Category: Projects

What Does Retirement Look Like Vol 1: Dad by Betsy Cherry Twin Cities Still Life Photographer

6/19/2021

Peewees by Betsy Cherry Twin Cities Still Life Photographer

4/12/2017

a photographic journey with santa's elves by betsy cherry twin cities photographer

11/28/2016

48 in 48 photo contest by betsy cherry twin cities photographer

8/7/2016

My Pregnancy Week 36 - by Betsy Cherry Twin Cities Maternity Photographer

5/16/2014

My Pregnancy Week 35 - by Betsy Cherry Twin Cities Maternity Photographer

5/9/2014

My Pregnancy Week 34 - by Betsy Cherry Twin Cities Maternity Photographer

5/2/2014

My Pregnancy Week 33 - by Betsy Cherry Twin Cities Maternity Photographer

4/25/2014

My Pregnancy Week 32 - by Betsy Cherry Twin Cities Maternity Photographer

4/18/2014

My Pregnancy Week 31 - by Betsy Cherry Twin Cities Maternity Photographer

4/11/2014

My Pregnancy Week 30 - by Betsy Cherry Twin Cities Maternity Photographer

4/4/2014

My Pregnancy Week 29 - by Betsy Cherry Twin Cities Maternity Photographer

3/28/2014

My Pregnancy Week 28 - by Betsy Cherry Twin Cities Maternity Photographer

3/21/2014

My Pregnancy Week 27 - by Betsy Cherry Twin Cities Maternity Photographer

3/14/2014

My Pregnancy Week 26 - by Betsy Cherry Twin Cities Maternity Photographer

3/7/2014

My Pregnancy Week 25 - by Betsy Cherry Twin Cities Maternity Photographer

2/28/2014

My Pregnancy Week 24 - by Betsy Cherry Twin Cities Maternity Photographer

2/21/2014

Posted in: JOURNALING | PROJECTS | FOR PHOTOGS | MATERNITY

SELF-PORTRAIT HOW-TO: For this week's portrait I tried out my new in-home studio set-up that my husband and I put together. It's a simple homemade PVC pipe stand with a blanket hanging from it. The stand sits adjacent to large window doors. I stood facing the doors. I stayed several feet away from the blanket backdrop and set my camera up on the far side of the room. I wanted a nice blur when i zoomed in. This was one of the easiest portraits I've done thus far and i attribute that to my mini studio!

WEEK 21 MONTH 6 | JANUARY 31ST - FEBRUARY 6TH
B A B Y C A R R O T

Friday, January 31 - My weight this morning was finally back to what it was 3 weeks ago, before I got sick and lost 4.5 pounds in one day. I've been gaining about 1.5 pounds per week the past few weeks so I consider that just fine. As long as I don't start gaining 5 pounds a week then I'm not going to worry. That could mean I was eating like crap!

I've been taking the progesterone for about a week and the only symptom I've noticed is a little bit of depression. Not full out, just a slumpiness that I've been trying desperately to shake. I do not like feeling this way because I love being pregnant and I don't want to miss out on any of the glory of it simply because I have to take this hormone. At least I know the progesterone is the cause. I have been trying to do things other than eating candy and blizzards to raise my mood, such as exercise and listen to comedy skits while working and on my way home from work. I will be taking the progesterone until week 37 so I need to manage this side effect or risk being sad until then. How awful would that be! Maybe i need a good dose of vitamin D. I'm smack dab in the heart of winter and its a known fact that most Minnesotans have very low vitamin D levels during this season of little sun exposure. Vitamin D can help lift the spirit and give me some much-needed energy. I have an appointment this Friday and I plan to ask my midwife about that option.

I've really been noticing her moving a lot. I am carrying her so much lower than I carried Landon. All of his movements were felt on the left side of my belly button. This little girl is kneeing me just below my bikini line, still on the left side. I think its possible her legs are down there and her head is closer to my belly button, with her looking out towards my belly button. Sometimes she will push straight out and stay there! I'll think its a big ball of gas until I realize its not moving. I can actually grab onto it. I think that might be her knee. I haven't felt her kick my bladder yet. She mostly kicks straight out and not downward. Let's hope that continues! Ouch!

Speaking of bladder, I've been in the bathroom much more lately. At work I go roughly every few hours. Not as much room in my tummy as there was a few weeks ago.

