A Day In The Life Of Elsa | Bay Area Documentary Family Photographer
"Parenthood is not like the perfect pictures on Pinterest." -Katri
I did a day in the life session for my friends when their daughter Elsa was 11 months old. Even though I've known these guys for about 2.5 years, you just get to know friends on a whole new level when you spend the entire day with them and their baby, and I'm very grateful for that experience.
Here are some of their thoughts on parenthood and how it has changed them:
“I always saw my wife as a beautiful and wonderful person, so full of love. And, after seeing her give birth to our daughter these feelings were infinitely magnified. We always balanced each other’s emotions well in our lives and now it has only gotten better/stronger/more important. A tough day at work or a long sleepless night, we are there for each other. The support we give to one another really makes all this possible." -Darius
"I love the mornings. Cuddling with Elsa when she is waking up, holding her plush toy, is so precious. And coming home from work. I love it when she runs to see who came home, and sometimes she screams out of joy! That's so much fun!" -Katri"
"Seeing my daughter smile and laugh. It is the best thing ever." -Darius
The hardest part of my day is leaving Elsa to go to work. Even though sometimes I really enjoy the time at work, when I can go to the restroom and no one follows me and stares at me when I sit on the toilet, it never gets easier to leave her. " -Katri
"The biggest struggle so far has been dealing with the lack of sleep. It’s difficult to be conscious of how exhausted I am and not let the quick temper/words trickle down to work life or my relationship with my wife." -Darius
"I always knew Darius would be a wonderful Dad, he has always been such a good man. He is so caring, always thinks about others before himself. This is only emphasized with our little daughter. And Elsa is such a Daddy's girl. She loves her Daddy so much, you can tell. They truly have a special bond, and I love watching them play together. No one makes Elsa laugh like Dad." -Katri
"What made it all worth it is getting to know my daughter. It didn’t happen quickly. She came into this world crying and kept crying for 9 months! But, through the colic and lack of sleep, the thing that brings ultimate enrichment is developing a deep bond with her. Through the months it has been amazing to see such a feisty, sweet, and mischievous little girl grow up. And she is only 13 months old! Can’t wait to see what is down the road for her and our little family." -Darius
"I appreciate the small things like having five minutes to sit down, in peace and quiet, to eat. It means something completely different to me after having a baby. Can’t take that for granted!" -Darius
"New parents, buy lots and lots of towels. Never run out of Advil. Never! But seriously, give yourself slack as a parent; it is too easy to be hard on yourself for the mistakes. They happen, we learn from them and become better parents because of them." -Darius
"I have become WAY more relaxed about mess. Yes, oh the good old mess. It doesn't matter how much you clean and tidy up, it's going to be messy (and sticky!) soon after. I have learned to let it go." -Katri"I don't quite know how I got through the time Elsa had colic. I didn't have any help when Darius was at work and he was gone 14 hours a day. I was house bound as Elsa cried even more if I put her in the stroller and went out for a walk, so I carried her at home. I was counting minutes, seconds for Darius to come home. Most days I was crying and carrying her as I was so exhausted and desperate to hand her to someone, even for 10 minutes so I could take a shower. It's hard to remember much from that time." -Katri
"It's all worth it. Trust me. Only a mother understands what a mother's love feels like. The moment when you first hold your child, the moment your child smiles at you, the moment they cry for you, and no one else. Even the moment they get frustrated because you didn't give them something they wanted... When I've seen Elsa grow to become a strong, smart little girl, all I can feel is love." -Katri
"Everyone is probably just as tired and cranky as me." -Darius
"There are going to be times when you think "this is not what I ordered," and you will have times when you think being a parent blows and all you want is some time for yourself. It is okay to think that ... Most likely it is not what you expected, after all, you don't know what your child is going to be like before they are born. Parenthood is doing laundry every_single_day. Parenthood is running errands, cooking, cleaning, changing diapers, wiping vomit, washing bottles, setting boundaries, being the bad cop. Parenthood is noticing you have baby food (or vomit) on your shirt when you are walking to the office. Parenthood is work. But at the same time you do all that gladly because you are a parent." -Katri