At just 72 hours old, Isabel was the freshest newborn I'd photographed since my own. But just look at those beautiful, piercing eyes ... it always amazes me how deep a newborn's gaze can be!

It was such an honor to be asked to capture this moment for my college friend, Gail — and so fun that we got to do it at her home in Harrisonburg, just minutes from our old campus!

​Not only did we capture images of their new family of three, but also the sweetest film, which I love to describe as a moving portrait and the best way to keep them little forever.

Now that 2021 is wrapping up, it's time to take a look back through some session favorites!

Theo's at-home newborn session was the best way to kick off my year. I remember telling his mom that I should be able to do the session, but was feeling a little worried that their son's due date was just a month after Oliver's. Thankfully, everything worked out perfectly!

Not only did we capture the sweetest documentary-style images of their new family of three, but they trusted me to also create a keepsake newborn film and an heirloom album. All the things to preserve their son's early days!

I had always planned to do my own newborn session. I loved the idea of coming at this with a mama's heart and a photographer's eye. And I loved knowing that years from now, Oliver would look at these images and know that his mom and dad took them. 

I can't wait to compile these images with his Fresh 48 hospital session into one my heirloom albums! It's so important to me that my kids have special photo heirlooms of our life together, especially the parts they aren't able to remember themselves — I think it's the most important (tangible) gift I can give them!

As many of you know, my second baby boy — Oliver Lee Richards — was born Feb. 3, making him just 5 days old today. His birth story is almost the complete opposite of my firstborn, so I wanted to share!

Like his big brother, though, Oliver was late — by a full seven days! My husband and I arrived at Martha Jefferson Hospital at 10 a.m. on the 3rd for an induction. I was super nervous, because I really wanted another natural, low-intervention birth.

After we got checked in, I was given 25mg of Cytotec, a pill that's used to soften the cervix. Because I was already having small contractions (I couldn't feel them), one dose was all I needed to move things along.

I had to be monitored for about two hours after being given the pill, so while we waited, Tyler and I watched TV and ate lunch. At the end of monitoring, I was 4 centimeters and 80 percent effaced (at my last doctor's appointment, I was 3 and 70). We were in for a long night, I thought.

Once I was unhooked, we walked a few laps around the Labor & Delivery floor. Even at this point, contractions were completely manageable.  

Then 4:30 p.m. came around, and contractions turned super painful. To manage, I got into the shower and the jacuzzi tub. When I needed something, I could only point to it and hope Tyler knew what I meant. 

By about 5:45, I started to feel the need to push. I was whisked out of the tub and brought over to the bed for another quick check. I thought for sure there was no way I'd progressed that quickly (my labor with Tucker was over 24 hours!). But I was 9 centimeters and 100 percent and was given the OK to start pushing. 

Pushing Oliver was the hardest 10 minutes of my life. I screamed (a lot) and told Tyler multiple times I couldn't do it anymore. But finally, at 6:02 p.m., there he was — all 8 pounds, 9 ounces of him. We are all so in love!

*All photos by Tyler and me :)

Shortly after I arrived at the hospital.

Before his first bath.

I always want to remember when he was this small!

It seems like just yesterday that JoAnn and I were hanging out in a gorgeous, spring-hued field for her mother-daughter styled session. At that time, she was just a few months pregnant with her baby boy. 

Now fast forward seven months and one Thanksgiving in the hospital...

We traded in green fields for JoAnn and Tim's beautiful home, lit by soft morning light and the Christmas tree.

We swapped mother-daughter sweetness for big sister snuggles and a new family of four. And we went from a barely noticeable baby bump to a 6-pound, wide-awake boy.

I have so many favorites from this morning together, especially those staircase portraits (which I hadn't planned on doing, but on our way downstairs from the nursery, I noticed the prettiest light coming in through their front door).

And once again, I'm grateful that my littlest subject decided to stay up with us for most of the morning. Isn't it incredible how deep and emotional a baby's stare can look at just a few days old?? 

Laura Richards is a fine art family, newborn and maternity photographer in Charlottesville, Virginia. She specializes in authentic, feel-good photographer that tells "the story of you" for decades. Learn all about what makes her different from other photographers in the Charlottesville area here.

I'm so excited to share this session, because it marks my first one as a Charlottesville photographer!​ Our session took place just a few days after we moved in, and I'll be honest, taking a break from unpacking boxes to photograph an at-home newborn session was just what I needed. Spending time with a newborn makes everything better!

Emily and Jake, thank you SO much for making me feel at home in a new city. You created the perfect baby boy, and I'm so honored I got to document all his newborn sweetness and the love you share for each other. 

There are so many things that make me smile about this at-home newborn session. 

First, the family dynamic. I love when older siblings are very involved. It really does provide a complete family picture. When I look through these photos, I see moments that will be so treasured decades and generations from now — by both brothers. 

