This week I got to visit three babies in the NICU at St. Louis Children’s Hospital. An honor to have three families trust me with their precious babies but certainly not something any one wishes on people they care about. I’d much rather photograph them as healthy plump babies in my studio, but one day I’ll get to do that so it was great to be able to capture this leg of their journey as well.
Two are clients but I’ve known John’s mom, Carrie, my whole life. Her cousin, Betsy, is my oldest friend and we all grew up at church together. We used to call her “Baby Carrie” because she was several years younger – so neat to see her grown up and the most amazing mom ever! Her little guy was born at 24 weeks which is a pretty scary age but he is such a tough little fighter! He’s doing great and I bet a big part of that is because his parents are so incredibly positive. Carrie and Eric are literally a light in the NICU. Their positive energy is so good for their little man!
The nurses in the NICU are so great because while the baby’s safety is always first priority they also know that getting photos is important to the parents. They were willing to give me about 5 minutes with his bilirubin light off and I appreciated every second she gave us!
They are using this whale as a marker for his growth! So sweet!
I love this fierce grip on his Momma’s finger! He’s strong already!
John has a long fight ahead of him and of course all prayers help – what comforts me is that God has already counted the hairs on his head. He knew him before he was born and John is being held in His loving arms every second of every day. Thanks Carrie and Eric for introducing me to your sweet son.