Kitchen Sink Baby Bath 

Isn’t a kitchen sink the perfect basin to cradle a babies soft velvet body during a bath? Add to that the scent of lavender bubble bath soap and nice soothing music in the background and you have a scene to remember for years. Come and enjoy this bath with me as I photograph Emily and her bundle of joy August. 

August is 10 months old and he is full of energy. His hair is soft as silk and it likes to stand up in the back of the head. His eyes are as bright as the blue sky and his cheeks are plumb and sweet beckoning to be kissed. He loves taking baths and is fascinated by the way the water and bubbles feel against his skin. I loved watching his reaction when he repeatedly tried to catch the water streaming from the faucet. He would spread out his fingers and reach into the stream as if he was catching a rope that was dangling in front of him. To his amusement, he would look at his unclenching fist and find it empty. He also enjoyed playing with his yellow rubber ducky as his mom was shampooing his head.
Here are some other things you might like to know about August. 

     Favorite food: Dill Pickles and Avocado 

     Favorite song: “I feel good” 

     Favorite thing to do: Spend time with momma

I hope you enjoyed this peak into a baby kitchen sink bath. Let me know next time you would like to try this so I can capture these memories for you.

           A lot of fellow St. Louisans have been to Castlewood State Park to play at the playground with their kids, for the beautiful display of foliage during the fall, or a hike in the long days of summer. I had the opportunity to witness the beauty of this park in February when my friend Emily from Emily Rose Studios invited me to assist her on a marriage proposal photo shoot. 

           It had rained through the night. I took a deep breath in after I stepped out of my car and I felt transported to a different world. I smelled the rain, the ground, the earth. It made me think of the “Chronicles of Narnia” where the kids step through the closet and into something magical. I walked up the path covered with rocks and fallen tree branches. As I walked, I saw trees laying dormant and waiting to be awakened by the spring sun. I also saw the leaves they had shed covering the ground like a rug of past beauty. I noticed little drops of water adorning the tips of branches and leaves like jewelry made of the purest crystals. Once I reached the plateau, I was in awe of the view. The was a sense of mysticism and the unknown in the distance. The fog was thick across the valley and the Meramec River below had receded to a shallow level. I listened to the birds and the sound the wind made when it rustled through the trees. It was February 14th on this day. Valentine’s Day! In this moment however, it didn’t matter what day it was. I soaked it all up and imagined coming back again and again. The kids would love this spot and the feeling of being on top of the world. 

          I met up with Emily, who was already situated for the perfect shot of the proposal. It was a success and the couple was overjoyed. Emily and I imagined doing another photo shoot here in the near future. We pictured a woman in a bright colored dress standing on one of the cliffs admiring the vastness of this place. 

           If you haven’t already visited Castlewood State Park, I highly recommend that you do and pick a day in the winter. You will be amazed at the forces and changes that take place in nature during the winter season.  

My friend Emily from Emily Rose Studios and I decided to visit Union Station in St. Louis.  It was new for me but Emily had been there on several other occasions.  It is also the home of Shutterfest, an annual photography conference, which I am hoping to attend this year. As we walked through the station and the hotel, I was in awe of the beautiful attention to detail in the architecture.  The Grand Hall was breathtaking with it’s “terrazzo floor, green glazed terra-cotta bricks, stained glass windows and wooden carpentry” details.  My favorite picture is of the stained glass window which depicts 3 women representing “train travel in the 1890’s from New York to San Francisco with St. Louis in the middle”.  Union Station saw it’s first train pulling in on September 2, 1894. It wasn’t long before it became one of the largest and busiest passenger rail station of the world.  It wasn’t unusual for this station to move more than 100,000 people through it’s doors.  President Harry Truman, Joe DiMaggio, Joan Crawford and the St. Louis baseball teams the Browns and the Cardinals were amongst some of the visitors.  The Grand Hall, with it’s 65-foot barrel vaulted ceiling, was the main waiting room.  A 75-room hotel, just off the Grand Hall, was a resting place for tired travelers. Union Station saw it’s final passenger train departing on October 31, 1978.  Since then, Union Station had served as a mixed-use complex featuring retail shops, event spaces and restaurants.  It is currently undergoing renovations for an 75,000-square-foot aquarium.  I cannot wait to come back again when the aquarium is opened for business.  I am amazed at how much this city has to offer and there are so many gems hidden to be uncovered.      

Source for background information: http://www.stlouisunionstation.com/about/