Jameson and Elouise's newborn session - Interview with mom - Topeka's Best Newborn Photographers

I'm super happy and excited to share this session with you! I've had the pleasure of photographing Hanna and Craig's family for a while. They are so sweet and a precious family. Hanna is also a photographer and has recently become one of my newborn assistants, helping with posing and wrapping and she is doing an amazing job. So it was great to be able to photograph her new twins and the awesome thing is she did all the wrapping and posing which I think adds even more specialness to the session. Her babies are so cute and I just love how her session turned out. Truly amazing! Here are some of our favorites and a great Q&A with Hanna!

T.H. Peterson: What did you think when you found out you were pregnant with twins?

Hanna: The day we found out, my OB had called me and said that my labs were abnormal and I needed to come in for an ultrasound right away. They didn’t give me any other information. I thought that I was going to be walking into the appointment and being told I was having another miscarriage. I had to go alone, so that Craig could watch our other kiddos. The tech started the ultrasound and said “do you see what I’m seeing?” And I was speechless. I think my first thought was “how on earth are we gonna get a bigger car?” I definitely had a wide range of feelings, but I was happy to know why the first 10 weeks of pregnancy were so terrible. 

T.H. P.: How did you come up with their names?

Hanna:

Elouise Lora Sky

- Elouise is named after my heart mama - Cindy “Lou” who basically rescued me as a teenager and is now a grandma to our babies by choice. She’s a strong horsewoman who I’ve looked up to since I was a teen. 

- Lora is one of my grandmas. Both of my daughters are named after my grandmas. She is the reason I have a relationship with Jesus, that I fell in love with sewing, and along side my grandpa - did everything she could to nourish my musical gifts. She now has Alzheimer’s, but I’ll never forget how she impacted us. 

- Sky is the middle name of Craig’s cousin Maddie who is my heart sister. Like her mom, a strong, courageous, horsewoman who is so artistic and kind. She full of spark and attitude, beauty and grace. It’s been an honor to have been in her life as she’s grown up. Ellie and John love auntie Maddie, and so will these babies, just like we do. 🤍

Jameson Ryan Wyatt 

- James is Craig’s lifelong best friend. James is probably one of the most outwardly happy people you could ever meet. He lights the room when he is around. His life is full of travel and adventure. He’s respectful and kind. He’s the type of friend that you might not see for months at a time, but when you do, no time has passed. 

- Ryan is Craig’s uncle who took on the role of being a granddad to our babies and has been a mentor to Craig. Ellie loves spending time with him and knows he loves her. He has spent his life serving others and saving lifes as a firefighter and first responder. He can fix and build pretty much anything and teaches craig so much about how to provide and lead a home.

- Wyatt, After Justin Wyatt Branham, who left an imprint on all of our hearts and will never be forgotten. A horseman who lost his life in 2015. Craig’s cousin and best friend. Someone I loved dearly. If it weren’t for Justin, Craig and I may have never know each other. 

T.H. P.: What was pregnancy like?

Hanna: Pregnancy for me has never been easy. I had HG with my first and was induced at 39 weeks for preeclampsia. My second, I lost on new years. My third, I was induced at 37 weeks for severe hypertension. Then with this pregnancy, I became severely anemic, developed mild preeclampsia at 33 weeks, then severe preeclampsia at 36 weeks ending in an emergency C section. This was my last pregnancy and our last babies. A bitter sweet ending to a huge part of my life. It breaks my heart knowing more babies will never be an option for us, but I’m also so glad to never be pregnant again. Our family is complete with two girls and two boys.

T.H. P.: What do Ellie and Jean think?

Hanna: Ellie absolutely adores the twins. She has always been the best big sister. She always wants to help take care of them and she tells everyone all about them.

Jean has no clue what they are. He’s more focused on how great he’s getting at walking and is always on the move now. 

T.H. P.: What are each of their personalities like?

Hanna: James is our little grumpy looking guy. His cheeks are so heavy they just fall off of his face. He’s very vocal about when he’s ready to eat. When he was in my tummy still he was constantly kicking his sister in the head. 

Elouise is our very smiley little girl. She is smiling all the time. She loves when you caress her cheeks and chin. They are both so snuggly.   She was my stubborn breech baby, and I have a feeling she will be strong willed just like her big sister. 

T.H. P.: You've had babies before, how is life with newborns different?

Hanna: Honestly taking care of 2 newborns is not much harder than a single one. Feedings are a little more time consuming, but aside from that it’s not much different. The most difficult aspect has been healing from surgery while caring for them along side our transportation challenge, since our car doesn’t fit 4 kids. I’m blessed to have such a supportive partner, which has helped make the transition much easier.

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