gallery loaded to choose your prints. Orders placed after next Wednesday will receive the regular print pricing. This is a great deal for gift prints for family to arrive in time for the holidays!

Also pay attention to the blog because we will be running a one day Double Your Dollars Sale on the Friday after Thanksgiving for sessions in 2008. For example, if you spend $200 you will receive a $400 gift certificate to use in 2008. This can be used for prints, session fees, etc. This is a great gift idea for friends and family and gift certificates for the holidays are available.

Thanks for your continued business! We love offering specials to our client families during the holiday season!

:)

Yes some more maternities...lol.

These were taken on Marco Island last weekend when we went down for Graham & Travis's wedding. We hit the beach again Saturday evening to capture these. Some were taken by John, some taken by my good friend Julie Williams. So glad we took the time to do these, they may be the last ones we do. We will see! Less than 5 weeks to go! I'm going to start offering beach maternities to clients! They were so much fun to do and it was such a good thing to just relax, get my feet in the ocean and just be in the water.

Sneak Preview for Donna & Greg!

Here's a few photos from the wedding we did last night. It was so beautiful on Lake Mary at their friends home. It was cozy, quiet, and a very enjoyable evening. Amazing couple, great food by Arthur's Catering, beautiful cake, and FUN party! Thanks Donna and Greg for trusting us to capture your evenings events and the love the two of you share! Hope you are having fun in the Dominican Republic! Congratulations!!