And just like that, my maternity session with Emma and Mike turned into a newborn session with little Owen, right there in their cozy home, complete with sleepy baby snuggles and two solid blowouts, one of them alarmingly impressive.

I used to feel pretty intimidated by newborn sessions. Not sure why. But somewhere along the way, I realized I just needed to approach them the way I’d want to remember that hazy newborn phase as a mom myself. The mess, the quiet, the little in-between moments you don’t know you’ll miss until they’re gone.

Wyatt, my original buddy from the maternity shoot, was a little standoffish with the new baby. He was more than happy to talk Cars with me and keep things strictly platonic with Owen. I’ve got a feeling these two will be inseparable someday.

Thank you, VonProtz family, for trusting me to capture this special time.