Happy Birthday, Ethan!

It always surprises me when a first birthday rolls around, even after all these years. Time is a thief, and I feel particularly robbed with this one because of how far apart we are. Ethan is my lifelong best friend's baby boy. He was fiercly prayed for, and he had a little bit of a bumpy start. God's kindness and mercy has been abundant, as it always is however, and little "E" as my kids call him is happy, healthy, secure, and growing perfectly.

When Schelby tod me she was pregnant, I criend. After several early losses, this pregnancy was both an answer to a prayer, and incited some feelings of trepidation, fear, and anxiety at the same time. My girl, my best friend, my sister...she had been through it, and more than anything, I wanted her to have the opportunity to be a momma. She was literally made for it, and I begged the Lord to bless her and her husband.

From the get go, it was decided that I would try to be there for her birth (remember, I got my start in photography working as a labor doula in the birth room). My goal was to document everything about this precious rainbow baby, and my best friend's journey into motherhood. As fate would have it, I was on vacation when I got the call that she had spontaneously gone into preterm labor. My vision of capturing his first breath went out the window, and a whole new set of prayers were crafted. Ethan arrived about 5 weeks early, and without going in to details, had a bit of a traumatic birth. There were many worries and fears that were lurking in the shadows, but I knew God's hand was on both him and momma.

Two weeks to the day of his birth, I flew down to Florida to meet Ethan, and love on his momma as she navigated life with a brand new babe. The first thing I could think to do when she placed him in my arms was to pray thanksgiving over him. God's care and protection in those scary early days were steadfast and complete. He blanketed Schelby with a peace that I had not seen in her before, and filled all of us with gratitude. Those days were precious! It was incredible to witness Adam, Schelby's husband, in his new role as a daddy, and even more incredible to see my best friend finally holding her precious prize. God is so good!

In the 10 days that I was there, we did little mini portrait sessions all over that house (and at the beach down the road from their house). It was relaxed, comfortable, and so laid back. I laugh when I think about how we finagled the various setups to get the classic blanket shots, and I'm grateful for the knowledge and patience to have been able to accomplish what we did.

In February, Schelby and Adam brought Ethan up to West Virginia for a visit, and his first ski trip. He did a lot of napping, but he sure did look cute all bundled up like a winter burrito. Naturally, we spent some time in my downtown Romney studio to capture his 6 month milestone. We used many of the same elements from his newborn session with the goal of creating a cohesive album documenting his first year.

During this trip, Schelby and Adam asked C and I if we would consider being Godparents to their precious Ethan. Naturally, we said yes, and it was the formal beginning of a lifelong stewardship that I am so honored and blessed to have the privilege of serving. God is doing so many wonderful things in little E's life, and I cannot wait until he can fully understand the love that Jesus has for us!

Ethan's most recent visit was last week. He and his momma came to stay with us for the week, and boy was it sweet. He is a chunky monkey with the sweetest smiles, and he has the calmest demeamor of any one year old that I've ever met. I told Schelby that it is clear that he is a very secure little dude, and I'm in awe of how calm she is with him. He is so loved. There is no doubt.

During his visit, we obviously had to complete his first year portrait series with a birthday session. We captured the coordinated images with the same colors and textures as his previous two sessions, and then the next day we did his themed set.

Now if you've followed me for any amount of time at all, you know I love a good cake smash session...but Ethan's first birthday theme was "My First Rodeo," and I had a wild idea...instead of a CAKE SMASH we would do a STEAK SMASH! Cowboys eat steak, and Ethan isn't having cake just yet, so it was a natural choice!

It's been so sweet loving on my bestie during this season, and so precious to be a part of Ethan's life. I hope you've loved this collection of images as much as I do! Happy Birthday, little one, Auntie loves you!