As my own kids grow into size 4 and 8(!) clothing, I find newborn sessions are becoming more and more poignant. Spending a few hours with these families just embarking on their journey into parenthood is so precious. There’s a cute little baby, sure, but there’s also a new depth to their relationship that is so meaningful to photograph. There are also new challenges like trying to figure out how to dress a baby in pants for the first time! Then there are the moments that take me back to when my daughter was a crumpled little thing like when this mom burped little Baby A by supporting his neck while making him “sit” on her lap. That method of burping was the most tried and true for our Lucy, and it would mean so much to me to have a photograph of her little face and furrowed brow from that time.

Before I get teary, I also want to talk about the cat in this session. I am a cat person, and I work hard to get a photo of the family cat with the new baby. During this session while Baby A was being fed, the cat snuck into the nursery, and in a flash, she jumped up to investigate the changing pad, looking back with her tail curled for a brief second. The photo stars aligned for me to catch it!

There are so many things I loved about this recent family session on the Wellesley College Campus:

* little hands getting stuck in a raisin box (because who doesn’t remember the struggle of getting the last stuck ones out?)

* the many faces of an infant that is just learning to sit up (thank you, parents, for allowing me to continue photographing him as his little face crumpled up!)

* the way little kids always manage to find giant sticks twice their body length

….and the sweet moments caught between siblings as their relationship deepens. Always those.

On a recent visit to my family in Florida, I was introduced to this radiant young woman by a college friend, and we spent an hour laughing together in gorgeous West Palm Beach, FL. She’s currently studying opera in college, and I just know she’s going to succeed in realizing her dreams!

I’m so excited to follow her trajectory!

Sleepy Baby R was a delight to photograph! His mom is an avid knitter, and the little owl hat and cocoon were so adorable. Baby’s older brother was equally fun; I often spend as much time photographing older siblings as I do newborns because the early days of a sibling growing into the big brother or sister role are momentous as well. I think my own daughter grew a foot overnight when I first saw her next to my son! Thank you so much for inviting me into your home, and I look forward to catching the little guy awake come spring!

I could photograph Baby’s S’s big brother all day. The faces he was making while feeding his new sister are hilarious! Opening his mouth to show her what she needed to do, grimacing when a little squirted out, the look of, “Yeah, I got this!” when she took the bottle….

Though they are called “newborn photo sessions,” the interactions between the newborn and her/his parents and other family members are perhaps what I focus on most in a session. Of course, the documentation of teeny tiny baby parts that are so fleeting is also super important. The photo of the back of Baby S’s neck gets me- I can remember sniffing and kissing my own babies right in that spot like it was yesterday!