Cooper

Two years ago I got a call from Suzanne. We worked together many years ago, serving tables at Vinces Spaghetti and  had not seen each other in a long time, except through Facebook. She asked me if I would consider taking pictures of her little girl, Cali. The timing of her phone call was perfect since I had just decided to take the leap from just taking pictures for fun to becoming a “professional” photographer (whatever that means!). Suzanne was my first paying client and has stuck with me the last few years, booking every mini session I offer and a constant source of support and encouragement.

When she found out she was pregnant with Cooper, she started planning his newborn session immediately. She bought props, browsed the internet for poses she really wanted, texted me ideas. We were very excited to get some pictures of her little boy with his big sister. We scheduled a tentative date for pictures and waited patiently.

Cooper was born on August 2nd with a heart condition they were unaware of that required his tiny, fragile body to undergo heart surgery at just 3 days old. Thankfully, Cooper is a strong little guy and did well. At a little over 3 weeks old I finally got to take some pictures of him. We had to be very careful moving him around, and a lot of the poses we had originally talked about were just not possible to get.

Cooper had his 2nd heart surgery in September, at just 2 months old. I can’t imagine how scared Suzanne & Chris were, but with so many people praying for their little angel, he made it through another successful surgery. I got to see him again for Halloween mini’s, then again for their holiday family photo session, and most recently at my Valentine’s Day mini’s.

When Suzanne booked their Valentine’s Day mini’s she said something that stuck with me- “Hearts have a whole new meaning to us!” So true. Mini sessions are quick, 15 minute time slots, and this year we had to move the set up into the garage due to the rain. I had wanted to get the perfect heart shot of Cooper, but with the time frame and how cold it was it just didn’t happen. We still got some cute ones (how can you not of this babe?) but I couldn’t stop thinking about the shot I really wanted.

So, with the help of Suzanne’s sister-in-law, Laura, we “snuck” Cooper out for a quick little session this morning while Suzanne was at work. He has come such a long way, and he looked so big to me today- and so much stronger! I am so thankful to have the Lindemann family in my life, and I love you all- or should I say I “heart” you?

Happy Valentines Day to a very special little guy!

 

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