I started Familypalooza September 1st with a session I did for the Byrnes last year. Now I’m so excited to share the session I did this year 10 days after baby Wyatt was born. We made it a front porch distanced newborn session because of Covid-19. The photos never do justice to how small these babes really are. When Jess brought him out, I felt the breath pass out of me. It is such a cool experience to meet a newborn for the first time. So new, tiny, and helpless. And Wyatt was so bright-eyed and awake, which I absolutely love. His eyes soaking up all the new sights, trying to make sense of it all. And I felt so grateful to be there. This year has been very challenging for so many. But here in the middle of all of that, is a new precious life.
I hardly ever do studio shoots, which made this session so unbelievably special for me. Writing about it now is even more special because I just did this little guy’s first-year photos a couple of weeks ago! Meet baby Owen. He was so awake for our shoot, but I loved that. I love his calm little eyes, his squishy little cheeks, and how snuggly he looked when he was all bundled up. And what’s even more exciting is this little guy is going to become a big brother right around Christmas time! Thank you to the Caudills for becoming such a big piece of my heart over the past few years. I can’t wait to share their most recent shoot in the coming weeks! XO Jess
Today is my birthday! I just love that I was born in September because it’s right when the air starts to become manageable and the whole world feels like it’s air-conditioned lol. Strangely enough, most of my good friends are Virgos as well. I’m not sure if it’s a coincidence, or if it’s a Virgo thing that we just like each other. Either way, today I’m celebrating. And I’m celebrating on the blog by posting this session from a family I just love and adore.
Late last year I had the honor of meeting little Camille! She is the daughter of one of my past brides and grooms. From the moment I met her mom Traci, we just clicked. Now I have shared their engagement, wedding, and now the start of their family and I couldn’t feel more blessed. She was awake for most of our session, and I just melted at her beautiful and inquisitive little eyes. Seriously, babies are the best. The absolute best. And thank you Andrew and Traci for letting me give baby Camille her first closeup!
More adorable cuteness on the blog tonight! I was so excited to meet up with Jon and Kasia again (I did their wedding and engagement shoots a while back). Welcome to the world Amelia! This shoot is part of a large collection of family shoots from last year that never saw the light of day. So, technically, Amelia is now a year old. Still, I just can’t get enough of those adorable newborn cheeks. And look at her beautiful lips? She’s just a stunning little Gerber-worthy babe. I also love the way her parents styled her nursery with flowers and soft pinks and creams. And definetly not to be forgotten, their doggie was dressed to the nines for his photos, too!
The only thing that might be better than seeing my wedding couples get married, is getting to see them again after their wedding! And if I’m really lucky, there will be a baby, too! To believe that I used to be completely indifferent to kids until I had my own. Now that I know our family is complete, I just want to scoop up all the babies. And in COVID times, that’s not even possible. I haven’t had a baby snuggle fix since last year! And that is when this session is from. Baby Charley joined Libby and Phillip and unlocked their new parent status. Look how little and new he was. I just love the way his little hands look in their bigger hands. The sweet way he’d open his mouth to yawn or try to say something, and then just get tired and pass out. Those first few weeks can be hard. And then out of nowhere, you have a toddler. Thank goodness for the photos you can look back on.
UGH!!! SO much cuteness on the blog tonight. I shot Emmy and Ro’s wedding a few years back, so I was over-the-moon when they contacted me for newborn photos.
Meet Quentin! These photos were taken last year, so he’s now a busy toddler. Wow, how quickly it goes. When I met him, he was just the smallest bundle of sweet, sweet, love. I think one of my favorite things about this shoot was that their dog kept following the baby and never left him out of his care. It reminded me of Nana, the nurse dog in Peter Pan.
I also loved that they did the shoot in their nursery. It just describes so much about his life that he’ll love looking back on when he’s older. I am so loving all the family photos on the blog this month. I think it’s just what my soul needed. When we’re all asked to stay so far apart, it’s nice to know that we can always curl up close to the ones we love the most.
This session was over a year ago, but I just love it. A lot of times I’m asked what my newborn photos look like. I think this shoot is a great example. It’s a lot less posed than some of the more traditional newborn shoots. Plus, mom and dad are fully included in the photos as well. I just love capturing the sweet interaction between mom, dad, and baby. I also adore how small and fragile these little balls of love are when they’re so new to the world. The hand-to-baby ratio size never gets old to me. It’s because I’m photographing such a blip of an instant. In another couple of days, Leo was no doubt so much bigger already than in these photos. Now that he’s a full-blown toddler, this makes this shoot even more fun to revisit!
It’s been a month since my daughter Finney turned one. I’ve often thought about how I could write a blog post about it and what I wanted to say. Tonight I asked myself, how do you measure a year? I giggled a little and immediately started singing the RENT song “seasons of love”. That song has always been able to make my lower lip quiver, but my subconscious answered my question for me with song lyrics. You measure a year in love.
I wasn’t allowed to hold Caddie right after he was born. For his safety, he was taken straight to the NICU and I didn’t get to see him until maybe 10 hours later. Finney, on the other hand, was put in my arms. What a gift! I stared at her, and she was warm and small. Her skin was new and soft…i studied every inch. I felt like the only thing I could say was “she’s so beautiful.”
