A Day in the Park

My Saturday started with a early morning maternity session in the beautiful Azalea Park located in Summerville, SC., I arrived about an hour early to scope out the areas I wanted to get started in. I noticed I wasn't the only photographer in the park, a few were setting up for mini Easter sessions, I saw one of my mentors getting ready for a fashion shoot with a beautiful model, and families photographing their kids running around the park, it was busy. So, I decided to walk to the back of the park and what a good decision it was, nice and quiet, the azalea's blooming and a cute little gazebo next to a pond, it was perfect! Now let's get started; Meet the Smith family, Sy, Heidi, Gavin and one on the way!

KCP: How did you feel when you found out a child was growing inside of you?

I was honestly quite disappointed and scared. Our first son was planned and took 3.5 years to conceive. I have an infertility condition, PCOS, and was on birth control. I knew that I could not conceive naturally and it would have to be planned again. My husband and I had just discussed trying to conceive in late 2016 after we had begun to build our home. I had also planned to do some traveling in 2015-2016, so this was indeed a surprise we weren’t expecting at all. One of my daily affirmation states ‘I accept the blessing from every lesson’. This is a miracle that we greatly accept into our hearts, home, and lives.

KCP: Who was the first person you told?

The first person I told that I was pregnant was my husband. There was no frou-frou, creative surprise. I had just passed him in the neighborhood, so when I took the test on a whim and saw the positive, I called him in tears. He knows that I’m a person of faith, but he was surprised by my reaction. I was faithful in taking my birth control pills, so I was surprised by the pregnancy. To date, we don’t recall changing diapers and all the other things that come with a newborn since our oldest is very independent.

KCP: What was your process for choosing the name, and does the name has a meaning?

The process for choosing a name was extensive, to a degree. We initially wanted to name him August, since that was the month he was conceived…and a character from Sons of Anarchy (one of our favorite shows (djm)). We also had chosen Emanuel as the middle name since the Mother Emanuel shooting hit home for my family. I have three middle names, so adding additional names is nothing new to me. I saw various names online and we settled on Gannon August Smith. Gannon means ‘fair-skinned’ and is of Irish origin. We didn’t choose it for those reasons, but because it has a solid, yet spirited feel to it. It is also the name of a historic Irish leader, and teaching leadership is important to us.

KCP: How did your son react when you told him he was going to be a big brother?

*laughs audibly* Gavin simply said ‘okay’ and walked off. We often discuss it with him and he proclaims that he doesn’t want a brother. We’ve heard ‘I don’t like him’, and I have to understand the mind of a child, they see and believe what is in front of them, or have ‘object permanence’. He’s also said he doesn’t like his brother because he can’t play with him at the moment. I’ve explained that his little brother will be his brother and no one else’s. They can also play together for the rest of their lives. He said okay, but in reality he doesn’t want to give up his bed. That’s the biggest fight about it we’ve had so far. Hopefully he’ll get excited when the baby is born and he receives his ‘gift’ from his little brother.

KCP: How did your husband feel about having another son?

My husband is rather ecstatic about having another son. I can honestly say that thus far, he’s been an awesome dad and has greatly surprised me in that area. He’s always been anti-kid, wanted nothing to do with kids, and he also doesn’t have a brother. So to have two people in the garage with him playing with motorcycles and tools, to potty train, and to genuinely educate on manhood, he’s on cloud nine. We’re aware that we will have to worry when sending them out into the world, but we’re prayerful and will educate them on being productive black men in society.

KCP: Did you have any crazy food cravings?

As with my pregnancy with Gavin, I craved salt. I had a sugar aversion so I despised sweets. I really like pickles, but cannot eat them alone. Good thing we have a massive jar of pickles so I can add them to my burgers.