My Very 1st CONTEST on the Blog Ever!!! Plus, "The Scenic Route" - A Landscape Painting

Happy Sunday Everyone! I can't believe I'm already on Day 5 of this 30 in 30 Challenge, and I'm loving every minute of it. I've been dying to get the chance to focus on my art more, and at nights it helps me feel less lazy to actually be doing something rather than just wasting away in front of the TV (though I do love to do that too, don't get me wrong!). Today's painting is also my first submission for the year for "The Virtual Paintout."January's location was The Isle of Man, a little known island nestled between The United Kingdom and Ireland. It's quite a beautiful destination, and I've absolutely loved "driving" down the old fashioned country roads, complete with moo-cows and flocks of sheep, as well as beautiful coastal scenery like what you see below. I think I am going to do more than one submission for this particular location this month, since we're allowed to do up to three and I really am intrigued by this beautiful island. Boy, Google maps sure has revolutionized how I'm going to start planning a vacation! It's pretty awesome when you can visit a place street by street to really get a true feel for it in every day life, not just the manufactured Hollywood feel that I feel Hollywood square has. It's just so different in real life, and Google maps seems to be so "real life" to me. Anyways, I'm having a blast and totally recommend trying this out even if you aren't a painter. If you are, it's a blast because it lies somewhere comfortably between plein air and studio painting, and it's just downright fabulous. And if you're not an artist, why not try traveling to a country you've always wanted to visit, but have never had the opportunity to do. Seriously, you could totally have a virtual "date" in Paris with yourself or a loved one, just by sitting on your couch with a cup of steaming cocoa or espresso or whatever floats your boat, and then taking a leisurely virtual stroll down the lane. Sounds amazing to me, even if it is a tad nerdy. Whatever, I'm just gonna have to embrace my nerd on this one and let it fly!!! Happy travels to you! =)

"The Scenic Route"     4" x 5"     Acrylic on Canvas Panel

AND NOW TO THE GOOD PART: The other day I won an AMAZING (and I mean REALLY amazing!) prize on Leslie Saeta's blog during what she calls "The Twelve Days of Christmas: Twelve days of giveaways for all of my friends." What I won was what is called a webinARTS class that teaches people how to better market their art and was valued at a whopping $179 (WHAT-WHAT!!!). I was so ridiculously excited at the time that I freaked out and refused to believe it until my husband could confirm that it really was MY name on her blog under winner. CRAZINESS! And it was then that I realized that I really wanted my blog to be one of those where people are excited to check back in every once in awhile, because you never know what you may find or even win! And so, in the spirit of giving, I have decided that rather than do a 12 day giveaway like Leslie, which just isn't possible for little ole' fibromyalgic me, that I will do a year long giveaway instead, where there is a new contest and a new prize every month, because man, how fun is that!?!  This month's will be my very first giveaway contest EVER on my blog, and I couldn't be more excited!!!

And you know what? It's super ridiculously easy to enter!!!  All you have to do to enter is simply sign up to follow my blog! HOW MUCH EASIER CAN IT GET!?! So cool! If you're already following, don't worry, you'll be automatically entered to win!

But first off... What, do you ask, will be given away this month? Well, the answer is... (drum-roll please...)

Your choice of ANY ONE of my available paintings from the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge FRAMED or on a MINI EASEL and mailed directly to your doorstep, free of charge! How awesome is that!?!

So, what defines an available painting, you may be asking to yourself? Well, that's anything that I've painted during the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge that has not previously been sold or given away as a gift. And like I said before, what makes it even better is that it will be framed for you and sent to you free of charge! How cool is that!?! Entry for this contest lasts from today up through Jan. 31, 2013, but you'll want to start following me as soon as possible so you can stay up on what new paintings may be available for you if you win when this month is over. Also, when the time comes at the end of this challenge when the 30 paintings are complete, I will create a post with all the available paintings in it to choose from and whom the winner is.

So go sign up now and GOOD LUCK to you - perhaps a genuine Melissa Adams original could be yours in less than a month! =0)

First Look at the Doyle Family Sessions

I've finally gotten the chance to work on the images from my first session with the Doyles a few months ago, and boy am I glad I didn't rush it! I had that moment of panic after our shoot when it seemed like I didn't get anything good, and I felt so uninspired. In the first place the shoot itself was majorly rushed, lasting all but about 15 minutes, and the location, though meaningful because it is their church, made it difficult because to me it seemed so "pedestrian" (I don't really know what you'd call it, but it felt like the pictures were just taken at a picnic, not an official photo shoot). But then after some time passed, and after finding some major inspiration from one of my new favorite photographers, Jessica Drossin, I came back to these pictures and set to work. Now I am loving the shots I got, probably because they really weren't bad in the first place, (after all, my models were gorgeous, dontcha think?) I had just panicked.