When we took her home and slept with her in our room for the first time, we were thrown because she grunted like an old man the entire night. At first, I was concerned that she wasn’t alright. But she was. And that was just who she was. While she doesn’t grunt in her sleep anymore, she does make so many different noises at us. She loves to growl. And she’s smart. One of the first things she ever said was “thank you”. She can also say “good girl”. In fact, she says more two-word combinations than she says any individual words. She has a fierce and loud little temper if she doesn’t get what she wants. Mostly, however, she spends her days greeting people with a smile and a cuddle. She hasn’t learned the difference between kissing and biting and has drawn blood on all three of our faces.
She is loved. Caddie adores her and helps her when she needs it. He gives her hugs daily and tells her how much he loves her. We all do. Her cheeks are very full and just beg to be kissed. Scott and I feel so blessed that Caddie and Finney are ours. We have never felt so much love in one place.
As a photographer, I, of course, felt obligated to do a professional mini-shoot with her each month. Some months this was more challenging to schedule in than others. Somehow they all just flew. Overall, there’s no rhyme or reason to them… just cute outfits I had in her closet.
For her first birthday, we had a small family party with a “watercolor” theme. I can’t take credit for any of the ideas as I Pinterested them all. I was, however super excited with the way it all turned out. She has made our life so colorful and bright so I couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate her.
My baby is already gone and in her place is a smiley little toddling angel. I can’t wait to see who she becomes and I am cherishing every step along the way.
Welcome to the second annual Jessica Miller Photography Babypalooza week on the blog!! This year I’ve had the honor of photographing the sweetest families and I can’t wait to share them !! First up is a session that was almost like 5 mini-sessions rolled into one.
I knew there were going to be a lot of people at this extended family photo shoot so when I arrived I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. This family immediately made me feel so at ease and welcome. The whole session was a dream! They had the shoot on their parent’s property which was just a beautiful backdrop for the photos. We did one large family photo and then broke it down by each family. I even made sure to get some photos of just the parents together, as I feel like that’s an opportunity missed at most family shoots. Couples spend so much time thinking about the kids, it’s really nice to have a few photos (and moments) of just you and your significant other.
In all five family units, there were 9 grandchildren including one set of triplet girls! I was so impressed at how the kids were totally into getting their photo taken, as that can be a crap shoot sometimes.
Erin and Lindsay, thank you so much for having me out to photograph your incredible family!!
Please help us welcome our new beautiful daughter, Finley Roux! She was born with 1/2in. of strawberry blonde hair, blue-grey stormy eyes, and a cute button nose. She is calm and patient and almost never cries. We are so blessed!
It’s rare when you can pinpoint an exact moment that changes your entire life. What you feel in those moments is such raw emotion and after only a few seconds its past. I’ve had a heightened sense of everything- every feeling for everything and everyone I hold dear. I also feel a little sadness in that this is our last baby because I know how quickly they grow up. I find myself staring at her, trying to memorize every little feature and nuance of her face and little body. My heart feels like its going to overflow at any minute.
She is our second child, so we’ve been through this stage before. It’s been so overwhelming to have her snuggle up to me. You go on with your day to day and you forget- you forget the way their little head rests right up to your cheek so you can smell their fresh baby scent. You forget the deep relaxation that you feel in your soul when you hold them. You forget how little and vulnerable they once were. You forget how much they needed you. It’s entrancing. It’s euphoric and its nothing short of magical and miraculous. And, its a little scary. Life all of a sudden feels fragile, vulnerable and uncertain. And when they lay on you, the world stops, even just for a moment.
Finley failed her in-hospital hearing test in her left ear and had some follow up testing two weeks ago. We were praying it was just liquid in the ear that needed time to dry up. To our shock, there wasn’t liquid in there and she actually does have a mild hearing loss in her left ear. I’m not going to lie, this left me feeling deflated and scared of the unknown as it relates to our daughter’s health- a feeling I had prayed I’d never have to experience with her. We have to go back for more definitive testing next month (to know what kind of hearing loss) when we’ll already be in the hospital with Caddie for his open heart surgery, how convenient! *sarcastic voice implied. Scott nor I have any family history of congenital hearing loss or heart disorders, so I think the main feeling through all of this has been confusion. One of my personal goals for 2018 was to trust more in the universe and the unknown. I didn’t know I’d be tested on this goal so soon in the year. We are anticipating her possibly needing a hearing aid, but my prayer is that the mild hearing loss she does have is not progressive and will be a minor factor in her life. Caddie has blessed our lives with the gift of perspective. Even though Finley’s hearing is less than perfect, she has a healthy heart, healthy organs, and the sweetest disposition, and for that, we’re so thankful.
Little Finney has helped us take time to be a family. It’s been so fun discovering the differences between the two kids. Caddie was a very relaxed baby, or so we thought until we met Finney. She grunts a lot and kind-of sounds like an old man who’s smoked for years. She deals with her brother’s temper tantrums like a champ! She loves eating, snuggling, and being held. Caddie has surpassed any realistic expectations with how he’s adjusted to a family of four. He loves her so much! He kisses her on the head each and every time he walks by her. He’s so empathetic as well. When she cries, he gets upset. Scott and I feel like he’s shown us a whole new side to himself, as he doesn’t seem to be jealous at all.
Thank you so much for the outpouring of love we’ve received in the last couple of months. Scott and I have felt very humbled by all of the congratulations, gifts, and cards. Life is such a beautiful and magical journey. Always hug your family so close! XO Jess
Please help us welcome our new beautiful daughter, Finley Roux! She was born with 1/2in. of strawberry blonde hair, blue-grey stormy eyes, and a cute button nose. She is calm and patient and almost never cries. We are so blessed!
