A Personal Note

I’ve had the privilege of welcoming two baby girls into our family. Each time I did, I would hear things like, “Enjoy it! They grow so quickly!” or “You’ll miss this some day.” I’ll admit, it was hard for me to imagine “missing” the sleep deprivation, the nursing, the crying. But, what I didn’t realize at that time was that those things weren’t what they were referring to. I now know that what I would be missing was every “first”, being able to hold them in one arm, the way they smelled, their fluffy baby hair…the list goes on.

Those early days of round-the-clock feedings, diapers, and trying to figure out how to navigate life after each addition, faded away into the blur of life as time moved forward. Now, I have an amazing 6-year-old little girl and a vivacious, spitfire of a 3-year-old and I long for those early days. I wholeheartedly wish I had invested in documenting those fleeting moments before they were gone.

Welcoming Emelia Grey

Rewind to last month. My friend, Kristin, (you know the one—Kristin-with-an-I) and her husband, Peter, welcomed a beautiful baby girl. Every baby and every birth is special, but this little girl…well, she was long awaited. Kristin and Peter waited for 7 long years for the gift of parenthood and that gift finally arrived.

After hours of labor, a tornado warning and an emergency C-section later, Miss Emelia was finally here!

I had the privilege of meeting Miss Emelia on the day of her birth. I came to St. Luke’s Hospital-Allentown Campus to visit as a friend and brought my camera along, well, just because.

When I arrived, Kristin had the idea of giving Emelia her first bath in the hospital room and having it documented. (Oh, how I wish I had thought to do this with my girls!)

We cleared a space near the window, filled a basin with warm lavender scented water, and got to it. It was quick, maybe only 8 minutes, but those few minutes are rich in moments that otherwise would be forgotten: her sweet little dimple, the way Kristin and Peter worked together to soothe her, the little dribbles of water through her dark hair and how she locked eyes on me as I stood above.

I am so thankful to be able to deliver these moments to their family and to be able to tell the story of Emelia’s very first bath through this collection of images.

Welcome, sweet Emelia.

Alyssa is a Lehigh Valley photographer specializing in weddings and capturing your moments worth remembering. If you’d like to chat about documenting your story, contact me here!