If my last newborn could be nicknamed Mr. Mellow, this little guy would have to be Mr. Feisty.  Boy, did he keep me on my toes! Sweet as pie and just adorable, but so, so awake and particular about how he wanted to sleep.  Eventually, I caught on to the message he was trying to send and just let him pose himself–much happier baby:).  There is no substitute for flexibility and patience when it comes to working with these perfect, new little people.

Joey, 8 and 10 days:).

Could anything be more darling?

Don’t let the yawn fool you–Joey was NOT going to let a little thing like sleep cause him to miss the party;).

Even the most determined newborn can’t hold out forever:).

Couldn’t be sweeter or more loved (look at his gorgeous grandma who traveled all the way from Costa Rica!):

Thanks for coming to play, little man–so wonderful to meet you!

Do you remember the Mr. Men and Little Miss books by Robert Hargreaves?  I loved them as a kid and my own girls have just discovered them.  Well, I couldn’t help thinking that were one to be written about baby William, it would have to be titled Mr. Mellow.  What a calm, sweet, peaceful little guy he was.  He was so content the whole session and an absolute delight to photograph.  Didn’t hurt that he was a strikingly beautiful baby, either.  Perfect baby skin, plump lips, dark hair, and lashes for days.  Such a joy to spend the morning with.

William, 10 days:

Sigh, so perfect.

Mwah, kisses right back at you baby boy:).

Meghan and Mike, that is a special little guy you have there.  Thank you for sharing him with me for the day.

The weekend before last I had the supreme pleasure of traveling to Syracuse to meet Allison Rumble, a fabulous photographer and new mom to two of the tiniest, sweetest little girls I have ever seen.  Knowing how hard it was to photograph baby Jack after a very easy delivery, I couldn’t imagine trying to photograph twins after months of bedrest and a cesarean section.  I hoped that my schedule would allow me the opportunity to make the trip to finally meet Allison in person and to help her capture some images of her girls while they were still sleepy and tiny.  Avery and Emmy were monoamniotic twins, meaning they shared an amniotic sac, and were delivered at 34 weeks.  I met them on day 16 and they were weighing in at 4 pounds 5 ounces and 4 pounds 10 ounces respectively, and absolutely darling.  It’s quite possible that I might not ever meet such itty bitty people again and it was a joy to spend the day with them.

Allison and I are both fans of Carrie Sandoval and Brittany Woodall of Baby as Art, and this was my first opportunity to photograph twins since attending their workshop.  We tried to channel a bit of their amazing ability to show the connection between these little babies who began their lives as closely entwined as two people can be.  It was an honor and a privilege to be a part of capturing this sweet relationship, one that is already many months old.

Avery and Emmy, 16 days:

Little big sister Avery (born first but just a bit smaller) on the left, big little sister Emmy on the right:

Emmy on the left, Avery on the right:).

Avery on the left, Emmy on the right:

Emmy with her gorgeous mama:

And some with Avery too:

I just love ending a session with a smile:).

Allison, it was just wonderful to meet you.  You are truly a beautiful person inside and out.  Thank you so, so much for sharing your perfect little ones with me–I loved every minute!

Catherine Louise, what a fine name for a sweet, delicate, little lady.  I had been eagerly awaiting the news of her arrival since Mom’s maternity session.  Catherine’s gender was supposed to be a surprise, but I hear the ultrasound technician let it slip a couple of weeks before her arrival.  That she was indeed a “she” was still a surprise for me, though, and I couldn’t be happier for this sweet family.  They are going to have so much fun watching their beautiful girls grow up together–sisters are a special kind of friend.  It was a bit of a marathon session, but worth it:).

Catherine Louise, 10 days:

And, oh, was she full of smiles at the end!

Just a delight working with you guys again!  Give her an extra snuggle for me, ‘kay?

Working with brand new little people is pretty much the best part of my job. Drinking in that intoxicating baby smell, snuggling them in tight, savoring every tiny detail–it’s heaven.  Working with brand new little people also takes a lot of patience.  Babies cannot be convinced or persuaded or reasoned with.  They can only be comforted and waited for.  Every now and then, though, I’ll have a session that just surprises me with the simplicity of it all.  Sweet little Finnan was such a calm, mellow, sleepy, content little guy.  It didn’t hurt either that he was absolutely beautiful, had wonderful dark hair, and started flashing us smiles at the end of the session.  From start to finish, I enjoyed each minute.

Finnan, 7 days:

I have no more words–he just makes my heart sing!