Family and Baby Photography Brisbane
I met Meredith when she was searching for a photographer for her baby shower. We hit it off over a phone call, and despite being a very last minute booking, I really wanted to help her. Her baby shower was a fabulous pink affair, (it turns out it’s also Meredith’s favourite colour) full of pink cakes, pink biscuits and pink mocktails. And if you read on, you’ll discover Meredith also craved pink food during her pregnancy. So bizarre! Although, craving weird foods while pregnant isn’t uncommon. Just ask any mum or expectant mum and I guarantee their diet changed during pregnancy.
Wondering what other strange craving mums have and what it means? You can check out some other weird cravings on the PureWow blog and see what your cravings mean.
Anyway, I was thrilled when Meredith got back in touch for family and baby photography after the arrival of her baby girl. It meant baby cuddles for me, and I got to catch-up with Meredith again over newborn photography 🙂
Meredith has kindly shared her journey to parenthood, her strange craving for pink food and how they chose their girls’ unique names.
Thank you Meredith, Drew, Vienna and Geneva for sharing your story.
The First Meeting
I met my husband Drew in 2009 at a friend’s BBQ. After getting my number from my friend who was hosting the dinner, I agreed to go out for a coffee. Drew managed to subtly change that to dinner, and our first date went for 4 hours. And it was full of laughs! So, I was keen to keep getting to know this great guy. My favourite thing about Drew is his sense of humour and he still makes me laugh more than a decade later!
The Proposal
Drew surprised me with his proposal at the end of 2010 on a trip to Thailand. After a beautiful day trip around the islands, he got down on one knee and of course I screamed “Yes!”
The Wedding
We married in 2012 in a beautiful beach Ceremony at Marcoola on the Sunshine Coast. For three days before the wedding there was cyclonic rain and wind. The pool at our hotel overflowed and as the pool led onto the front of our reception venue, we spent the afternoon before our wedding sweeping water away from the doors with brooms. We even rolled up towels to stop the water from flooding our reception venue!
After many months of planning our wedding, this could have ruined it. But we managed to laugh our way through it! Even when the restaurant flooded and cancelled our rehearsal dinner, we were still happy to be getting married the next day!
An hour before our wedding ceremony a patch of blue sky appeared. We were thrilled! The sun came out and shone down on our wedding on the beach. It was everything I had ever dreamed of and still ranks as one of the best days of my entire life.
Fertility Journey
As we were a little older when we met, we were keen to start our family as soon as possible. We spent time travelling through Europe, we bought a house, we worked hard, and we tried for our first baby. After 18 months of trying, we were thrilled when we finally fell pregnant!
Work and Life Balance
One month before falling pregnant I purchased a wedding styling business because I’d enjoyed all the creativity and planning for my own wedding. I even set up a wedding in front of a lighthouse on a very high hill at 8 months pregnant! However, I decided that was probably the last event I could style for a while. But I was so excited to get back into building my business and continued to style weddings for the next 6 years.
Welcome Babies
Our first daughter Vienna was born in 2014 and has been the light of our lives. In 2016 we decided to try for another baby and add to our family. However, after years of unsuccessful trying, multiple health issues and loss, we decided to start fertility treatments.
Cue the crazy amounts of hormone treatments, needles, bruises, ovulation kits and pregnancy tests. So, we were thrilled when in March of 2020 we found out we were expecting our rainbow baby. Right in the middle of COVID and a worldwide pandemic! Our timing could not have been more interesting. And while I know it was such a difficult time for some, it was a blessing for me. I was able to reduce work hours and focus on resting, relaxing and growing my little angel baby at home.
Big Sister Excitement
After so many years of begging to become a big sister, Vienna was in shock when we told her we were expecting a baby! It took a few minutes to register, but soon she was dancing for joy around the house and screaming that she would “finally have someone to play with!”.
Advice for Others
I don’t claim to have any advice for anyone going through fertility treatments, as it is such a difficult journey. But Drew and I always tried to see each step in the process, as just that. One step closer to having that missing piece to our puzzle.
In the meantime, we continued to plan things to look forward to. Holidays, travel, parties and loads of family time. We had to accept that we may never have another child, but we were willing to try anything for a chance at it.
There have been moments along the way that nearly broke us. However, we always kept in mind how truly blessed we were to have Vienna. Many people go through so much more and never have a child. But everyone’s story, pain and journey are unique, and their feelings are relative to how they feel and their own experience.
All I can say is my heart is with you, wherever you are in your fertility journey.
Pregnancy and Pink Cravings!
Once I was well into my pregnancy, I was totally convinced I was having another girl. I craved the exact same things that I did when I was pregnant with Vienna. I craved pink iced buns, strawberry milk, and corned beef! And although pink is my favourite colour, I don’t tend to follow a pink diet other than when I’m pregnant.
The Girls – Family and Baby Photography
When we found out we were having another girl, I was hopeful that she would have the beautiful combo of red hair and blue eyes as her sister. And so far, so good.
Vienna is a spitting image of her Dad however Geneva seems to look a bit more like me. Yay!
Choosing the Girls’ Names
Our name choice was based on Vienna being the name of a place. So, I wanted to have another place name but nothing too common or too weird.
I read lots of name lists and as soon as I read it (Geneva), I knew it was the one! We love a good nickname, so we now have Vivi and Gigi.
Family and Baby Photography – Brisbane
When Vienna was born, I grabbed my old camera and styled up some homemade newborn photos. However, over time the quality of the images and the styling was not as timeless as I would have hoped.
I knew that if I was ever lucky enough to experience the joy of becoming a Mummy again, professional family and baby photography were non-negotiable. And I wanted this precious moment captured in a timeless way that I could always look back on.
So, I contacted Alison to step in at the last moment to cover my baby shower photography. And I was so grateful! And when I saw how beautifully she captured my pretty pink baby shower (the baby shower I’d spent months planning), I knew she’d be taking our family and baby photography too.
The Newborn session – Baby Photography Brisbane
As soon as I could, I booked Alison for newborn photos of our new baby girl. Our daughter Geneva arrived 3 weeks before her due date, but Alison was more than happy to accommodate our unexpected timing.
During our newborn photography session, Alison suggested I have a photo with the girls. It was then I realised how special it was for me to be in front of the lens, instead of always behind it.
What an incredible gift to have this beautiful moment captured forever. I’d waited so long to experience it! Holding my beautiful new baby in my arms and seeing the love in my big girls eyes for her new little sister!
Alison captured gorgeous images of our precious girls and I am so excited to display them in our home for many years to come.
Thank you so, so much Alison! We can’t wait for our next family photos.
About Alison – Family and Baby Photography– Brisbane
Alison is a Brisbane based who specialises in weddings and family and baby photography. With over 22 years’ experience in the photography industry Alison Cooke Photography was recently voted one of the top 10 wedding photographers in Brisbane by the Courier Mail and one of the top 30 wedding photographers by The Wedding Diaries. . You can check out more of Alison’s work here and if you’d like to book a session, get in touch here.