Second, baby's facial expressions. They're incredible! He has such a deep stare, and his eyes already tell a story. He was such an active part of his session, and I absolutely love it (that may sound weird, but once you look at the highlights, you'll see what I mean!).

Third, I see a lot of personal and artistic growth. Of course, I grow with every session, but for this one, I had recently invested in a wider lens, in the hopes that it would help me better tell my clients' stories. And it has. As I made photos during this session, I finally felt like my images could breathe.

The questions you’re asking as a new mom – I know them all. I tense up just thinking of them.

When will I be able to get real sleep?

How do I get back into my regular routine?

When will I have time for my husband again?

What do I have to do to lose the baby weight?

Everything seems so new that there are times when you just feel desperate and scared. Everything seems new and confusing. Anxiously, you reach out to friends, family, even Facebook for answers.

I’m in a lot of groups for moms on Facebook, and I see posts with those questions constantly. And I remember those days.

The days of burp cloths and nipple guards and mesh underwear. Nights when your tears rival your child’s as you beg them to fall back asleep so you can sleep too. A blur of feeding and burping and changing and rocking.

There’s so much good. You can see it. Snuggling, introducing your little one to the world, learning every bit about them that you can.

But then there’s the piles of laundry. The dirty dishes. Finding the time for food, both preparing it and eating it. The anxiety of getting it all done and not understanding how to fit the puzzle pieces together to make it happen.

There’s this pressure to have it all figured out, and still be the ever-doting, living-in-the-moment mom.

Oh, mama. You’re craving normal, as everything changes around you.

If only I could get my home back in order. If only my husband and I were close again. And if only I understood what was going on in my body.

My heart goes out to you. And I have good news and bad news.

The bad news is, that normal you’re looking for? It’s out the window. For good.

But hang in there with me, and don’t be afraid! There’s so much good news.

First, you are not alone. I know this time is leaving you reeling, and feeling like, who else in the world can know this madness? I promise you’re not the only one.

Every single mother who has ever mothered has gone through this time of life. If there’s no one else around who is telling you that, let me be the one. We’re starting from the same messy place in those first few weeks, no matter if it’s our first or fifth child. We’re all making it work the best we can.

Second, you deserve so much grace.

Your body just did something incredible, and went through a huge amount of change in a short amount of time. (Including the nine months prior.) You are adjusting to a completely new way of life, one where a little person (or people) depend on you for everything.

Not to mention, you are surviving on a couple hours of sleep at a time. That’s enough on its own to make anyone crazy.

Take yourself out of your shoes for a moment and take a look at the mom in the room with fresh eyes. Would you tell her to get her act together? To do better? To fold some dang laundry, for crying out loud?

I don’t think so. You’d tell her to take her time, take care of herself, breathe deep, and know it is all going to be okay. Talk to yourself the way you’d talk to another mom in your shoes.

Third, I can tell you this with absolute certainty – this season will pass.

I can’t tell you when or how. But one day your child will sleep through the night (and so will you). One day you’ll figure out when to wash dishes and still fit your feeding schedule. At some point, you will go on a date with your husband again.

And finally, yes, the normal you’re used to is gone, and it isn’t coming back.

And surprisingly, THAT’S OKAY. Because you and your family are building a new normal. It’s one that takes trial and error and lots of grace.

But it also comes with a precious little one that looks at you like you hang the moon in the sky. It comes with cheering that baby to victory as they smile for the first time, take their first bite of food, and go from rocking back and forth to actually crawling.

You won’t forget this time. But it will astonish you, how much you are capable of, and the new normal you create. Take your time. You don’t have to rush.

I love that phrase — "The Luckett Family" — because it means their little boy is finally here and my best friend is now a mom! 

I drove down to Megan and Brian's home in North Carolina when Carson was just 8 days old. He was the best baby and slept the whole time I was photographing (actually, the whole time I was there). 

Carson's session is filled with so many special details, like a quilt made by his great-grandma and a cradle made by his great-grandfather (that Megan slept in when she was a baby!). I always love incorporating storytelling details like this in any session. They'll make his newborn photos extra-special one day. 

​Megan and Brian — thank you guys for having the sweetest baby boy and for letting me get in some extra cuddles with him before I left. Can't wait to see him soon!

Missed Megan and Brian's gorgeous fall maternity session? Find all the highlights here!

I met Meredith at my favorite local toy shop back in October, where her son was test-driving an awesome train set that would soon become his Christmas present. We chatted about her upcoming due date and the excitement of having her first little girl. 

Fast forward three months and one coffee date, and I'm walking into Elowen's gorgeous pink nursery for her at-home newborn session.

​I loved watching each person love on their new girl — and one of my favorite moments was when she got a train lesson from her big brother!

It was such an honor to get to know the Moore family and to transform such a long-awaited chapter in their lives into beautiful memories and heirloom art. Thank you, Meredith and Landon!