All I’ve got for this post is: LIPS. 🙂

Aren’t they perfect?

But really, there is more to this post….

Meeting Sonia, Paxton’s Moma, was a total God thing. I could sit here and write all day about how I love my job, because I do. You can see in my face, you can hear it in my voice, …it goes without saying, really.

But you know God is working in your heart and in your life when you cross paths with someone who helps you see purpose in what you are doing.

As many of you know, I struggled deeply after the birth of each of my boys. With Tripp, it was longer, as I wasn’t prepared for what I was going to experience. With Beau, it was much shorter and more manageable, but it still was there. It was awful. It was powerful.  I was scared, I was embarrassed. I felt like no one understood. I was holding a perfect child in my arms, yet something wasn’t right. There were tears. Lots of them. There was fear. Lots of it. There was the gut wrenching anxiety that puddled in my stomach. There was this something that had a furocious grip on me…and I couldn’t control it.

There are moments I wish I could block out forever. But thankfully, I can’t…and I haven’t.

And thankfully, by His grace & His unwavering mercy,  God has found a way to use some of those  dark and painful moments and has turned them into something beautiful.

If you have ever had a newborn session with me, I have likely shared some (if not all) of my story with you. This job has been such an incredible therapy for me, and it has turned into a beautiful ministry for other women. I see new moms in their most vulnerable state…days after delivering a child, tired, exhausted, nervous, full of joy, scared, happy — a full spectrum of emotions – all rolled up and tied with a big ole bow like a present just sitting in your heart. You open one, only to find that it opens another, and another, and then another. It’s a beautiful roller coaster of emotions….you have so much love for this little person …a little person  you still are getting to know. It’s a crazy beautiful time.

I remember the first time I spoke with Sonia. I was traveling back home from Birmingham after photographing a new baby boy that belonged to some of our good friends. My husband was driving & Sonia and I talked, and talked, and talked…and talked. It was awesome – I felt like I was talking to my sister (as much I can imagine a sister – since I don’t have one ;)). She shared bits of her experience with me that day, but after each time we talked (or emailed), I would hear God talking to me. Leading me. Guiding me.

Sonia works with Moms on Call and is also a huge advocate for Maternal Mental Health. She specializes in newborn & baby care consultations, and she is a wonderful support for mothers who face emotional challenges like post-partum depression. While I had emerged from these trenches far before I met her, she was still able to help me see that I wasn’t alone, and that there are resources out there that are incredibly helpful. What I would give to know then what I know now…

I will forever be grateful that because of photography, our paths have crossed. The Lord has used her to help show me that I’m exactly where I need to be. Thank you Sonia, for helping me in ways you may have never have known. xoxo

Without further a do, here is the perfect little prince, Mr. Paxton…