My coworker gave me some hand-me-down girl clothes that her daughter was giving away. There were some really cute outfits in that collection, so i'm excited to put them on her! I've been holding back on buying clothing for her only because i fear I will go crazy with pretty purchases. So far I've only bought one outfit. We'll see how long i can go before buying another one!

JUMP TO WEEK: 04|05|06|07|08|09|10|11|12|13|14|15|16|17|18|19|20|21|22|23|24|25|26|27|28|29|30|31|32|33|34|35|36|37|38|39|40|41

my pregnancy journey week 20

1/24/2014

Posted in: JOURNALING | PROJECTS | FOR PHOTOGS | MATERNITY

SELF-PORTRAIT HOW-TO: I wanted to go all out this week! I pinned a corner of a light-weight sheet to a plant located on the left-hand side of the photo. After pressing the shutter button, I ran behind the sheet laying on the floor and quickly wrapped it underneath my left arm. I walked forward just enough to extend the sheet out without pulling it tight. I wanted it to drape loosely. The only light came from the door in the background. I filtered the light through a sheer curtain for a softer look and exposed my camera for the sheet to make sure it didn't disappear or become a dark, shapeless shadow.

WEEK 20 MONTH 5 | JANUARY 24TH - JANUARY 30TH
B A B Y B A N A N A

My husband finally got to feel our little girl move!!! I laid down on my back and placed my hand on my stomach below my belly button in hopes that she'd started dancing. As soon as i felt a few kicks I told MIke to put his hand there and leave it for awhile. Sure enough, she moved and he said "oooo, i felt that". The smile on his face was priceless. He looked so happy. I think it can be hard for daddy's to grasp the full experience of pregnancy and feeling their baby move helps to make it special and more real for them. I'm glad Mike was able to feel her and i bet it won't be the last time.

I started taking progesterone this week. My midwife suggested I take it to help prevent another preterm birth. Supposedly it helps hold the baby in longer. I'm normally not about adding in things above what my body naturally does, but this is exactly identical to what my uterus already produces. So after some self-deliberation I decided it was for the best. Also, because i love being pregnant i didn't mind keeping her in there a little longer. So far i haven't experienced any side effect, besides fatigue for about a half-hour after. But that's ok because I've been instructed to only take it at night. Here's hoping that is the only thing I notice.

JUMP TO WEEK: 04|05|06|07|08|09|10|11|12|13|14|15|16|17|18|19|20|21|22|23|24|25|26|27|28|29|30|31|32|33|34|35|36|37|38|39|40|41

my pregnancy journey week 19

1/17/2014

Posted in: JOURNALING | PROJECTS | FOR PHOTOGS | MATERNITY

SELF-PORTRAIT HOW-TO: This week i went for the black and white effect again. I just love the way black and white photos look. There are very little distractions.. I did not use a flash but instead used the light coming in from outside to illuminate the front of my body. I arched away from the door slightly to allow a little light to hit my back side. The backlight helped define my shape and added dimension to the photo

WEEK 19 MONTH 5 | JANUARY 17TH - JANUARY 23RD
B A B Y H E I R L O O M T O M A T O

Friday Jan 17th - Mike and i took Landon to the MOA today. He loves going on rides at Nickelodeon Universe. I went on the carousel and the hot air balloon ride, both of which were slow-going, rotating rides. Those two were enough to make me quite dizzy, though. Good thing Mike could go on the rest of the rides with him!

Sunday Jan 19th - I felt her move!! Just like i had been doing for the past few weeks, I laid down in bed for the night and place my hand on my tummy in the hopes of feeling some movement.

Up until tonight I had felt very slight flutters but honestly couldn't tell whether it was the baby or some gas or a small muscle spasm. This time i was pretty sure i was feeling a kick! I felt a pop under my hand and almost jumped from the surprise and excitement! I felt it below and to the left of my belly button (from my point of view). I only felt it once, but that was enough to make my entire weekend!!

Monday Jan 20th - today was a state holiday so I got to spend some extra time with my husband and son. I got some ice cream, as i had the past few days, and took it easy. I felt her move a few times throughout the day and that was so special. I can't wait for Mike and Landon to feel her. I wonder if Landon will be freaked out or completely confused. Maybe both. I want him to understand what's going on but it's hard for a 3 year old to grasp the whole idea of a baby growing inside of his mommy.

JUMP TO WEEK: 04|05|06|07|08|09|10|11|12|13|14|15|16|17|18|19|20|21|22|23|24|25|26|27|28|29|30|31|32|33|34|35|36|37|38|39|40|41

my pregnancy journey week 18

1/10/2014

Posted in: JOURNALING | PROJECTS | FOR PHOTOGS | MATERNITY

SELF-PORTRAIT HOW-TO: I saved two of my self-portraits this morning. For the first, I did not use my flash, just the light from the window in the background. Even though I didn't have to worry as much about lighting, focus, or details , it was surprisingly a lot of work to capture this shot. I had to pay attention to where my hands were positioned and even the folds on my clothes had to be just right, or it could have looked like I had some weird bumps everywhere. Placing my arm at a good angle was also important. If it was too low or too high it would look like some strange thing was hanging off my body. Everything had to be just right. For the second portrait, I said "Landon, come over and kiss momma's tummy!" He did! By the time I got to trying this shot, our house was a little lighter so I went for a morning sunrise look. I left all my camera settings the same but increased the brightness a little in Photoshop so that Landon's face was clearly visible.

WEEK 18 MONTH 5 | JANUARY 10TH - JANUARY 16TH
B A B Y B E L L P E P P E R

At my check-up appointment on the 10th i got to hear the baby's heartbeat, soft and clear. It was measured at 150 bpm, which is quite lower than the 170 beats it measured at last time. Myth, and some mothers, will say that a heartbeat above 140 is a girl, but Landon had a higher heart rate. I think its all just a fun way to guess what sex the baby will be. My mother-in-law thinks Baby Bell Pepper is a girl, as do a few of my coworkers. My husband has no idea. Me? I'm not focusing on my own instinctual predictions this time. I can't for fear of having even a tiny ounce of disappointment. We find out the sex on the 14th and I am very excited to know! Whether or not we reveal the name of the baby will depend on what my husband wants to do. I would prefer to wait and leave it a surprise for everyone until the baby is born, but he might not want to wait that long. We'll have to talk about that.

Landon looked at my stomach and said "momma tummy bigger?" I was so happy he noticed! I had to choose my words carefully, so I said "yes, momma's tummy is growing because there's a baby in there that it getting bigger." "Baby?" he responded. "Yes, a baby." I left it at that. Later that morning he came up to me again and said "momma tummy bigger." He pointed at it saying "baby, there." He's learning. But we keep the baby talk on the low key for now because we don't want to confuse the little guy. I think my tummy is finally getting bigger than his little beer belly so he's noticing its different from his own,. I cannot wait for him to meet his little brother or sister.

I've been feeling a little full this week, even though i haven't pigged out at all. I think its possible that things are pushing against my stomach. I have been trying to eat to get my weight back up after being sick. I caught an acute stomach bug that forced me to only eat ice cubes. I lost 4.5 pounds in one day and have yet to gain that back. I know it's probably water weight, but during a pregnancy that water is vital. The more water, the more blood for baby. I think the baby will still be able to draw from me and be ok.

Tuesday, January 14 - Today I went to see a specialist with my husband, Mike, and our little Landon. I dragged them along because I knew we would have an ultrasound and find out our baby's sex. Plus, they would be conducting the ultrasound with a more detailed machine than is normally used. We got to see the brain, heart (which was beating at 138 bpm), and all the limbs, face, and. the bits! Mike and i were convinced we were looking at boy parts but the nurse said "nope". A GIRL!! Our baby bell pepper is a GIRL!! We couldn't have been more thrilled. Now we will have one of each. I was surprised for a split second when i thought i say boy bits because my initial instinct from the first ultrasound was that this baby was a girl. I remember looking at the screen that day thinking "wow, that looks like a little girl." And since the beginning of this pregnancy I have felt more feminine as compared to my pregnancy with Landon. I also tended to see the color pink, almost like an aura, surrounding myself or internally. Sounds strange but true. I pushed those instincts away so that i wouldn't have any expectations whatsoever. We wanted to be happy no matter what, and i i had gone with one sex or the other and been wrong, it would have been hard to break all the images my mind would have created over the weeks. We were thrilled to see a boy too, but when the nurse corrected us, i held up my hand and got a high-five from Mike. We always hoped for one of each. Meet tiny baby Kiley Brooks:

After the nurse finished with her ultrasound routine, the doctor came in and did her own little study. She confirmed that our baby was a girl.

She explained that my cervix was 4 inches, which was good, but that based on my history of miscarriages and preterm birth that i would be a good candidate for taking progesterone. I never wanted to do anything unnatural during my pregnancies, but the doctor assured me that the progesterone given is the exact same as what my uterus produces already and would be stopped at 37 weeks to let my body progress on its own. Whether or not I choose to add progesterone is completely up to me, but i only have a little time to decide as it must be started at week 20. I am leaning towards doing it because i want my baby to bake longer than Landon had and if the only thing I have to do to help that is take a completely natural product, i should feel lucky. Some people have a lot more issues. I think this could help our baby. And, as a doula and fellow friend told me, a baby cannot never cook too long. A baby will stay in as long as it needs to and come out when it's ready. I'm very excited to balance out the family with another girl in the house!

JUMP TO WEEK: 04|05|06|07|08|09|10|11|12|13|14|15|16|17|18|19|20|21|22|23|24|25|26|27|28|29|30|31|32|33|34|35|36|37|38|39|40|41

my pregnancy journey week 17

1/3/2014

Posted in: JOURNALING | PROJECTS | FOR PHOTOGS | MATERNITY

SELF-PORTRAIT HOW-TO: This week's photo was difficult because i wanted to wear this particular dress. Standing in front of a bright wintery window only asks for trouble. I under exposed a little, then used my speedlight flash to fill in my body. I set the flash near the wall in front of me and pointed it away from my face.

WEEK 17 MONTH 5 | JANUARY 3RD - JANUARY 9TH
B A B Y T U R N I P

After weighing in at the same weight i had for the two previous weeks, I decided I needed a nice big meal. So i sent my husband a text saying that i hadn't gained again and wanted to go to a buffet. Needless to say he did not argue! I had plenty to eat, including veggies, prime rib, fruit, fish, pasta, and dessert. Next few days i weighed myself just out of curiosity. Once again I had worked it all off!

I decided to compare my weight charts closer. During Landon's pregnancy I didn't gain consistently (without ANY loss) until 22 weeks and i was under my minimum weight line until 27 weeks. WIth this baby so far i have fluctuated and recently stayed the same weight. My fluctuations have been more severe, but I haven been on or above the minimum weight line since 9 weeks. Currently I am just barely above that line. And I also weigh more now than i had at 17 weeks with Landon, despite weighing 2 pounds less at the start of this pregnancy. So I've actually been gaining faster, even though it doesn't seem that way. Its possible my body is leveling off the weight gain to a more consistent level now and i'll start to see a steady increase. I'm keeping an open mind.

JUMP TO WEEK: 04|05|06|07|08|09|10|11|12|13|14|15|16|17|18|19|20|21|22|23|24|25|26|27|28|29|30|31|32|33|34|35|36|37|38|39|40|41

my pregnancy journey week 16

12/27/2013

Posted in: JOURNALING | PROJECTS | FOR PHOTOGS | MATERNITY

SELF-PORTRAIT HOW-TO: I didn't plan on doing a black and white photo this week, but after looking at my shots it seemed to make the most sense. The window to the left of me produced a nice highlight all the way from head to tummy and my hands were clearly defined. Behind me the wall reflected just enough of the natural light to give shape to my back. Without that it would have been hard to tell how far out my stomach was from my spine. And, as i had last week, I turned my head slightly toward the camera to cut of my nose a little and lessen my annoyance of its shape.

WEEK 16 MONTH 4 | DECEMBER 27TH - JANUARY 2ND
B A B Y A V O C A D O

So this week I experienced a weight gain of zero! Again! Starting to wonder why. I'm trying not to worry. I searched on a few forums and found that I wasn't the only one with that worry.

But i found that people gained, lost, and maintained very differently from one another. Some had maintained weight in the beginning and didn't start gaining until much later. Others weighed less than their conception date for much of their pregnancy. A few even gained for awhile then stopped. But one thing all these people had in common was that their baby was healthy and their doctors told them everything was going perfectly. Despite the reassurance that i wasn't the only one going through it, it's still hard not to worry. I have a doctor's appointment next week and i'm praying for good things. I'm assuming my midwife will measure the length of my uterus, something i've been told should be about 16 cm by now. And by the time of my appointment, it should measure around 17cm. Fingers are crossed.

New Year's Eve came and went this week. I spent the evening with my son, husband. We first went to dinner with family, then came home and relaxed. I ate a TON of food! I had pizza, pizza fries, quesadillas, and plenty of water. I was stuffed! I think I might have had M&Ms when we got home too. Baby ate like a king . . . or queen.

Speaking of gender, Mike and i have been juggling names. We have a girl name all set. The middle name is also ready and will be used whether it's a boy or girl. But the boy name is giving us some trouble. We are super picky. I like a lot of L names, but i'm not sure I want two boys with names that start with L. It might look like we did that on purpose. Mike is having trouble because he said we already used his favorite boy name. We'll have to search for another favorite!!

Once in awhile i feel a light flutter, but i honestly cannot tell if it is the baby moving or air moving. Haha. Could be either at this point. I'm excited to feel and see the little kicks again. That was one of my favorite parts of being pregnant with Landon and i can't wait for that to happen again! But . . . I'm not in a hurry.

JUMP TO WEEK: 04|05|06|07|08|09|10|11|12|13|14|15|16|17|18|19|20|21|22|23|24|25|26|27|28|29|30|31|32|33|34|35|36|37|38|39|40|41

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Posted in: JOURNALING | PROJECTS | FOR PHOTOGS | MATERNITY

WEEK 21 MONTH 6 | JANUARY 31ST - FEBRUARY 6THB A B Y C A R R O T

JUMP TO WEEK: 04|05|06|07|08|09|10|11|12|13|14|15|16|17|18|19|20|21|22|23|24|25|26|27|28|29|30|31|32|33|34|35|36|37|38|39|40|41

Posted in: JOURNALING | PROJECTS | FOR PHOTOGS | MATERNITY

WEEK 20 MONTH 5 | JANUARY 24TH - JANUARY 30THB A B Y B A N A N A

JUMP TO WEEK: 04|05|06|07|08|09|10|11|12|13|14|15|16|17|18|19|20|21|22|23|24|25|26|27|28|29|30|31|32|33|34|35|36|37|38|39|40|41

Posted in: JOURNALING | PROJECTS | FOR PHOTOGS | MATERNITY

WEEK 19 MONTH 5 | JANUARY 17TH - JANUARY 23RDB A B Y H E I R L O O M T O M A T O

JUMP TO WEEK: 04|05|06|07|08|09|10|11|12|13|14|15|16|17|18|19|20|21|22|23|24|25|26|27|28|29|30|31|32|33|34|35|36|37|38|39|40|41

Posted in: JOURNALING | PROJECTS | FOR PHOTOGS | MATERNITY

WEEK 18 MONTH 5 | JANUARY 10TH - JANUARY 16THB A B Y B E L L P E P P E R

JUMP TO WEEK: 04|05|06|07|08|09|10|11|12|13|14|15|16|17|18|19|20|21|22|23|24|25|26|27|28|29|30|31|32|33|34|35|36|37|38|39|40|41

Posted in: JOURNALING | PROJECTS | FOR PHOTOGS | MATERNITY

WEEK 17 MONTH 5 | JANUARY 3RD - JANUARY 9THB A B Y T U R N I P

JUMP TO WEEK: 04|05|06|07|08|09|10|11|12|13|14|15|16|17|18|19|20|21|22|23|24|25|26|27|28|29|30|31|32|33|34|35|36|37|38|39|40|41

Posted in: JOURNALING | PROJECTS | FOR PHOTOGS | MATERNITY

WEEK 16 MONTH 4 | DECEMBER 27TH - JANUARY 2NDB A B Y A V O C A D O

JUMP TO WEEK: 04|05|06|07|08|09|10|11|12|13|14|15|16|17|18|19|20|21|22|23|24|25|26|27|28|29|30|31|32|33|34|35|36|37|38|39|40|41

T A G S...

A R C H I V E S...

WEEK 21 MONTH 6 | JANUARY 31ST - FEBRUARY 6TH
B A B Y C A R R O T

WEEK 20 MONTH 5 | JANUARY 24TH - JANUARY 30TH
B A B Y B A N A N A

WEEK 19 MONTH 5 | JANUARY 17TH - JANUARY 23RD
B A B Y H E I R L O O M T O M A T O

WEEK 18 MONTH 5 | JANUARY 10TH - JANUARY 16TH
B A B Y B E L L P E P P E R

WEEK 17 MONTH 5 | JANUARY 3RD - JANUARY 9TH
B A B Y T U R N I P

WEEK 16 MONTH 4 | DECEMBER 27TH - JANUARY 2ND
B A B Y A V O C A D O