You grew my heart the moment you took your first breath.
I remember marveling at your tiny, exaggerated features that night—learning the softness and contours of your sweet, wrinkly face—and realizing I had never before known my true capacity to love. You were brand new, yet so familiar to me, somehow, and nothing had ever made me feel so at home as the rise and fall of your breathing against my chest. I was so taken.
I still am.
Take my word for it: there is nothing cuter than a three-week-old baby flanked by her daddy’s prized trumpet collection. Who needs growth charts when you can measure height relative to trumpet length?
Gabrielle is one of the most easy-going infants I’ve had the pleasure of photographing. Not even old enough to bare her newly formed belly button, she was more than happy to oblige for just about anything the morning of our session. Snuggles? Gladly! Nap time? Of course! Trumpets? Why, sure!
Ashton and I go way back. I’ve been photographing his family since he was tucked away in his momma’s belly, waaaaaaay back in August (you can see those photos here if you’d like). At the time, his parents were full of anticipation for the arrival of their little guy, and Teresa was positively radiant – basketball belly and all. When I returned after Ashton’s birth to do his newborn photos, I suppose I expected to be greeted by a set of exhausted beginner parents (that’s how I would imagine I would be, after all). Instead, I was welcomed by Alex’s big smile and a sense of calm from Teresa that was even more becoming than a glowing pregnancy. It was as though they’d discovered the way life should be in the two weeks since Ashton’s birth.
