Hey, Hey, Indy Mamas! I’m Emily Layne, a wife, mom, and wedding + family photographer. I live in the Midtown area with my husband, our two boys (they’re Irish Twins!), and our mini golden doodle. And this Fall, we’ll welcome baby #3!
I’m originally from a suburb just outside of Indy. After graduating from IU (Go Hoosiers!), I moved back to Indianapolis and taught kindergarten in Lawrence Township for four years, all while running my wedding photography business. In 2015 when I married my husband, I left teaching and pursued my business full-time. It’s been quite the challenge – working from home can be so lonely, but also incredible. Working for yourself has some major benefits although a business in the wedding industry during a pandemic means lots of difficult and tricky situations.
We had our first son in 2017 and, 11 months later, had our second son after a horrific preterm labor scare. He was born at 26 weeks and spent 71 days in the NICU. His story rocked our world and drastically changed our perspectives. Now, two years later, we’re adding one final baby to our family this year. Pregnancy following a micro-preemie isn’t easy (but what pregnancy is?), and it’s definitely an emotionally challenging. Never did we think this was how things would have panned out for us, but we’re so grateful for our little family and are excited to add the final member to our family soon (but not too soon).
I have a passion for early childhood education and finding joy in motherhood through humor, sarcasm, and enjoying the little things. I love creating and providing environments that allow kiddos to flourish and learn through play. If I could have a job helping educators design their classroom spaces to best fit their students’ needs, I’d be all in! I’m passionate about how important the environment is for the development of children.
But, full disclosure, I’m not one of those “always over the moon about being a mom” type of moms. I struggle with postpartum depression and post-traumatic stress disorder, so a lot of the posts you’ll find from me are about navigating the difficulties of motherhood while trying my best to savor each moment with our babies. I survive on coffee – currently loving cold brew! And, when not pregnant, I’m a huge sparkling rose fan. Cheers to the wild ride of motherhood and having an incredible community of Indy mamas to help us all through!
