John Harvey Photo

Nara

Go to Slide Show Smaller Images Our first child



Camping (4 months, 7 days)

Nara Sucking Finger
We went Camping at Cultus Lake!  Nara had a great time - she got to sleep in a tent, hear all sorts of nature noises and go mini golfing!

I Have a New Shirt! (15 weeks, 4 days)

Nara With Duck Shirt
Some days you get a new shirt and you just want to show it off.  New shirt day!

Looking Out Bright Windown


Tummy Time! (13 weeks, 5 days)

Tummy Time Looking At YouTummy Time Looking At Pattern
"The Books" say you should start exposing your baby to tummy time - put her on her belly and let he try to prop her head up.  At first she could only hold her head up for seconds but she has developed more strength and control.  One day I decided to take out the camera and take some photos of her working hard.

Tummy Time Look Up


Crib Time (9 weeks, 3 days)

We were going over to visit family and needs some up to date photos.  We didn't have a lot of time so we opened up the windows and took some close ups.

HelloIm Into It One Million DollarsOhh


A Trip to Victoria (6 weeks, 3 days)

My mother kindly offered to host us, Jenny and Helen's Mom for a weekend in Victoria.  It's Nara's first overnight someplace other than the hospital and home so we packed the car full and headed over to the island.  We spent a lot of time at home, but one trip we did make was to Butchart Gardens.

Nara In Japanese GardenGrandma And Nara At GardenTwo Grandmas And Nara In Japanese GardenParents And Nara On Pond

Taking photos of the gardens when you have a baby and Grandparents in tow is very different from how I would normally shoot the garden.  Every shot from this trip focused on people and not so much the background. 

Johns Parents At ToriiNara Dad And Jennie At ToriiMy Parents With Nara In Japanese Garden

 
One trick I have yet to figure out is how to make a child smile on command.  There is the usual trick of dancing your keys near the camera so the child will look towards the camera (assuming the child has head control).  That works, but it doesn't help if the kid is stressed out from the new location or just tired.  Oh well.

Helen And Nara At Benches Helen Theresa And Nara At Benches Jenny And Nara At Benches

Jenny Theresa And Nara At Benches Jenny Theresa And Helen In Front Of Flower Window

I think the better trick is to have a camera available to capture when Nara is having fun.  On Sunday we took the ferry over to Vancouver and after Nara was fed she was in a predictably good mood.

  Grandma And Nara On FerryNara Looking Sideways Nara Grinning 
 Thanks for hosting us Mom!

Happy Birthday Diana! (4 weeks, 5 days old)


Marcus Sticking Out His TongueHappy Birthday Diana
My Mom likes here Nara fix so we have taken to shuttling back and forth to White Rock.  My sisters birthday was at the end of May (Mom baked the cake and provided the sushi).  Marcus is only 13 months older than Nara so it scares me what we have to do in the next few months - child proof our house at least!  Our daughter sleeps much of the day away - Marcus not so much.  It's going to be fun! 


Nara With Difficult Skin
Sometimes it was a race to see who could wash their hands first - my Mom or my sister.  There is plenty of Nara time to share!  The house in White Rock is easier to photograph in because of the big windows that let in so much light.


Grandpa doesn't come over (to Vancouver) as often as grandma so photos of Nara with Grandpa are a bit more rare.

Grandma With Nara Diagonals Grandma With Nara In SunGrandpa With Nara In Sun

QE Park (24 days old)

We were looking through the photos and noticed we don't have that many of Nara with Helen's mom.  We packed everyone up and drove over to Queen Elizabeth Park for a few photos.

Grandma And Nara At QE Grandma Jenny And Nara At QEGrandma Mom And Nara At QEMom Dad And Nara At QE
 
Grandma Holding Nara At QE Jenny And Nara Best Buddies At QE
This photo session was an example of our new parent skills - we were out the door in less than half an hour and back before feeding time became too urgent.  This is made easier by a sleeping baby but Nara had closed eyes for most photos.

Family Portrait At QE
 

More Photos around Home (12 to 14 days old)

  Jenny Holding Nara Upright
Jenny is Helen's aunt and helps us get a decent amount of sleep from time to time.

Jenny With Nara Good Skin
 
Nara With Brown Eyes
Late afternoon light is best.
Nara Asleep On Bed

Bath time is one of the most photogenic periods.

