Pink Cheeks-6 Months Old-Northwest Suburbs of Chicago Baby Photography

♥ 4.16.2014 ♥

It is such a joy to watch little ones grow up! I remember when I could hold my preemie twins in my arms and they didn’t even reach to my elbows. Then I blinked and I could barely carry two at a time anymore. Babies grow so quickly and I love to see all of the little details that change in a photo. One of my favorite changes are cheeks! Those chubby little baby cheeks fill out usually around 3-4 months and by 6 months old, they are just perfect! Another thing I love at this stage is the new teeth! Not all babies have teeth by now. My twins didn’t get their first teeth until a year old but many do have them. The gummy smiles are the best but I love seeing those 2 little teeth that shows how they have grown and changed in a short couple of months.

It is true that there are MANY things I love about my job! I mean, cuddling sweet babies, has to be number one but there are so many more! Watching my clients’ children change and grow is definitely at the top of this list too! I love A’s pink cheeks and feel so lucky to be a part of her life even if just a small way. I got to cuddle her during those first few weeks as a newborn and photograph those first details that made her up. Then I got to come and see how she had grown and filled out and witness some of her first big smiles. Now I got to see how strong she got being able to sit up all on her own and lift up on her tummy! Those cheeks are all chubby and filled out and her hair is starting to fill out and she still has those beautiful blue eyes. Yes, I notice all of the details and always strive to photograph the sweet expressions, baby parts and growth as it happens! I remember all of the “faces” my own kids made through the years and love looking back to see them in a photo. “Ahh, I remember when he made that face,” I would say to my husband and we’d both smile. I hope in a few years the S Family can have the same conversation from the portraits that I can provide them.

Here are some beautiful images of little A! I can’t wait until our next session together!

Do you have a little one that you would like me to photograph? Send me a message and tell me about them!

April/May Macro Challenge Contest-Chicago Northwest Suburban Photographer

♥ 4.15.2014 ♥

Welcome to our first Macro Challenge! I love my new macro lens and I love how unique macro photos are. The colors and textures are so fun to see. Maybe one day I’ll get to try it out on a fun insect but for now I’m finding things in my home.

Macro Challenge is a new monthly fun project I’ve set up to show appreciation for my visitors and followers! Each month you have the chance to win something. The first month the prize is a $5 Amazon Gift Card (delivered electronically).

All you have to do is:

1.) Like us on Facebook

2.) Leave your Facebook name and a comment below. The comment should be your guess of what the macro photo below is of.

Good luck! When you are done, we’d love it if you took a look around and left a comment somewhere else!

One winner will be randomly chosen from the correct guesses after May 31st. Entries will not be accepted after May 31st at 11:59pm CST. Winners will be contacted by email and have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. All entries will be verified before the winners are chosen. US entries only please.

amy - this is tricky! I would guess a fig, but I am probably wrong.

Don’t Forget to Have Fun With Them-Palatine IL Children Photographer

♥ 4.8.2014 ♥

We all say and hear the saying, “They grow up too fast!” and probably many people just having babies don’t realize how true that statement is! Does it feel like yesterday that I had my twins who are turning 7 this year? Well not really “like yesterday” but it definitely doesn’t feel like almost 7 years have passed! How does it all happen so fast!

I just wanted to write this post to remind you all to “Have Fun With Them”! It is so important! By them, I mean your children! It is so easy to get swept up in the busy tasks each day. You know the ones I mean, dishes, laundry, sweeping the floor, going grocery shopping, stopping by the post office, paying the bills, and so many others! Those get in the way of the fun! Do we have to do them? Well yes…BUT they don’t always have to be done at that exact time. Sometimes we need to push those tasks aside or even schedule time for fun. They grow fast and will remember the fun things you do with them and so will you! Don’t worry I’m reminding myself of this as I write this!

