Here are a few of my favorites from the day:

I love being able to take pictures of babies in their own surroundings… their first home, with their first toys and blankets. These are things that will always be remembered, so I’m happy to be able to capture that memory for the parents (and even the child) to be able to look back upon in the years to come.

I love all the teeny, tiny pieces. Tiny ears and tiny toes. Because they don’t stay that way for very long…

I got the call on Friday evening, while hanging out with my best friends. Fortunately, I’d warned them ahead of time that this might happen, and that I just might end up having to bail on them. I raced home to meet my husband, at which point we raced on to the hospital. And then time stood still.

The entire family was gathered in the lobby of the hospital, trying to pass the time and ease our minds. Some played cards, others read. One even sat and watched a movie on a portable dvd player. But we were all waiting.

It was just after 11:00 pm and my in-laws were about to give up for the evening and take the kiddos home. One of the girls pleaded… please try again? So a call was made, and it had been made just in time. He was coming down to get us.

Armed with a video camera that was already recording what our reactions would be, he said… It’s… a BABY. um, yeah, we know. A grandparent asked, is it healthy? And breathed a sigh of relief when the answer was yes. And so we waited for him to speak again…

it’s…. a… BOY!

The siblings jumped for joy, while the rest of us teared up a bit.

I had a new nephew! I could hardly believe it. Now the score is even… 2 girls and 2 boys. A perfectly matching set.

We all floated up in the elevator, excited to see my sis-in-law and visit the new little boy for the first time. Tried to wait as patiently as possible out in the hall, taking turns so as not to overwhelm them. First the siblings. Then one set of grandparents. And then another. And us. It was as if everyone was holding their breath, trying not to wake up from this beautiful moment. And, of course, I asked if I could capture it with my camera.

We didn’t overstay our welcome that night, but came back in groups to visit the next day.

And at that time, we finally learned his name…  Andrew.

I think I’m in love…

(in the photo above, we can’t tell if he’s doing his “thinking” pose, or practicing saying “call me.”)

Mother and baby went home the next day. And I was able to capture these sweet shots of the siblings holding their new baby brother. They are all so enchanted with him.

(Um, yeah… the one on the right isn’t one of the siblings. That’s my husband, saying hello to his new nephew…)

And look how amazingly sweet the girls are… notice the tiny felt toys piled upon Andrew? There’s a blue puppy and a brown bear… those were sewn by the girls, so that their new baby brother would have his first toys. Too, too adorable.

I’ll leave you with an image of him gripping his teddy bear. And I can guarantee that if his fingers weren’t tucked away safely in his little sleeves, he’d be sucking on them.

In any case, last Saturday I had the distinct pleasure of meeting Wolfe John Ritzo for the very first time.

His parents are more of the outdoorsy type, so there were no standard nursery shots for this little tyke. Instead, we ventured to a nearby park to capture shots of Wolfe in the fresh air and sunshine.  Here are my favorites from the day: