Never mind that my beautiful niece is now 3 1/2 months old and has already had her 3 month photo shoot! Even though I took some time off from blogging, I just couldn’t pass up on sharing her newborn session.

You may remember the birth of this beauty back in March. Tragically, the grandmother that my sister I adored passed shortly after, and we did this session the morning we were all packing up to go to her funeral. The quilt on Lilah’s crib was made by her Great-Grandma, who would have been so happy to see it so prominently displayed.

I’ve been wondering how in the world I was going to put this into words, and I’ve spent my morning trying to do so. The labor and birthing process is incredibly sacred, and that time between a couple is one of the most intimate life experiences one can have. As such, it was an immense honor that my sister and her husband asked me to be a support and document the birth of their first child. I did, and am forever changed. Childbirth is nothing new to me–I was a childbirth educator and doula before a photographer–but none moved me so deeply as beholding my sister and her husband, their individual strengths and love for one another.

I saw my sister pushed to limits beyond what I’ve ever witnessed in a laboring woman. I saw a husband so empathetic, tears in his eyes, proudly proclaiming how blessed he is to have my precious sister for his wife.

The three of us were in a hospital together for four days, one of which was their 3rd wedding anniversary. We laughed, watched American Idol, HGTV, prayed, waited, were forced to make decisions, coached, cried, and grew more closely. I saw a beautiful piece of my brother-in-law through my sister’s eyes, and I think he saw me more through her’s. What an unexpected trial it was, with the most precious outcome possible–Lilah Jane McIntosh.

Weighing in at 8lbs. 12 ozs. the sweet girl entered this world (25 days past her due date) at 3:57am, on March 8th, 2013. She was instantly loved by overjoyed (but ridiculously tired) parents, and an aunt crying so hard she could hardly focus her camera.

Here’s a piece of the story through my eyes…and listen closely to the second song. During her pregnancy, Ashley and our brother Billy did a cover of “Forever Young.”