You don’t always have to take them somewhere extravagant to have fun, like Six Flags, Legoland or even Disney World. There are tons of things you can do that will be memorable and your whole family will enjoy! Some ideas for you are catching fireflies, blowing bubbles, go on a scavenger hunt, take a trip to the library, kick around a soccer ball, toss a frisbee, play at the park, get out a board game, do some yoga moves, bake cupcakes, bring a meal to someone in need, visit an animal shelter, plan a movie night, camp out in the living room, plan a karaoke night, write a story together, play peek-a-boo (for the little ones), run a relay race, plant a garden, make a Legos creation, make a fort with blankets and pillows, go on a bike ride, or draw with chalk on the driveway. Of course there are so many more!

My boys had a grand time in their bubble bath at Grandma’s house as you can see from the photos above. Don’t forget to snap a few pictures of them having fun with them too! That way you have a visual memory to look back on later!

What things do you do with your children or plan to do with them in the near future? I’d LOVE to hear how you “have fun with them” below in the comments!

First Birthday Party-Northern Illinois-Small Event Photography

♥ 4.7.2014 ♥

Many photographers prefer not to photograph events but it is something that I really enjoy! I’m so happy to be a part of the special events and always have a good time! Who doesn’t want to have a good time when they are working?

So why did I start photographing events?

There are many reasons that I started photographing small events but the main one is that I feel it is so important to have memories from your special events. It might be a sad story, but I’m going to tell it. Right now, I have thousands of photographs in my house. Many are in books from my childhood, years in high school or college fun! When the digital age started, I started collecting less prints and have tons of cd’s and hard drives full of photos (don’t worry I’m working on getting books printed soon). Now the sad part…many of these photos have people that are not with us anymore. I didn’t know when they would pass on but I can at least remember what they look like or what they did that day if I look at the photograph. Small events are a time when we get together with family and friends and even though life goes on, it changes and these photos, they keep us in that moment. It is important for me to get a photo (or 50) of my children blowing out their candles at each birthday, of the fun decorations or games I took the time to put together from Pinterest, the guests at the party and so many other details. Keeping that in mind, I know not everyone has educated themselves on the best ways to capture these moments and they want to enjoy the party and be able to view the memories later. That is where I come in! I do all of the work for them and then they have the memories of the event and being with their guests, instead of being worried they didn’t take enough photos, weren’t in any of them, don’t know how to work their camera or missed out on spending time with guests because they were focused on taking pictures.

Do you see what I’m getting at?

Well luckily the S Family agreed with me and hired me to photograph some of their son, A’s, first birthday party! Mom definitely spent a lot of time and effort planning with the cute decorations, yummy foods, happy guests and an amazing cake! I was happy to photograph all of these details for her so she could enjoy them forever!

“I am thrilled with the pictures we received from my son’s first birthday party. Erika did a great job of capturing the fun memories from this special day. She was patient, yet quick to snap the perfect shots of our quick moving children. I highly recommend her work.”

Here are images of his beautiful cake!

And just for fun, here is a slideshow of some of the images from his adorable cake smash!

Is your little one having a birthday? Do you want someone else to worry about the photos? Contact us at [email protected] or 847-302-1783 to check availability!

North Shore Pediatric Therapy–Chicago Northwest Suburbs Children Photographer/Mom Around Town

♥ 4.4.2014 ♥

mom around town palatine illinois

Welcome to our Mom Around Town Blog series! I will try to post them every other Friday this year if I can. Last time I posted an interview with Alli Doubek of the Couponing for 4 Blog. This time I’ll be interviewing Deborah Michael of North Shore Pediatric Therapy! I had a chance to visit their therapy center last year and take some photos and it was a very child-friendly, engaging area! I’m excited to share more information about North Shore Pediatric Therapy below with an interview with Deborah Michael.

Since many of the business owners I will be interviewing work directly with children and expecting parents, I think it is important to get to know them well. Our Mom Around Town feature will help you do that! Make sure you check out our other Mom Around Town posts!


Name: Deborah Michael

Business Name: North Shore Pediatric Therapy

Website: www.NSPT4kids.com

Social Media:

Follow them on these social media platforms.
Facebook
Twitter
You Tube
Pinterest
Linked In

Year Established: 1999

Locations: Glenview, Highland Park, Chicago, Des Plaines, Illinois, and opening more Chicagoland locations!

