by Shelly | Sep 30, 2014 | baby, personal, SPCcreative, special project |
Last week I met up with a lady in the parking lot of a bank. She opened the trunk of her SUV to reveal baskets of beautiful tiny silk and satin treasures — baby outfits. Whoah, they were GORGEOUS , with lace and pearls, and elaborate embellishments, even tiny bow-ties . . . and the BONNETS! Oh Swoon!
Angel Gowns by Diane donated a supply of handmade gowns to photographers who volunteer with Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep. From left: Emily Crump, Affiliated Photographer; Renae Carr, Area Coordinator; Pamela Schwarz, Community Volunteer; Pamela Contreras, Area Coordinator; and Shelly Chetty, Area Coordinator
I hope and pray that nobody reading this post EVER becomes the recipient of one of these gowns, because they were sewn for babies who don’t get to go home with their families and grow up. But if you should ever go through an infant loss, and see one of these gowns or use the services of a Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep photographer, please know that your baby will be wrapped in LOVE!
You see, these aren’t just beautiful baby dresses. They have been lovingly crafted from wedding dresses by a newly-formed group of volunteers in the Katy area, Angel Gowns by Diane . Their concept is to use memento from a happy and joyful day to help ease the sting of sadness and grief when a baby dies. This specific supply of gowns in preemie to newborn sizes is going to the local professional photographers who serve with Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep, a worldwide nonprofit organization that provides bereavement photography at no charge to families The Angel Gowns group also contributes their gowns directly to hospitals in the area.
Want to get involved? Want to help?
First — NILMDTS is in DESPERATE need of more qualified professional photographers, both in the Houston area and throughout the United States. In Houston we ask our photographers to be on call and available to go to the Texas Medical Center just one day a month, and to help with suburban cases near their homes or studios on an as-needed basis. If you know a photographer or if you are one, I (or one of the other two local NILMDTS Area Coordinators) will help get you through the application process. You will receive training, and one of us will actually accompany you on your first shoot and walk you through the process so that it’s not as intimidating the next time around.
It’s just SO STINKIN’ SAD when a hospital calls us, and we do not have a photographer available to create beautiful images for the grieving family. There are SO MANY TALENTED photographers in this city, and I believe that just about anyone who wants to can find a way to schedule one non-appointment day a month to be available provide this gift of healing. Please check out the NILMDTS Web Site to learn more about our organization.
If you’re not a photographer,
you CAN still talk to photographers you know and encourage them to get involved.
Also, I know that NILMDTS operates on a shoestring. Tax Deductible financial contributions will help keep the organization’s website and resources up to date and to provide training and support for volunteers.
And if you’d like to to get involved with Angel Gowns by Diane. They need
- wedding dress donations
- people to dismantle the dresses, cut patterns and/or sew the gowns
- people to help coordinate with area NICU’s and with NILMDTS.
- People to pick up and deliver donated dresses
Just check out their facebook page (I understand that a full website is in the works) for more details.
by Shelly | Jan 15, 2014 | baby |
This little Texas Peach was less than two weeks old when she came into my studio and stole my heart. Oh my! Don’t you just want to squeeze her and kiss her to pieces? I certainly do!
<3 <3 <3
If her pretty mommy looks familiar to you, you might have met her here at the studio. Rachael heads up Elise Artistry and is my go-to makeup artist for senior portraits and pretty-lady sessions.
Her sweet calm demeanor is a great counter to my off the wall wackiness, and we complement each other so well! I love working with her, and so do my clients.
She brings out the “beautiful” in everyone she touches. No doubt about that!
This little Gerber Baby mouth makes me swoon.
Baby E is now already about 8 months old, so I suppose if the delinquent blogger sitting at my desk would wait just a TAD longer to blog this newborn session I could have combined it with her one year cake smash — but it’s more fun to spread out the joy. I can hardly wait to see her back here again.
by Shelly | Jun 6, 2013 | baby, family |
All I can say about this little spitfire, is that kindergarten teachers in about the year 2018 had best look out! Georgianna is HERE and she will make her presence known.
I believe Georgie is the tiniest healthy baby that I have ever photographed. She was already 6-weeks old before she could come see me, and even then she only weighed about 6 1/2 pounds. Oh my goodness she’s just a tiny pixie of a thing.
Don’t let those sweet sleepy images fool you. We had to work hard for those because she’s got a mind of her own and a strong spirit. I think she’s definitely inherited some of the spirit that comes with her mama’s reddish hair. Yep, it’s true what they say about us redheads! We WILL get our way — so you might as well just give in now.
She’s got her daddy wrapped around her little finger — as she should. 
If you think Georgie looks like a little angel, you are right. She definitely inherited THAT trait from her mama, Tambra. I first met Tambra last fall through a program that teaches English as a Second Language. She gives tirelessly of herself, coordinating and managing a group of volunteer teachers while warmly welcoming and comforting political refugees who arrive in Houston frightened, exhausted, and with very few, if any English language skills. She is INCREDIBLY humble about her work, but I’ve seen firsthand the blessing she is to countless souls. Yeah… she probably has wings hidden underneath her blouse. . . and I wouldn’t be surprised to see little Miss Georgie pick up her loving caring heart.
Sleep tight and keep on growing just like a weed, Little Miss Georgie. You’ve got some great times ahead!
by Shelly | May 20, 2013 | baby, family, women |
I knew it would happen before TOO TERRIBLY LONG and Oh My Goodness was it fun. One of my first seniors grew up, became a mommy, and brought her sweet baby girl back to my studio for portraits. 
Not only did Kayla become a parent. FIRST she became a US Marine, got married, moved all over the world and finally back to The States, but not anywhere near The State of Texas. So — we had to finagle some creative schedule arranging to accommodate her maternity-leave and trip back to visit her family and take baby on a grand tour to meet the relatives. I was so glad that Nana was able to make that all happen. You can tell she’s only just a tiny bit in love with her little princess.
Baby was about 6 weeks old when she came to visit. That’s a little bit older and bigger than most babies are when they come in for their newborn sessions. Older babies are more awake and alert, which allows us to see their gorgeous eyes, but they have also had time to develop their own preferences, so if baby is not interested in a snuggly, squishy, curled-up newborn pose, it just ain’t gonna happen.
We held our own, but she did too — so together we came up with some yummy sweet 6-week images. 
And I couldn’t resist a little bit of a trip down memory lane to find mommy’s senior portraits from 2008. It seems like just yesterday and then at the same time it seems like a lifetime too.
Notice a little streak of independent spunk in mommy? Well…. I’m thinking that baby may have inherited her share of that too. She’s going to bring lots of joy and laughter to her family and I am so glad that I got to photograph her. She’s PERFECT! Absolutely PERFECT.
by Shelly | Apr 29, 2013 | baby |
Fitness — I don’t think little Isaiah stands a chance of turning into a couch potato any time soon. He’s already got the dumbbell action going on. 
His daddy owns Medical Fitness Pros, the gym where my husband and I are getting ourselves into shape. We both love the thorough workouts and personal attention we get there, and so I was thrilled when I learned that “Aunt Shelly” would get to dote on this little guy at only 10 days old.
Isaiah’s mommy is kinda very super gorgeous too. How could we miss?
Naturally I snuck in a few hugs and snuggles for myself in between sets. It’s been a lot of years since my guys were tiny, but lovin’ on baby boys still comes oh so naturally. It was hard to send him home when we were done, but I’m counting on seeing more of this little guy again.
