Joy's Newborn Shoot - Interview with Mom - Topeka's Best Newborn Portraits

 Joy came in for her newborn session in the cutest denim dress ever!  We loved how much she reminded us of spring with her little yellow leggings too!  She was so tiny, but so strong. We had mom and dad pose with her and got some awesome family pictures!  Then, we tried to pose Joy but she had other plans! She took a while to soothe, and even had to have a diaper change and eat a snack.. After a while, our assistant was able to swaddle baby Joy and we got to work shooting her session.  She posed on the newborn bag, then we moved her to one of our setup with a pastel barn door. Mom and dad joined her and we got some great pictures! The last setup was the floral ring and it was the best setup for her! She looked like an enchanted princess!  We loved this session! Thanks for checking it out!

T.H. Peterson: Describe the moment that you found out you were having a baby?  Where were you? What did dad say?

Hope:  The moment that we found out we were pregnant with Joy was truly one of the most exciting and joyful moments of our lives. We had been hoping and praying for a baby and I (Hope) was a bit obsessed with taking pregnancy tests. On the evening of June 10th, I took a pregnancy test, expecting it to be negative like all the previous tests had been. However, as I sat there crouched over the bathroom sink, I swore that I could see the faintest of all faint lines. I went out to the living room and asked Braden to come look at the test with me. I pointed to the "line" and asked Braden if he also saw what I thought I was seeing...he didn't. However, I was convinced that there was something there where the "test" line should be. I took another test that was a bit higher quality and this test showed an even darker line! I called Braden back to the bathroom a second time. This time, he began to get excited because he was beginning to believe that maybe there actually was a second line! Finally, we decided that I should take the digital test that I had been saving for this moment. We sat on the couch for what felt like eternity staring at the test until finally the word "Pregnant" showed up. We screamed, cried, and embraced one another as we began to let it all sink in...we were having a baby.

 T.H. P.:   How did you tell your family that you were expecting?  Did you have a baby shower or gender reveal?

Hope:  We found out that we were pregnant just a few days before Father's Day, so we decided to use the holiday as an opportunity to share the good news with our parents. We had an Etsy shop (CafeLatteDesigns) create an image that read "A tiny gift for Father's Day -- Baby Werner -- Coming February 2020" We framed the image and gifted it to both sets of parents. Everyone was completely surprised! Joy is the first grandchild on both sides of the family so needless to say, our parents were over the moon.

We never had a big gender reveal and, in fact, we originally planned to wait all the way until the baby was born to find out if they were a boy or a girl. However, excitement and impatience set in FAST and we completely changed our plans. Just a few weeks into the pregnancy we were dying to know if we were having a boy or a girl, so we decided to order the SneakPeek Early Gender Prediction Test at 10 weeks! The moment that we learned Joy was a girl was a sweet and intimate moment that only the two of us shared. We were out to lunch together when the results of the test were emailed to us. We opened the email, read it together, and began to let it all sink in...we were having a daughter.

 T.H. P.:   What kind of pregnancy and labor and delivery did you have?

Hope:  I had a wonderful pregnancy! I never had much morning sickness, fatigue, or other less desirable symptoms of pregnancy. 9 months seemed to fly by so fast! Although I am glad that I can sleep on my stomach and tie my shoes by myself again, part of me already misses being pregnant. It was such an amazing experience to carry life inside of me and feel Joy's little kicks and hiccups. 

Delivery, on the other hand, did not go as we expected at all. Around 36 weeks, we learned that Joy was a bit on the bigger side and was already weighing 7lbs 9oz (give or take a pound). At that time, we decided to schedule an induction. We started making final preparations and counting down the days. I put together a birth plan and felt completely ready. This experience just goes to show that "We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps" -Proverbs 16:9

On the day that Joy was born, labor progressed beautifully until around 5:00pm. When my doctor came in to check me, I was 8cm dilated; however, there was also lots of bleeding. Although we didn't know why at the time, we later learned that the placenta had begun to detach from the uterine wall. The decision was very difficult and emotional, but we ultimately decided to have a c-section. 45 minutes later, Joy was born weighing 8lbs 11oz, measuring 20.5 inches long!

 T.H. P.:   What kind of food did you crave when you were pregnant?  What foods did you avoid?
Hope:  I didn't have any major cravings while I was pregnant! I just had an extra desire for the foods that I always like (specifically, the Not-Yo-Mama's BLT from the Wheel Barrel) and an extra aversion to the foods that I am never particularly fond of (seafood)!

T.H. P.:   What was your favorite part about your newborn session with us?

Hope:  We both loved the patience and gentleness that everyone had with Joy. It's tough being tiny and Joy was fussy for almost the first entire hour! Tommy and Jesse were both so incredibly kind and willing to wait until Joy was settled to capture the moment perfectly.

To book your own session, please call Tommy or Holly at 785.793.2492 or 785.213.0812 or email tommy@thpetersonphoto.com