Erika: What services does your business provide?

Deborah: A Chicagoland Pediatric Therapy Team from diagnostics to Therapy. Neuropsychology, OT, PT, Speech, ABA, Reading, Social Skills Groups, Diet, Behavior, Social Work

Erika: How does your business benefit the families in the Chicago area?

Deborah: We help children blossom with whatever areas of challenge they are encountering. It could be academic, emotional, social, parenting, gross motor, fine motor, communication, nutrition, anything!

Erika: How did you get the idea to start your business?

Deborah: I am a pediatric occupational therapist and mother of 5 and I knew I wanted a place where all therapists are under one roof and where we took care of our therapists and our families!

Erika: Wow! 5 kids! I can definitely see where the idea to work with kids came from! What did you do before you started your business?

Deborah: I was a pediatric OT and a mom but working for others and I always thought it could be better for me and for the families.

Erika: Can you share one memorable story from an experience you had related to your business?

Deborah: I started out in a basement with 3 kids and now those 3 kids are in college and the parents are calling me to have lunch and see the kids and they are so grateful for the part I had in their children’s lives! It is the best feeling!

Erika: That sounds amazing! I love forming bonds with my clients as well! Would you like to share something about your own kids?

Deborah: Sure! I have 3 boys and 2 girls. Boys are 19,18,14 and girls are 12, 9. The kids are a big part of NSPT! They grew up with us building the business! They are also so sensitive to kids with special needs and stand up for kids who are being bullied! They all volunteer with kids groups for kids with special needs.

Erika: What a wonderful experience for your children and good for you for keeping them so involved! They sound great! I’d love to know, what do you think makes a quality service or product?

Deborah: A quality service or product is when you are listening to what families need and helping them get there. It also needs to last. We have to help a child with certain goals but then there are more goals to look at as the child matures and children stay in therapy or come and go through the years as challenges come up.

Erika: Listening to clients’ needs is so important! How do you think you provide a quality service or product?

Deborah: You must look at the whole child and what really is going on with the child and the family. You must be well read and evidence based so that you are not wasting precious time, money or energy. Customer service is key!

Erika: I couldn’t agree more! Do you have anything you would like to share with us that is new for your business in 2014?

Deborah: We continue to have our multidisciplinary teams in Glenview, Highland Park and Chicago and have now added a 4th center our Pediatric Neuropsychology Center in Des Plaines! We treat dyslexia, autism, ADHD, Fine and Gross Motor Delay, Articulation, Social Skills, Reading, Obesity, Failure to Thrive, Down Syndrome, Anxiety, Depression, Learning Disabilities, Shyness, Selective Mutism, Picky Eaters/Problem Feeders, Premies, CP, You name it with kids and we want to help you find solutions!

Erika: It sounds like you are very busy and offer such a variety of services! Is there anything else you want to tell us about your business or yourself?

Deborah: We are so excited to share our knowledge and help families! We take Blue Cross Blue Shield HMO and PPO, Resurrection HMO, North Shore University Health Systems and a few others! We can also help you submit Out of network. We have such a great culture at work and really enjoy being a part of the kid’s lives!

Erika: That is so good to know! I guess we should end with a few fun questions, like what is one thing on your “bucket” list?

Deborah: We want to explore more areas such as another site in the city and western burbs!

Erika: How about, do you have any fun, unusual talents or what is a fun fact about yourself?

Deborah: We want to also be known as the thought leaders in pediatric therapy so we all write content daily and post it on Facebook page so like and share!

Erika: Deborah, Thank you for taking the time to share so much useful information about North Shore Pediatric Therapy! The photos in this post are from their Glenview location and I was surprised on how large of a facility it was and how many wonderful resources they had there. I met several of their warm, friendly staff as well. I’m sure that Deborah or other staff at North Shore Pediatric Therapy would be happy to answer any questions you have. You can contact them HERE or call them at 1-877-486-4140

And a slideshow with a few more photos from North Shore Pediatric Therapy.

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