At 22 1/2 hours Ada definitely wins the prize for longest time I’ve ever been at a birth! I was able to witness as Christy stayed strong, dug deep, and fought hard for the natural birth she wanted. After 36+ hours of laboring naturally, Christy finally made it to 10cm, but was completely exhausted. After trying some pushing, Christy decided that a nap with the help of an epidural would be in her best interest so that she could rebuild a little of her strength. And holy goodness did it ever. After an an hour or so of rest, Christy had totally regained her strength and did an amazing job bringing little Ava into the world.

On top of the unbelievable strength and determination I was honored to witness, I also got to watch just how in love Christy and Jason are. In fact, one of the most peaceful laboring positions for Christy was with Jason laying next to her in her hospital bed. It was beautiful. I’m admittedly a pretty big hopeless romantic and have loved love since I was very little… Watching the two of them love each other that way – the way I’d dreamed of loving my husband as a little girl – reminded me of “Where’ve You Been” by Kathy Mattea. (Need a good cry? Check it out. It’s a great one from 1989/1990.)

Christy and Jason – thanks so much for having me with you for Ava’s birth. The kind of love you two share with each other and now Ava is such a huge testament to how deep, strong, and tender love can be.

- Annie

For the full birth story, you can watch the video below. (Make sure you can hear the music!) Or, scroll down to see a handful of my favorite images.

This was another family I had the privilege of working with for a second time! Last time we did a family shoot, but this time we focused a little more on Leyna since it was her first birthday! These guys also did a trial run of my new moving portrait option (coming soon!) and I’m so happy with the results! Thanks for another great session!!

Warmly,
Annie

Here’s their moving portrait! Images from their session are below!

It was great to see how much this sweet girl has grown since her newborn shoot! Not only did I have a great time catching up with this family, but they were also one of my first clients to try out the moving portrait option that I’ll be offering later this year! I’m still tweaking it and I can’t wait to release it full-force soon! Thanks for being my guinea pigs, guys!

Warmly,
Annie

Here’s their moving portrait! Images from their session are below!