Bath Time Fresh Clean Bath Time Rinsing Scalp Bath Time Washing Neck

Bath Time! (11 days old)

Some of my favorite early photos of Marcus are bath time.  Turns out I couldn't take photos of Nara's first (or second, or third) bath, because I was the one bathing her!  With a bit of planning (and more sleep by all) we got our act together for the fourth bath.

Before Bath Soaping Up The Scalp
Same procedure - start with a wipe clean of the face.  Wet, then soap, then rinse the scalp.  Then put the Baby in the water in wash everything else.  It's important the water starts at the right temperature and that you move quickly so that the water doesn't get too cold.

Rinsing The Scalp

I'm surprised that Baths don't turn into tears.  Nara seems to really enjoy the towel off at the end.

What Is All This WaterHow Much LongerDrying Off
 

  Visitors (6 days old)

Marcus Visits Nara
Since we were home, we could entertain visitors!  The Williams family (my sister, brother in law and nephew) came by with my Mom for a short visit.  My favorite part was my Mom and Sister to racing to see who could wash their hands first to hold the baby first.  My sister won.

The Alternative Williams Family

Grandma Holding NaraTwo Swirls
Timing is everything with these visits - Nara was fast asleep so didn't mind a bit of being passed around.  Helen and I had had some good sleep so we didn't mind seeing people.  Our visitors didn't stay too long so it wasn't to disruptive to our day.


  Home From the Hospital

  Napping During AFeed
The hospital isn't magic.  They can measure things - heart rate, temperature, weight.  The have some inoculations and tests, but the magic happened somewhere else.  Basically, they are a hotel with weird room service.  Nara was born near the full moon which meant the place was full which meant we were going home.  Nara's weight stabilized (with donor breast milk) so we got a two days supply of top up, put the baby in a car seat and headed home!


Being the Dad, it was quite nice to be home.  I knew where every thing was and how to get things.  The place wasn't crowded, there were no other babies and we could figure things out without interruptions.  It's a bit of a leap of faith, but everything worked out fine.

Engineering Mug To Warm Up MilkNara Wants Some Food Fluffy White Hat

  Life At the Hospital

  Nara Wrapped Up At The Hospital
That first night with your own baby is pretty surreal.  You jump at any noise she makes and you really feel at a loss about knowing what to do.  You haven't yet developed the reflexes to hold a baby way so transfers don't work out well.  Thankfully the nurses come by every hour or so to check up Mom and Baby.
Mom And Nara In Hospital

What would a hospital be without visiting hours?  Nara's schedule moved to every three hours so with a bit of planning (and some luck) we were able to have some visitors.  Nara spent most of the time sleeping so any time she had visitors and was awake was pretty rare.

Grandma Comes To VisitPassive Awake

A Baby is Born

Helen didn't have the easiest time.  Labour lasted 24 hours before we went to the hospital and almost another 24 hours before the doctors gave up on a natural delivery.  When the doctors decided it would be C-Section, things started moving very quickly - Helen went to the operating room and I got changed into scrubs.  By the time I got in the OR, the doctors were well under way.

Half Way Out CSection
Helen and I have a good relationship with our Obstetrician so he was patient with me taking photos.  This is Nara as she emerges from Mom.

Head Coming Out CSection
 

Babies don't come out all perfect - besides the goop, they are often a little blue (poor circulation) and they need help keeping warm.  Nara did well in her first two tests - Apgar 8 and 9.  She had lungs, but seemed to prefer to sleep.

Hands Are ALittle BlueJust After Apgar Tiny Little Hand
Nara was obviously a big baby, but I was quite surprised to the see 4.055 kilos - 8 pounds, 15 ounces.  It makes it more obvious why Helen wasn't making much progress with three plus hours of pushing.

Four Kilo Baby

Happy Dad
And after a very short period of time, they give us the Baby!  It's quite a shock - this bundle is yours - but you get used to it quickly.  There is a giddy happy feeling that somehow manages to keep tired at bay.

Presented To Mom

After surgery finished we went to the surgical recovery room.  They leave us alone us with the baby!  They encourage chest to chest to keep the baby warm and encourage nature to take it's course.  This is a that magic window where the baby usually sleeps for a while - after this it's three hour cycles until they are 18!

Sucking FingersMom Dad Baby FingersLooking For ANap

It was a very long day, but an amazing result at the end.

