somewhere between a handshake and two kisses

I wasn’t able to make it to my friend Tauni’s baby shower a couple of months ago, but earlier she had mentioned she wanted some pregnancy photos, so as a present, I promised we would make it happen. And tonight, three weeks away from her due date, we had our pregnancy photo session with her beautiful belly and her husband Dan.

We spent the first hour playing in their home, and we took some really intimately beautiful photos. But on my way to their house, I thought about my favorite field, as Arann calls it “Paige’s studio,” and I suggested that I would love to go up there later in the evening when the light was better. They were psyched about that idea, despite the rapidly approaching cold Pacific fog.

So I have just returned home and after quickly looking over my photos of the night, these are my immediate favorites. I just adore their expressions of complete happiness and love with each other and with the new human they are creating. What a lucky kid to have such a wonderful environment to come in to.

And a fun fact I learned tonight: Tauni and Dan don’t know if they are having a boy or a girl. Yet, Tauni says the most popular interactions she has had while being pregnant are with complete strangers who confidently predict the sex of her child based on the way her belly looks. She had a guy in Home Depot come up to her and say, “You’re having a boy. My daughter looked like you every time she was pregnant and she had all boys.”

Well, three weeks to go, and we’ll see if he was right.

Oh, and a sad fact, the developers have started to move their bulldozing equipment into my field, so “Paige’s studio” will soon be 6 new houses. Aren’t we in the middle of a recession? Why are they still building new houses when so many are being foreclosed and abandoned? Well, if I go missing for awhile, you may be able to find me in my field and tied to a tree in silent peaceful protest.