Emmanuel

Manny was such a blessing to his hopeful and patient parents!  After waiting two years and going through several "almosts," they were finally able to adopt their baby boy.  I'm pretty sure he was worth the wait!  They didn't even know about him until he was already a couple of days old and they got the call!  I think they were out the door before the person on the other line was able to finish a sentence.  Isn't he perfect?!

Manny is also a model baby for why it's so important to do newborn pictures early!  I've had a few babies right at 7 days recently and each one has been a dream.

This yellow blanket belonged to Manny's dad!  I've had so many clients lately that have had me use a blanket that has special meaning during their session.  I love it!

This next one is my favorite.  What a sweet boy.

Manny is named after his great-grandpas and this hat was the hat that Grandpa Manny wore.  His wife (great-grandma) was the one who made this blanket!  Maybe when this Manny is a little bigger he'll get to wear the hat on his head.

We got several little grins throughout the session, and this was one of the last.  How sweet is he.

Brayden

This little boy's mama is a super woman.  They moved into a new house a week before she had Brayden, and when I arrived when he was about two weeks old she was running all over the place getting things done!  Plus, she has an almost-6-yr-old and owns a darling local baby boutique.

Brayden's dad built the house they're in and let me tell you, it is stunning.  Everything in that house came together perfectly and I had lots of spots to choose from with great light!

This big brother loves his baby!  Don't they look so sweet and angelic?

I got a new macro lens that I loooove and took every opportunity to use.  Look at those lips!

The shoot was also a gift from a friend and employee, whose baby boy I get to photograph in a couple of weeks!  Can't wait.

Wyatt Henry

One thing that I love about doing newborn photography is that I get to witness a part of that monumental love parents are discovering when they have their first child.  It was obvious that little Wyatt here has doting parents that just couldn't wait to get him here to smother him with love.

Their last name is something that belongs in a toolbox, so we placed Wyatt in a toolbox that belonged to his great-grandfather!  Their house was full of cool things that belonged to parents and grandparents.

This wooden bowl is another example!  It belonged to mom's grandmother (I think, so many cool things I couldn't keep track of it all).

They loved all the hats, so we made sure to sure lots of them, including some new ones I hadn't had the chance to pull out yet!

I love the crazy faces I get from newborns when they're awake!  I find this one hee-larious.

New hat!  And look how perfectly he posed for me.  Good boy.

It was such a pleasure to meet you and your little guy!  Congratulations!

Baby P

Most of you know that this adorableness is my friend Jenna's little one!  If you're interested, you can read part I of her birth story here, part II here, part III here, and part IV here!

I spent a lot of time with the little guy while Jenna slept, so there are a lot of pictures!  Feast your eyes on the cuteness.

One reason why newborns are typically sleeping in pictures:  that's a nice lazy eye P is giving us.

This next one cracks me up.  Hamming it up for the camera already!  What blue eyes he has!  I know his mama hopes they stay that way.

Jenna said this is her new favorite picture of herself.  P gave us about 15 seconds of calmness to get this shot (after we laughed at him for eating his toes).  Good job P.

This shot had Jenna sweating and breathing recycled air with her head under a blanket!  Totally worth it .

This is a trunk gifted from Jenna's Polish in-laws when they were there (in Poland) one Christmas, which I think is so cool!  We weren't sure he'd fit, but P slept so peacefully when I laid him down on top.

I'll be so sad when they all move to Chicago in a few months, so I'll have to go visit them again before they go!  Expect a few pics of P at 3 months in July .