Crista Acosta Photography »

Oh, my clients… they all become my friends, and become near and dear to my heart, but this is different.  Kristina was a friend and coworker before she was a client.  I cried when she told me she was pregnant, and I watched her belly grow.  Her son’s newborn session was the first that I walked away from feeling that I really had a calling to newborns, and ever other session we’ve done throughout the past few years have left me happy and inspired.  Kaleb is about to be a big brother, and I was so happy to capture these last few moments between Kristina and her sweet little guy.  This is a familiar scenario to me… a toddler who seems so grown, and in just a few weeks will feel like a giant compared to his baby sister…. but a year from now, I know that you’ll look back on these pictures and realize what a baby he was.  Kristina and Dave – I love you both, thank you so much for allowing me to be a part of your family’s memories.

The little dude…

Is this not the most beautiful almost full term belly ever?  I swear I looked like this at 18 weeks.

The BEST before and after EVER….. I asked Kaleb to blow raspberries on his mommy’s belly, and he was ALL about it!!

Oh, I just love the baby and the mama with her baby belly.  Can’t wait to meet Little Girl in a few weeks… the nursery is TO.DIE.FOR., if you haven’t already gathered from these pictures!!

The makings of a perfect newborn session:  A dad who contacts me to book the session as a surprise to his wife – check.  Two awesome sweet parents – check.  One sleepy little boy – check.  A ridiculously cute redheaded mohawk – CHECK.

What a fun session for me… this munchkin was born to be my newborn model, and I had so much fun snuggling with him.  Who am I kidding – that’s the best part of my job.

Oh, these cheeks!!

I’ve been backblogged.  I have lots of sessions that I haven’t had a moment to share, and really… they all should be shared.  This one is no exception.  A mom and her 4 beautiful girls?  This is the stuff photographer’s dreams are made of.  Though your photos have long been delivered, M & L – I hope you love them!

From a sweet, smiley, almost year old little dude.  Not ready to talk or even really think about the almost a year old part, so let’s skip right past that.  I love this little boy.  My mischievous dare devil always trying to figure out a way to break through the gate and try to climb the stairs.  The one who thinks it’s a joke when we tell him to sit down in the bathtub…. in fact as I was proofing these pictures, LA walked in and said “Oh wook…. dere’s baby in da baftub.  SIT DOOOOOWN baby!!!”  Um, I guess we say that a lot during bath time.

And, my favorite.  Those long lashes, the wispy curls, a teeny scratch on his nose, the quiet contentment.  I don’t want to forget this.

Two words to describe Julian – Dream.Baby.  He was the most cooperative, adorable little baby in the world.  One of my favorite things about newborn sessions is getting to know the parents during our down time.  Julian’s Mom and Dad just might be two of the most calm, peaceful first time parents I’ve met.  From the story of his birth, to their thoughts on parenting… I really really enjoyed talking with you K & D!

The best part?  We all get to watch Julian grow together, as his parents have enrolled in the Baby Steps plan so I’ll be photographing this cute little guy throughout his first year.  Can’t wait to see you all again!

Oh, and one quick fun fact.  While I always bring tons of hats and fun things to my newborn sessions, everything you see in this session Julian’s mom scored off etsy.  (My favorite place to shop!)  I love when my clients have fun things for the session!

Nine months ago, my phone rang and it was Gabby’s mom.  ”I’m having a baby!” she blurted out, sounding both terrified and excited at the same time.  I squealed in delight and we chatted for hours about how we would raise our kids together, what being a new mom is like, how strange (but amazing) pregnancy is, on and on until we reluctantly hung up.  I’ve known Gabby’s mom nearly twenty years, and though we have taken different paths, and at times our lives have drifted apart, somehow we always manage to wind up reconnected.  Our lives are simply meant to be intertwined, and no matter what happens she has always and will always be one of my best friends.

So technically, that makes Gabby my honorary niece, but apparently she didn’t get the memo that you should be nice to your Aunt Crista so that she’ll spoil you rotten when you get older.  Despite what you see here, Gabby might be my little diva.  She was a feisty one, but she is so stinkin’ cute, it was all worth it!

Congratulations Bill and Kim!  Tons of love from our home to yours.

Last week I was having lunch with fellow photographer Carrie Draghi and I shamefully admitted that I had been slacking taking pictures of my own family.  ”It’s just, I’m so busy, and I don’t have time to edit them, and the boys always have dirty faces”, I mumbled into my General Tso’s.  She reached out to touch my hand, looked me dead in the eye, and said – “Pick up your camera and take them.  You will have time one day to edit, but you’ll never have the moment back to photograph it.”

I knew she was right, and the next night as we lounged around the back yard playing I thought to myself – this is one of those perfect nights… one of those nights I want to remember.  So, I ran inside and grabbed my camera.  I snapped away as the boys played.  I photographed our family, our love, and I decided I wouldn’t care if they weren’t perfect.  We aren’t perfect… so here we are, barely edited – dirty faces and all.  I love this series.

When I Reagan’s mom and I were finally able to coordinate our schedules, she was five weeks old.  I’m not going to lie – I was a little nervous about how the session would go.  You see, five weeks is a tough age because babies aren’t smiling or really holding their heads up yet, and they aren’t really super curly sleepy like a brand new baby.  In fact, when I walked into the house I explained that it was fairly likely that we wouldn’t get a ton of sleepy shots based on Reagan’s age.  Oh was I wrong.  Reagan was a dream, and I left this session more inspired than I’ve been in a long time.  Her parents had some really creative ideas that were right up my ally, and we got to shoot outside.  It’s been a loooooong winter, so a sweet baby sleeping outside?  Absolute dream come true.

When I’m photographing newborns, I love to try to incorporate elements that are special to the parents.  Sure, I bring blankets and hats, but I’m always on the lookout for something unique that’s already in their home.  When Reagan’s dad brought out this basket, my heart skipped a beat.  When I learned that it was actually Reagan’s Great Great Grandmother’s basket that she took to the market every week over 100 years ago, I knew we had to use it.