Newborn photos with 14-day-old Matilda

Katie and Cameron met at secondary school, but didn’t hit it off straight away. It wasn’t until Cameron helped Katie out by chopping some onions on a school trip that the pair started talking. The conversations continued in the school corridors, until one day Cameron worked up the courage to say those terrifying words: “Will you go out with me?”

Katie played it cool with a nonchalant “Ok”, and the romance began. Twelve years later, and they are about to write the next chapter of their life together, marked by the arrival of adorable little Matilda.

This isn’t their first experience of parenthood, to some degree at least. The couple are proud owners of Cromwell, a two-and-a-half-year-old Cocker Spaniel, named after the famous historical figure (Cameron is a history teacher). Katie refers to him as Cameron’s shadow, as Cromwell is never too far away from Cameron’s side. In fact, Cromwell turns to check where Cameron is so frequently on their walks together that he often bumps into things!

Happily, Cromwell has adapted fairly well to being pushed down the family pecking order. However, anytime Cameron sits to cuddle Matilda, Cromwell inserts himself into any available (or, indeed, unavailable) space to join in. Thus, the couple now have a very funny collection of images showing Cameron with Matilda, while Cromwell tries to look nonchalant despite teetering on the very edge of a sofa cushion… 🙂

Matilda’s middle name, Elizabeth, honours Katie’s great grandmother, and choosing both of her first names was relatively straightforward: “They were the only names we could agree on!” Katie told me.

The couple have a more difficult decision to make regarding Matilda’s last name, however, as Katie (like me) has kept her family surname. The couple are due to register Matilda’s birth shortly, so the pressure’s on to make a choice. Katie would like the three of them to all take on a new surname, such as a combination of each of their surnames, but shortened for brevity (rather than going double-barrelled).

Cameron, however, is quietly confident that his surname will win out, helped especially by the fact that Matilda very much carries the facial features of his side of the family!

The couple will also be registering Matilda for Italian citizenship which she is lucky enough to inherit as Katie’s paternal great-grandfather is Italian. Cameron may apply for citizenship, too, although he will need to pass a language test in order to get it. That sounds like a nice project for a week or two’s holiday in Italy later this year, and I’m sure that Cameron has some tips up his sleeve for learning new material quickly from his day job!

The couple are both fans of making their own decisions based on considered thought rather than just doing what people have always done. For example, rather than buy everything brand new, wherever possible they’ve looked for pre-loved items. Not only does this save money, but it also diverts items from ending up in landfill. In fact, the couple have been astonished by the nearly-new quality of a lot of what they’ve purchased, sometimes taking receipt of untouched, top-end, branded items still in their original packaging – for a fraction of the retail price.

Katie and Cameron are also looking for a more environmentally sustainable alternative to disposable nappies. They’ve already had someone come round to leave them samples of washable nappies to try out before they commit to buying their own set, and that’s next on the to do list. That is, of course, once they’ve got the hang of clearing up some impressive poonamis!

Katie is also a teacher, but her subject is science. Whereas Cameron is great at building things according to the manufacturer’s instructions, Katie’s best at creating DIY solutions to tricky problems.

The other thing Katie excels at is sleeping. She naps on journeys and anywhere the opportunity presents itself. Both she and Cameron hope that their new arrival soon learns to love sleeping just as much as she does (this is a work-in-progress at the moment)!

Meanwhile, Cameron’s particularly looking forward to interacting with their new baby as she grows up. He’s a talented chef, cooking up cakes, pasta and bread from scratch, and hopes that his daughter will love being in the kitchen just as much. After all, it was Cameron’s onion-dicing skills that set this couple’s whole story in motion. 🙂

After our shoot Katie said:

“Neither I nor my husband are keen on having our photo taken. This means we very rarely get photos of ourselves, but having a baby seemed like an event to record. Being totally honest, we were a bit nervous that the shoots would be awkward or we’d be asked to do things we weren’t comfortable with. However, both the maternity and baby shoots were incredibly enjoyable. The baby shoot actually felt like a break because Sarah looked after our baby for the hours we were there – swaddling her and even changing nappies – and then made us cups of tea and ironed my T-shirt for me because I’d run out of time to iron it at home! We are thrilled with the photos and are looking forward to putting them up at home and sharing them with friends and family. Thank you Sarah!”

Katie, newborn photography client from Oxfordshire

If you’re interested in newborn portraits or family photography in and around Bicester, Oxfordshire, please get in contact.

Sarah Plater LMPA is an award-winning qualified, certified professional newborn and family portrait photographer based in Bicester, Oxfordshire. She is the Master Photographers Association Newborn Photographer of the Year 2019 for the Central Region (covering Oxfordshire, Northamptonshire, Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire).