Ohio Road Trip - Part 2 - Cuyahoga Valley & Put-in-Bay - Travel Photography

We got up early in our teepee and prepared breakfast. Oatmeal and fresh fruit, for Scot and I (I wish I could get my kids to eat Oatmeal) and Fruit and Pop tarts for the boys. We packed up and headed towards Canton Ohio to visit the First Ladies National Site. Canton really surprised us with its charm and how clean everything looked. Definitely a place we would like to explore in the future some more.

The First Ladies National Site was a lot more interesting than we thought and we really enjoyed the tour of the President McKinley's home. Finn completed another Junior Ranger Program and the tour lady gave us a great recommendation to a nearby restaurant for lunch.

Bender's dates back to 1902 and the boys thought it was really interesting that there used to be separate sections and entrances for men and women.

After lunch we hit the road for Cuyahoga Valley, Ohio's only National Park. This is another place that we will have to come for a separate trip! We visited the Brandywine Falls, Finn did ANOTHER Junior Ranger Program, we heard about the history of the park from a Ranger and we visited the old Erie canal and just walked around the little towns and shops.

Not sure what Jake is doing in the above picture, but I am sure he is telling me a joke and is very animated doing so!

We settled into our hotel and were surprised when the hotel management offered us a free waffle and ice cream bar! We called that dinner (ha!) and had a great nights sleep.

We got up the next day and headed towards Put-In-Bay. Our last stop on this whirlwind Ohio Tour. I love that Scot is more than happy to make u -turns for me to photograph interesting signs. These were my favorite from the trip.

We decided to take our car over to the island, which we probably wouldn't do again. The ferry ride is always very exciting for the boys! We arrived on the island and headed straight away to Perry's Monument. A very kind ranger gave us an amazing talk about the history and why Perry is such an amazing guy. He really was into it and the boys were fascinated by the talk! Since then the phrase "Don't give up the ship" has been used on an almost daily basis! Finn of course finished another Ranger program - his 4th in 3 days! We ate lunch somewhere on Put-In-Bay and afterwards rented a golf cart to really explore the island.

The Mayflies were everywhere on the island and as annoying as it can be we were told its a sign how good the water quality is around in the area and if they weren't there it would be a sign that there was a problem with the water.

Unfortunately, the Monument itself was closed due to construction. Bummer!

The golf cart was a great idea and we just drove all around the island and stopped wherever we felt like it. We came across an amazing estate sale and we all got to buy something. Scot bought a beautiful set of Rookwood Bookends, Jake bought a vintage fishing net, Finn a backscratcher and I bought a box full of vintage boys bowties.

After a full day of exploring the island, we got back on the ferry and headed back home to Cincinnati (a quick stop at Kewpee's Burger in Lima was a must!) and this completed a really, really quick trip all around Ohio. Even though short, this trip showed us how beautiful our home state is and we now have a bunch more places we want to revisit and spend more time.

aWhat is your favorite spot in Ohio? I can't wait to explore the Hocking Hills are some more!

Samuel's Birth Story - Cincinnati Birth Photographer

Estimated due date: May 7th, scheduled an induce date on May 3rd because i was in such pain.
Actual birthdate: May 2nd
Time of birth: 2:09am
Weight: 8lb 7oz
Length: 20 inches

Name: Samuel Bradley Fisher "Sammie or Sam"

Does his name have a meaning to you? My mother who passed when she was 36 went by Sam by her parents. Her name was Sandra, most people called her Sandy. But my grandparents called her Sam or Sammie. My grandparents are very happy to have another little Sammie! Samuel's middle name is Bradley after his father. Bradley's middle name is Scott after his father so we kept with the tradition.

Did you expect labor and delivery be this hard? I expected it to be hard and hurt a lot to go natural. But i feel like you cant really grasp how much it actually will, till you actually do it. And after going threw natural labor, its hard to believe that you did.

Did you take any classes to prepare yourself for labor? I took the hospitals labor and delivery and breastfeeding class. It was like 6 hours on a Saturday. We did it before our first son was born in 2013. 
If you could change on thing about your labor and delivery what would it be? I would have tryed using a midwife, it was a pain dealing with what felt like 500 diffrent nurses and doctors trying to make decisions

What was the most unexpected thing during l&d?  I expected lots of pain during natural labor. But with that pain came the fact that I need some one to console me. My husbands job of being a "labor coach" or what ever they call it was absolutely essential this time around. When compared to my deliveries with a low key epidural. I feel like our relationship is stronger after me seeing how he could be there for me in my greatest time of need! 

What was your husbands most unexpected thing during l&d?  He was amazed by how much pain I could take and not pass out haha. But seriously he said watching all the videos can not prepare you to see your loved one going threw it. The whole thing was unexpected to him because he thought he had youtube educated himself...  super prepared!

What calmed you down during l&d? My husband was rubbing my head, face and hair. He was telling my reassuring things and the nurse and you were backing them all up and saying the same. 
When you first saw your baby what was your first thought? Well I felt outside of my body for a few seconds from the pain coming to and end. My husband shockingly says "its a boy" and what felt like minutes goes by and I say "really" because we both were sure it was gonna be a girl.  But my first thoughts were I cant believe I actually have another boy! Id wanted another boy but felt in my gut it was a girl. I was right with my other two children, so I just let go the idea of having another son and accepted we were having a daughter. We had picked out the name Annette, and I am kind of sad now not getting to use it. It's such a pretty name. But I am over joyed to be a boy mom again!

Who does he look like?  He has my husband's features but my tone and coloring. He will be a handsome mix of us both!
What was your experience having a birth photographer in the room? It was just what I wanted! Beautiful, with it being my last child, i wanted to remember it. And I would recommend it to anyone. I wish I would have known about it for my others so i could look back at all of them in 20-30 years. The photographer was a big help at the hospital. Being reassuring during hard parts and having conversation in down time. The level of communication from the photographer in the weeks before made me feel like I was always on her mind and she was very committed to getting my delivery photographed! 

To book your birth story please contact me at www.cincybirthstories.com THANK YOU! I am looking forward capturing YOUR birth!

Heather & Felicia's Maternity Session

I always love photographing Heather & Felicia. They are both so fun and silly during our photo shoots that smiles come natural! I was so excited when I found out Felicia is expecting and I was even more excited when they asked me to photograph their maternity and birth pictures!

Can't wait to share some of their Birth images! ---- coming soon!