Back in March, my friend Alyssa told me her sister Carolyn was pregnant and wanted to gift her a newborn session! I was excited for the opportunity, but Covid changed things just a little bit– with all the social distancing, so we discussed the idea of having a lifestyle newborn session outside.
Carolyn messaged me when Delia Rae was born, Friday, June 5, 2020! She weighed 6lbs 13 oz and was 20 inches. I got to meet her and her parents on the day she turned 2 weeks old!
Carolyn chose Callery Park in Lowell, Massachusetts as her spot of choice for the session. Couple of baseball fields, tennis courts, a play area, with a walking area. Carolyn’s family is from Lowell and has spent quite a bit of time at that park through the years. So much so, that a stone bench was donated in honor of her mother, who has passed. Carolyn told me how her Mom would have to sit in the middle of the baseball fields because more than one of her children would be playing at a time. I thought having her newborn session there was such a sweet way for her to honor her Mom.
I met Carolyn, her boyfriend Danny, and Delia on Friday, June 19th at 9:00 in the morning. It was a warm day with the sun shining so we took some shots by her Mom’s bench first and then headed to a shaded spot with a lot of trees. Delia is such a doll! Lots of hair and beautiful blue eyes. She wore a white dress that Carolyn’s sister bought her specifically to leave the hospital in. She told about how her Mom started the tradition of buying a nice outfit for her grandchildren to leave the hospital in, rather than going home in a onesie. I thought it was sweet that her and her family still carry on that tradition.
Carolyn and Danny are such a darling couple. The way they look at each other is so sweet. They were both such naturals in front of the camera. They were snuggling with Delia and gazing at each other and their daughter. I felt as if they were having a normal day at the park and I just happened to be there to capture those sweet memories. I was able to capture some pictures of each of them alone with their pretty little girl, and some of them all together.
Toward the end of the session, we had Delia lay in my large wooden bowl with a little blanket that I knit. We weren’t quite sure how she would react, but she seemed to really enjoy it. She didn’t cry or get upset at all. I was able to get some pictures of her by herself, and her parents joked that she had been waiting the whole session to get some model pictures by herself. The blanket I used was actually made originally for Delia’s cousin Haidyn’s cake smash.
When the session ended, I walked back to my car and decided to take a few more pictures of the bench by itself. It has such sentimental value so I wanted to get a few more shots in to give to Carolyn. I love being able to provide families with snapshots of such monumental memories. Congratulations Carolyn and Danny! Delia is lucky to have you both as her parents. Treasure all the moments that’ve already happened, and that will continue to happen as you live your lives together!