I learned a few things from this process, the first of which is that sometimes it is much better not to rush things just to get them done, but that it can be okay to sit on things for a minute, so long as it's not just an excuse to procrastinate. I honestly didn't even have any time to get to these anyways, so rushing them wasn't really an option after all, but I am really glad I didn't try to squeeze them in. Also, it taught me that taking risks can pay off greatly! I've always loved the grungy look and decided after weeks of perusing Drossin's blog (who's work is absolutely gorgeous!) that I wanted to incorporate that into my own art more than I have in the past, and I feel like it's paid off here. Even Tyler was impressed, because he had agreed with me in the beginning that it looked like I hadn't gotten any images that were professional looking, (I was so worried I asked them to do another shoot with me just in case!) and now we are both in love with these pictures!  

Kelsey and Jeremy (and little Nolan too!), I love you all and am so thankful you've trusted me with taking your family pictures. It really means a lot to me. I hope you like them! Here's what I have so far, and I will be sure to post more as I finish them. =)

 

Emma

Back in March, I got to do a session of this gorgeous little girl along with my sister-in-law Kimie, who was really the one in charge of the shoot. We've been playing around with the idea of going into business together, but I think I was really just there for emotional support for her more than anything else! =) Haha, anywho, this little doll's name is Emma, and she is one gorgeous little girl! If I ever do decide to brave getting pregnant again, and IF we actually had a girl the next time, I would most definitely dress her just like this. I love, love, LOVE all the ruffles!

I had such a fun time trying this out with Kimie, and got to see just how nice it is having someone to work with! No driving by yourself, no worrying that you didn't get any shots, and most of all, MUCH less stress and a lot more fun! The only hard parts were trying not to get in each others way and making sure that each of us got the shots we wanted. Oh, and trying not to compare yourself with one another. I'm so bad at that!

All in all, we both had a blast together and just absolutely loved taking Emma's pictures. We only wished we had more time with her - she's just so stinkin' cute! And I definitely look forward to working with Kimie again, that's for sure! After all, we've been joking about creating "The Adams Family Art Gallery" for years now, with Kimie's photography, Kelsey's paintings and ceramic wonders and my art as well. What do ya think? It's good to dream, right? Okay, well I've talked enough for one post, so I'll let you go, but after you're done here, why not hop on over to Kimie's new blog to see her take on Emma. Hope you enjoy! Oh, and of course... Happy First Birthday Miss Emma!!!

Meet My Nephew, Nolan

Oh man, this little guy sure is a cutie-pie! He actually reminds me a lot of my own little babies, aside from the fact that he got his daddy's nose... And maybe his chin too... Okay, so maybe he doesn't look as much like them as I thought, but I definitely see both his parents in him, that's for sure! He's so sweet and little, and it was a pleasure to get to meet and hold him! I sure wish they didn't live so far away, because it's going to be hard seeing him look so different every time. But I will treasure the times we do have with him, because he is, well, a treasure! I love you so much already, little Nolan! And congratulations Kelsey and Jeremy! You guys did an amazing job bringing this little man into the world and I know you will raise him to be a man after God's own heart! =)

Happy Birthday My Big Little Preemie!

I can't believe Levi is already two years old today - two years old and no longer the little tiny baby he once was! Giving birth to Owen has really opened my eyes to just how difficult it was to have a preemie. I honestly don't think I will ever get over it. Even now, after all this time has passed, every once in a while I still get overcome with emotions over Levi's birth and subsequent stay in the hospital, and I doubt that will ever change. When they left Owen in our room the night he was born, without monitors or nurses coming in to at least check on us, my jaw dropped open, and I asked, "Wait, is this safe? What if he stops breathing?" Well, suffice it to say I had a really hard time sleeping that night. It was so weird. All the differences between the two experiences are astounding.

First off, not only did they leave Owen with me, but I was allowed to hold Owen whenever I wanted, versus having to wait 3 days with Levi, and then only being allowed to hold him once a day for 30 minutes at the most. I remember the first time we went to hold Levi. The nurses told us to be there around 1, which apparently to them meant 12:45. So when Tyler wheeled me in at 1pm, they told me I was too late to hold him because they had to do their shift change and I would have to wait until that night to do it. I just broke down in a wracking sob the moment the words were out of her mouth. She looked so confused and sad for me, and thank the Lord she was compassionate. After Tyler told her I had never held him before, she let me stay anyways and hold him, which was simply amazing. It took so long to get him out of his isolette, because he was on the hardcore breathing machine called a CPAP, and he was so frail it was ridiculous. He was on the CPAP for a week, which was really scary, because that meant he was completely incapable of breathing on his own even with the steroids they gave me to help develop his lungs. I remember it was such a joy when he moved to a regular breathing machine. Anyways, it was two more days before poor Tyler could hold him, because I just had to hold him one more time, and like I said, we could only hold him for about 30 minutes a day before we had to put him back.

