after eight months of growing a baby, you deserve a day off.
Morning tea when you’re eight months pregnant means sitting in the most comfortable chair in the house and resting your mug on your tummy, a la Phoebe Buffay from Friends.
Meet Gramm and Anna Kathryn, a sweet couple with a baby on the way in Clarksdale, MS. My husband and I have known Gramm since college; TJ and Gramm used to be involved in the same campus ministry. Gramm played guitar at our wedding, and a few years later, I photographed a little at his. It took several years for Gramm to find the right girl to marry, but I always knew that when he did meet that girl, she and I were going to be friends.
Enter: Anna Kathryn, an optimistic, kind-hearted girl from a big family in North Carolina. We were instant friends.
Side note: What is it with Mississippi guys marrying us North Carolina girls? There must be something about us, I suppose. ;)
Gramm and Anna Kathryn met online while she was doing missionary work in Japan. They then dated for a year or two, got married in the summer of 2018, and less than a year later, the newest member of their family was on the way. They have had so many life changes in such a short time, it’s mind boggling!
Fun fact: These two are officially the third couple that TJ and I know who have met via the internet. Sign of the times.
On the day that I came, these two newlywed new parents were having a relaxed, laid back day. Anna Kathryn was around 8 months pregnant and her mantra for the day was, “I am done.”
Gramm was the most doting new father. Anything she needed or wanted, he provided her. If she just wanted to snuggle on the couch, he was there. If she needed food or a drink, he got it for her. If she needed someone to lift her tummy up a bit to relieve her of the weight, he was happy to oblige. It was really beautiful to watch.
After a long, leisurely morning at home, they decided to grab lunch. Anna Kathryn wanted out of the house for a bit, and I think Gramm enjoyed the break from cooking.
Side note: Yazoo Pass is a great lunch spot in Clarksdale, MS, if you ever have the opportunity to go.
After lunch was a visit to the park. Gramm told us that the Clarksdale riverside park used to be a zoo many years ago. Who knew?!
They stopped to rest on a bench in the exact same spot where Gramm proposed to Anna Kathryn a year and a half prior. I just love that this spot has so much meaning for them.
Anna Kathryn was most comfortable with her feet up (because who isn’t when they’re carrying around two people all the time?) I didn’t pose the two of them at all, I just let them chill out and interact. But Anna Kathryn ended up in the most gorgeous, model-worthy maternity pose without any direction at all from me. It was photographer gold! Isn’t she just stunning?!
After the park, they headed home for a bit to rest, chat, and play guitar. (Did I mention that Gramm is a super-talented musician?). It was so sweet to watch them laugh together and enjoy each other’s company. I know Gramm is going to be playing music for their little one for years to come.
Dinner was another chance outing with these two lovebirds. We headed to Hooker Grocery (also in Clarksdale, MS). Gramm chatted with just about everyone in the restaurant (because Gramm knows literally everyone in Clarksdale), but he never forgot to attend to his loving wife and mother-to-be.
My favorite point in the outing was when Anna Kathryn stole a few bites of food from Gramm’s plate; this action is every pregnant woman’s prerogative, in my opinion! Gramm seemed to think so, too, because let her take as much as she wanted. This girl is treated like a queen!
I was so honored that this adorable couple allowed me to follow them and document their maternity story for a day. They were just the cutest, and I know their little one will be just the same!
All the best,
Renee