Awaiting Baby :: A Mediatation for Father's Day :: Davis Arboretum

Meet the Domek family: Andy, Anna and their cutie pie daughter Claire. In April we met up at the Davis Arboreteum to celebrate the coming birth of their next baby. I love photographing families in the arboreteum, but this is a special area for Andy and Anna as well...they met each other while attending UC Davis.

I asked Andy and Anna if they would be willing to share their feelings as they await baby number two. For Anna, while morning sickness, general tiredness and chasing a toddler around while being pregnant haven't been fun, there is a calm that comes in knowing what to expect the second time around - the good parts and the difficult parts. There is also great joy in watching Claire get excited about her new baby brother. She kisses the belly, talks to him and to Andy and Anna about what she is going to do with him when he arrives. As a family they are all getting excited, bonding and sharing in the anticipation.

As a perfect meditaion in advance of Father's Day this weekend, here is Andy in his own words...

"I didn't think it was possible, but this time around might be a little more exciting to be an expectant father. Not that I wasn't thrilled when Anna was pregnant with Claire--I was. But I was thrilled in the abstract. There was no way I could have foreseen the awesome wonder of fatherhood before I had actually been a Dad. But now that I am a father, I don't think there is an adjective that can describe how ecstatic I will be to meet this kid and grow our family. Not that it won't be difficult at times, but overall--joy abounds." 

"The joy of holding a child’s hand; at seeing your child do things for the first time; first smile; first laugh; first words; first steps; the awe that comes as you watch your spouse turn into an amazing parent; and the knowledge that whatever happens, family comes first."

Thank you for sharing those beautiful words with us Andy. He echoes the hope, love and confidence

of a dedicated father.

I photographed Claire growing during her first year and I look forward to photographing the new baby when he arrives later this summer!

This weekend we celebrate Father's Day which was officially recognized as a holiday by the U.S. Congress exactly 100 years ago. I hope your weekend is fun, peaceful and spent cherishing family.