Cale James Hodge

I feel so blessed to have two wonderful photographer friends that have done such a great job photographing my sweet baby boy for me! I'm sure in time I will be taking many photos of Cale myself, but after having a c-section and just the exhaustion that comes from having a newborn at home, I just haven't had the energy to take many photos myself. So here are just a very few of my favorite images captured by a couple of my favorite photographers!

These ones are from Melissa Rieke Photography. I love this first one that I paired with a maternity shot she did for me... it's amazing to think that tiny person fit inside my belly! :)

Love his wrinkly forehead!

If you know me, you know that I am crazy about Coca Cola, so of course this one made my list of favorites!

These photos are from Simply Joyful Photography. Jason got in on the action for this shoot and Rachel took so many great family photos of the three of us! I think this one is my favorite of them all!

Look how tiny he is hanging in dad's arms!!

Cale really is a smiley little guy. We haven't been able to capture any big smiles but this look here is all Cale! Just a happy and content little man!

A HUGE thank you to Melissa and Rachel for taking these gorgeous and precious images! Newborn photos are definitely something no one should pass up on- they are only this tiny for a very short time! Check out these photogs on Facebook from the links above to become a fan and see more of their awesome work! If you are having a baby in February, be sure to take advantage of Melissa's Free Newborn Session (info on Facebook)!

The other side of the lens!

As many of you know, I recently had a baby boy! I'm going to post an update on him along with some photos but first wanted to share some of the amazing maternity photos my good friend Melissa from Melissa Rieke Photography took of me just a few days before our little guy arrived! Thank you SO much to Melissa for taking such awesome photos! It was fun to experience the other side of the camera lens for a change!

You can see in these photos how lopsided my belly was. Baby boy found himself his spot on my right side and decided to hang there for the majority of the pregnancy :)

Be sure to check out Melissa's other beautiful photos at www.melissariekephotography.com or on Facebook!!

Every good and perfect gift is from above. (James 1:17)

I am SO excited to announce the arrival of Cale James Hodge! He was born on Tuesday the 11th (the coolest birthday ever... 1/11/11) weighing 6 pounds 8 ounces and measuring 19 inches long. This past week has been one I will certainly never forget. It's been a roller coaster of emotions (with a scare that Cale gave us when he arrived and then with me returning to the emergency room the same night we were discharged from the hospital) but we are all home now and I am filled with more love and joy for our new little guy than I ever knew was possible! I feel so blessed to have so many caring friends and family, and I have had a hard time keeping up with messages and calls, so I decided to post an update on what's happened over the last week and how our sweet baby is doing now.

A couple of weeks ago, my husband Jason and I found out that we were going to need to have a scheduled c-section because our baby boy was breech and had the cord wrapped around his neck. The c-section was scheduled for Thursday, January 13th, however, Cale must have been feeling as impatient as I was and decided to come early. I woke up about 12:30am on Tuesday the 11th to find that my water had broke! Of course I made Jason take a photo before leaving the house :)

Jason and I hurried off to the hospital where I got to have the full experience of both going into labor AND having a c-section. Cale made his big debut at 7:38am and gave us quite the scare. His heart was beating very slowly and he wasn't breathing at all. He had been so smushed up in my tummy that his face had been pressed against my ribs and his nose was flattened and pushed over to the side, making it difficult for him to be able to breathe. Those first few minutes felt like hours and were the scariest minutes of my life. However, the doctors and nurses at LMH were fantastic, and they had Cale resuscitated within a matter of minutes! Since then, he has been doing SO much better. He truly is a miracle and a gift from God! Here are a few photos of the week...

Jason and I after several hours of labor waiting to go back for the c-section.

Cale's first photo right after they had him breathing! That little guy had a very BIG cry!

Jason bringing Cale to the operating table for me to see him for the first time.

Meeting the family through the nursery window.

You can tell here it's been a long day for Cale!

Our first family photo!

Cale all bundled up and ready to go home from the hospital! His clothes are a little big on him :)

Riley meeting Cale for the first time. She just laid her head on his car seat and stared at him. She's been very curious about who this little baby is and what he is doing.

Cale in dad's KU hat. (Don't worry, he's got plenty of purple too!)

This sweet boy smiles all the time. The doctor told us that at this stage it's just a natural reflex. I told her I'll pretend I don't know that and still think of them as real smiles!
I can't thank everyone enough for all the support we've gotten this past week. We've been stocked with dinners from friends and all the prayers from everyone have meant so much.

Jud: 6 months

Last week on Veteran's Day, I spent some time with this military family! We got lots of great shots of smiley Jud and took a few of him with his parents. There were so many adorable shots that it made it hard to choose what to share in the preview, but here are a few of my favorites...

I think this one has to be absolute favorite! Jud just looks SO happy hanging out with mom and dad!

Thanks Jay and Beth for such a fun session!