Not only could we not hold him, but for the first two weeks while we were in Walnut Creek, only two people at a time could go visit him. That meant either Tyler or I had to wait in the hall while we introduced our family to our new, precious baby. The first couple days this was easier on us, I suppose, because I was still fighting for my life in the hospital bed and really couldn't go see Levi anyways. But after that it got really hard, because as you can imagine, all you want to do is show off your new baby, and we had to choose between who could do it.

Levi's first couple months were so hard, and even though I was aware of it, I didn't realize just how hard until little Owen came into our lives and showed us the difference. Levi would stop breathing when he ate, so I never got to experience a relaxing nursing session because we always had to be on guard, ready to resuscitate him. One time in the NICU Tyler got a horrible experience with that when Levi had an Apnea spell on him, and he didn't know how to react. The alarms started ringing, which is a really horrible sound, and every nurse in there ran over to snatch him out of Tyler's hands and to bring him back to us. That one brought Ty to tears, and I love him for that! But in the end, all of this made nursing in the middle of the night a nightmare, and it took months before Levi got over it. He also used to throw up for hours on end because his tummy wasn't ready for milk yet. We had to take him to physical therapy every month for the first year because he was so stiff. We would get horrible phone calls asking for permission to do surgery on our newborn, because his IV was hurting him and they needed to make a direct line to his heart. And you know what's crazy, even with all this, his story is really nothing compared to, as I call them, the preemie preemies. You know, the really little ones. We were so blessed!

And we still are! I love that little man with all my heart, and I really wouldn't trade any of the days I had with him for anything. Levi, we love you so very much, and are so proud of the little boy you are becoming! You bring us joy and laughter every day. Happy birthday my little man!

Hooked up to his CPAP, feeding tube and monitors. So many wires!

My tiny little guy.

It was so hard doing everything through the doors of an isolette. I sure don't miss that!

And look at him now! Such a cutie-pie!

Him and "Green Train." How he loves his trains!

Josiah & Thalia

I am so very excited to get these pictures up here! This was the last session I did last year, and I really enjoyed editing these! You may remember Thalia from this previous session. I must say, I'm just a sucker for chunky cheeks. =)

Baby Thalia

I am so excited to get some of these up! This little one is so precious, and I just love her squishy cheeks! Her name is Thalia, and she is one of the cutest babies ever. Plus, she's only like 4 mos. old now (these were taken when she was only 3 mos.) and she weighs almost as much as my other friend's one year old. Gotta love the chunky babies! She's just so cute. But I'm sure you can see that for yourself.  =)

 

 

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day Everyone! Hope you are having an amazing day. Man, do I love this kid! But seriously, can you blame me...?

 

Little Jianna

Here's Jianna, born last Monday at around 5 in the morning - suffice it to say it was a very long night for mommy and daddy. I took her mom's maternity pictures, as you can see in my earlier posts, and I was so excited to finally be able to take these of their precious baby girl. It was so much fun playing around with her during her photoshoot, and I learned that if you leave a baby naked long enough, they will pee. Twice. But she is seriously one of the most perfect babies I have ever seen and was so much fun to photograph. Thank you, Shannon and Jeff, for letting me come and do these with you.

One Year Ago Today...

One year ago yesterday, I was admitted to the hospital at 31 weeks of pregnancy for the worst pain I have ever experienced in my life. Ever. After hours of waiting and testing, they discovered that I had Gallstones. I was already under watch for preclampsia, and now I had this. They kept giving me medicines that didn't work, and even made the pain worse, until they eventually had to admit me overnight. By random chance, the Dr. decided to do a second blood test on me in the morning to make sure everything was okay, and discovered my blood had thinned 50% in a mere matter of hours. I remember the call to my husband, who had only just left with my blessing an hour before, to tell him that 1) yay! my pain was finally gone, and 2) I was going to be transferred to Walnut Creek to have our baby. I was surprisingly calm, by the grace of God, but that was still one of the strangest calls I've ever had to make.

One year ago today, I rode by ambulance to the hospital (which was actually one of the coolest experiences of my life for some odd reason) to go have my son two months early. It was so unexpected and shocking, and yet I was so overwhelmed by God's peace about it that I'm still amazed. I had my son two days later, a 3 lb. 14.8 oz. preemie with a full head of black hair who had to be rushed to the NICU and be put on a ventilator to breathe. And today, he is such a chunky, healthy, happy and vibrant baby that no one would ever suspect from what dire circumstances he came. And I am still in awe over how much God was in control of everything. Had I not noticed my high blood pressure and been put under watch by the doctors because of it, had I not developed gallstones, had I not been admitted overnight because of the intensity of my pain, had the morphine worked and not made it worse, and had the doctor not randomly decided to do a second blood test (which the next doctor on was shocked and very happy about), then we both would have most likely died. How great is our God! I am truly amazed by how much he really does work all things for the good of those who love Him.

Here is that baby boy, born almost one year ago under less than ideal conditions, who brings joy to my heart every day. He is a testament to me about how much God loves us and cares for us.

He's such a happy baby, too, which I think is pretty obvious, especially in the next few pictures...