When I first greeted this mama at the gates at Rocker 7 Farm in Buckeye, AZ, she said, “Candace, I’m going to be honest. I’m not feeling this today” as we were headed to the cotton fields.

We have pushed back her maternity session a couple of times due to deployment (as a former military wife, I get it – it’s a hurry up and wait game on when they get to come home sometimes), and then another time was due to sickness. So we had about a week and baby was coming. So we had to get it in.

But at the end of your pregnancy, it’s okay if you aren’t smiling for all the photos. It’s okay if you are thinking about adding another family member to your family in a week, that comes with some excitement and some anxiety. I know I’ve been there. Everything is about to change.

So I told this mama to just depend on her hubby and take in some moments. And this one was my favorite. My absolute favorite.

Motherhood is a beautiful thing. However, going through the process of bringing a baby into this world is a lot of sacrifice on a mother’s body for sure. By the end of you are so tired and exhausted. It’s worth it, yes. But it’s okay to just live in the moments during our time together.

By the end of it, when mom got her photos back she said, “You always kill it and make us feel so loved.” Really, it’s me just capturing you during this time. And if you are tired and weary, it’s okay to show that. But I think this mom was just beautiful exactly in these moments. I hope she sees herself as I see her. I’m so very grateful to be able to capture people in the cotton fields at Rocker 7 Farm in Buckeye, AZ during this season too.