Dear Lillie…

You were wanted more than any baby I’ve ever known. Your Mom and I would sit in the office at the studio and talk about you like you were already here. You already had a name and your brothers knew that one day they’d have a little sister to love on. I moved away and your Mom and I would still talk about you, if you had decided it was time and the ups and downs. I’ll always remember the text I received from your Mom. My phone was on the counter and I could hear the quiet buzzing from the other room….picking it up and telling me she was finally pregnant was the best news I had received in months. We knew you were one your way. Then, months later, the text came again that you were, in fact, a girl…the daughter that your Mom had been talking about for years. We all loved you then and you hadn’t even made your appearance yet. I moved home just in time to photograph your arrival. I headed to the hospital to make sure I didn’t miss a thing, but you had other plans, just like all the times before. After 12 hours, I was back at the hospital again and we waited some more. You even waited for your Mom’s doctor and who arrived just in time. A few pushes and you made your arrival. Your beautiful head of hair and tiny quiet cries and your Mom and Dad’s happiness and excitement filled the room. Watching your older brother’s reactions to you will forever stay in my mind. Lleyton and Aidan could not get enough of you. They rubbed your head and held your fingers. I will forever be grateful to have been able to share this experience with your family. Watching it grow by one. I cannot wait to watch you grow, photograph your milestones and hopefully one day document your wedding day (Andrea–I’m already calling dibs!). You are like a niece to me, your mother like a sister and your family, I consider my own. We love you and are so happy you are here.