Bath Time Fresh Clean
Person: Nara
Nara With Brown Eyes
Person: Nara
Happy Birthday Diana
Tags: birthday cake
Just After Apgar
Person: Nara
Jenny And Nara Best Buddies At QE
Person: Jennie
Tags: Queen Elizabeth Park
Engineering Mug To Warm Up Milk
Bath Time Rinsing Scalp
Person: Nara
Mom Dad And Nara At QE
Person: Helen, John, Nara
Tags: Queen Elizabeth Park
Two Grandmas And Nara In Japanese Garden
Nara Sucking Finger
Person: Nara
Tiny Little Hand
Person: Nara
Nara Asleep On Bed
Person: Nara
Looking For ANap
Person: Nara
The Alternative Williams Family
Person: Diana, Jeff, Marcus, Nara
Grandma And Nara At Garden
Fluffy White Hat
Person: Nara
Tummy Time Look Up
Jenny And Nara At Benches
Person: Jennie
Nara Looking Sideways
Person: Nara
Drying Off
Person: Nara
Nara In Japanese Garden
Person: Nara
How Much Longer
Person: Nara
Jenny Holding Nara Upright
Person: Jennie
Grandpa With Nara In Sun
Person: Lloyd, Nara
What Is All This Water
Person: Nara
Passive Awake
Person: Nara
Ohh
Grandma With Nara Diagonals
Person: Janet, Nara
Half Way Out CSection
Person: Nara
Johns Parents At Torii
Parents And Nara On Pond
Napping During AFeed
Person: Nara
Grandma Jenny And Nara At QE
Tags: Queen Elizabeth Park
Grandma With Nara In Sun
Person: Janet, Nara
Nara With Duck Shirt
Grandma Holding Nara At QE
Person: Helen, Nara, Theresa
Tags: Queen Elizabeth Park
Marcus Visits Nara
Four Kilo Baby
One Million Dollars
Mom Dad Baby Fingers
Grandma And Nara On Ferry
Grandma Holding Nara
Jenny Theresa And Helen In Front Of Flower Window
Person: Helen, Jennie, Theresa
Soaping Up The Scalp
Person: Nara
Marcus Sticking Out His Tongue
Person: Marcus
Mom And Nara In Hospital
Person: Helen, Nara
Im Into It
Grandma Comes To Visit
Person: Janet, Nara
Nara Dad And Jennie At Torii
Person: Jennie
Presented To Mom
Person: Helen
Nara Wrapped Up At The Hospital
Person: Nara
Happy Dad
Person: Nara
Rinsing The Scalp
Person: Nara
Looking Out Bright Windown
My Parents With Nara In Japanese Garden
Person: Janet, Lloyd, Nara
Grandma Mom And Nara At QE
Tags: Queen Elizabeth Park
Hello
Jenny With Nara Good Skin
Person: Jennie
Grandma And Nara At QE
Person: Theresa
Tags: Queen Elizabeth Park
Sucking Fingers
Person: Nara
Jenny Theresa And Nara At Benches
Tummy Time Looking At Pattern
Tummy Time Looking At You
Nara Grinning
Person: Nara
Bath Time Washing Neck
Person: Nara
Helen And Nara At Benches
Before Bath
Person: Nara
Family Portrait At QE
Person: Helen, John, Nara
Tags: Queen Elizabeth Park
Nara Wants Some Food
Person: Nara
Nara With Difficult Skin
Person: Nara
Hands Are ALittle Blue
Helen Theresa And Nara At Benches
Person: Helen, Nara, Theresa
Head Coming Out CSection
Person: Nara
Two Swirls
Tags: Queen Elizabeth Park(7), birthday cake(1)
People: Nara(39), Helen(7), Jennie(6), Janet(4), Theresa(4), Marcus(2)
From: John Harvey Photo > Pictures of People > Nara
From: John Harvey Photo > Nara

Absolutely marvelous pictures! I've been waiting to see the first photos. I knew John would have taken some, but also realized that schedules, feeding, and sleep take a while to become normal. Great job, Helen and John. Nara is lovely.
Joan Johnson
Monday, May 10th, 2010 at 13:01:49

Awesomeness! I can't wait to do it myself (the Dad thing, that is). :) :D
Dom
Sunday, May 16th, 2010 at 19:34:14

She is Beautiful!! :D
Jessica
Friday, May 21st, 2010 at 15:37:16

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