Introducing my newest niece Sophia!
It's still hard to believe she's real since her parents (my brother and his wife) were told they couldn't have any more kids after she almost died giving birth to their son over nine years ago. What an amazing miracle and fun surprise to find out a baby was on her way!
Even though I was there for her arrival, a last minute decision for a c-section made it impossible for me to photograph her birth so I decided to focus on the moment her big brother met her for the first time the next day. I also had fun doing a few posey pics when she came home a few days later. She'd better get used to auntie's camera like all her big cousins. Look at that sweet little face!
Twenty fingers, twenty toes,
two sweet babies with cheeks of rose.
Born on the same day, two gifts from above,
lives entwined, two babies to love.
~Author Unknown
To say I have a special place in my heart for twins would be an understatement. I feel like the luckiest person in the world to have a set of my own! When I saw that Natalie and James are going to have them too, I was giddy and they were ecstatic. Even though Tiffany has been struggling with horrible morning sickness all week I could tell that she was super excited to discover she was carrying an extra little stocking-stuffer for her brother and sister-in-law this Christmas. Check out A Belly For Me, A Baby For You for their accounts of the day as well as more photos of their reactions.
Once again I was privileged to be present for part of the A Belly For Me A Baby For You story. Last time it was for the embryo transfer and this time for the call from the doctor's office saying whether it had worked or not. When asked if I would like to be there to take photos during the big news, I have to admit I was super nervous. Of course it's exciting and fun to be around when people receive good news but I'm not good with dealing with my own emotions when I receive bad news, and don't always know how to handle when others do either. I'm the queen of saying the wrong thing and I'm all too familiar with the taste of my own foot.
The main way I get myself into that trouble is because I tend to try to diffuse awkward or stressful situations with humor and that's often not what other people need in that moment. Enter Tiffany. This is her strategy for coping with these situations as well so I was in good company. Any nerves I had on the drive in, quickly dissipated when I arrived at her house that morning.
It took a bit to get everything set up for the documentary filming and then we had to wait for the call. During that time Tiffany joked about what her reactions would be if it was good news...
...or if it was bad news...
Her husband/documentary director Sean is such a trooper.
Finally it we got the call...and it was GREAT NEWS!!!
I love this funny, "100% Natural Prego Traditional" girl. Thanks for letting me be a small part of your big day!
So I'll admit it. I'm a control freak photographer who likes to pose people from head to toenails and get backgrounds and lighting just right before taking each shot. I also get the willies just thinking about medical procedures and do my best to stay out of people's business, especially when it comes to their baby making activities.
When the opportunity to be the onset photographer for a friend's surrogacy documentary arose, (no posing, horrible lighting AND in a medical clinic!) naturally I knew it was perfect for me. If I had been working with anyone else I might not have felt so at ease stepping out of my comfort zone but if you ever have the pleasure of meeting this family you will realize that their love for each other radiates beyond the confines of legal and biological family and that everyone around them begins to feel like part of their story. This may be some of the reason they have over 33,000 hits on their surrogacy blog. The other reason is that they're boldly sharing their journey which in so many ways is also the journey of thousands of women who mourn in secret shame because they haven't been able to have a baby as easily as it seems everyone else does everyday around them.
Whether you can personally identify or not, it's worth a read! Check out a few more of my photos from their second embryo transfer attempt and behind the scenes stuff as well as this continuing story of love, sacrifice and hope at A Belly For Me, A Baby For You.
From left to right: Sean (Tiffany's Husband and Director of Documentary), Tiffany (Surrogate), Natalie (Intended Mother) and James Natalie's husband, Tiffany's brother and Intended Father).
I squeezed in through the door, shimmied around the perimeter, and climbed up on a pile of stuff on the other side of the room to get these shots last year. Matt somehow produces a never ending supply of artwork and ideas in this space.
