Having been there for his brother's birth and newborn sessions as well as his own birth and newborn sessions, it was so interesting to draw comparisons between the two boys. Upon just being born, big brother was wide awake and always looking at the world around him...little brother was very, very sleepy and mellow. I remember at big brother's newborn session, he was equally wide awake and looking at the world around him...and much to my surprise, so was little brother. Every now and then, the baby would make a face and I would say, "Oh, he looks *just* like his older brother!" But every now and then, he would do something that would be so completely different and he wouldn't look like him at all. Isn't it amazing that two boys could come from the same parents and be so very different and then in many ways, exactly the same? It fascinated me with my own boys and I loved getting to see it happen again with her little ones.
...and then sitting around chatting about the miracle of her birth during her newborn session. Maybe it's because her parents couldn't be any sweeter. Maybe it's because her grandma was so overcome with emotion when taking pictures with her we could hardly take pictures. Maybe it's because this baby girl is so danged adorable. I'm not sure what it is, but this session gets me...big time...each time I flip through the images.
I loved the deep, rich, bold colors of his session. I loved the relaxed nature of his parents. I love that he had that relaxed nature, too. *These* are the kind of newborn sessions that make me wish I had hired a newborn photographer for all of my babies.
I love that it was such a contrast to the misty, wintry feel of her maternity pictures:
[Though it seems like forever ago in looking at the newborn pictures, I vividly remember the day she came out to the studio for her maternity session...it was so grey and cold outside...I swear it could have snowed. When she showed up in the grey sweater dress, I thought it suited the mood and showed off her beautiful belly so perfectly!]
I promise you, there was not a dry eye in the house when her father held a prayer for the new parents-to-be and the unborn baby shortly before his arrival. It was one of the most memorable birth moments I've witnessed. When you become a parent for the first time yourself, there's no feeling like it in the world. To get to be a spectator and watch a loving couple go through all of those emotions just before, during, and immediately after they are initiated into parenthood...well, there's also no feeling quite like it in the world. It is an honor I do not take for granted.
I know photographers pray to have sleepy newborns at photo sessions, but this was a bit much. We tried everything we could to get this little snuggle bug to wake up for at least a few images for his photographic debut, but he would not oblige. He was just too content...
I have to say, I feel pretty special that I'm often one of the first people to know when my clients are expecting. Quite literally the day of the first session I had with her beautiful family, she whispered to me that she might be needing me again this past November. And sure enough, we did and he was a delight!
