It was an unusual story, with some unexpected twists… Alex wanted to do maternity portraits earlier than most of my pregnant clients. She had a mother’s intuition that her baby would come early. So, we found ourselves in March, navigating socially distant portraits during the rise of COVID-19, with me staying away from subjects that I have always preferred to hug. It was a joyful session. Witnessing the love between Joey and Alex, awaiting their baby was sublime. Two souls who seem to fit together like pieces of the same puzzle.
Thank goodness we did the session early because Wilder decided to arrive just ONE week later. After Alex’s water broke, her caregivers at the hospital tried to slow her labor. But, Wilder, ever the spunky “little man”, had his own agenda, and preferred not to wait very long. He made a very dramatic entrance via c-section, at 33 weeks – on Alex’s beloved grandfather’s birthday. Wilder made it home, but not right away. Immediately after birth, he turned blue, giving everyone a scare. It turned out that he had an unexplained collapsed lung. A stroke of great fortune brought the neonatologist to the scene exactly at the right time. Wilder would recover, but needed to spend some heart wrenching time away from his mom and dad in FMC’s Special Care Nursery. Every day, he showed off his feistiness to his nurses, and was finally allowed to go live at home with his people.
He couldn’t have landed in a more beautiful family and judging by his adorable facial expressions, he knows it. Alex is love personified – warm, welcoming, kind, nurturing and smart. Joey is her steadfast hubby, amazing post-surgery caregiver (with ER nurse cred) and badass, expert dad. And big sister Basil is SUCH a pro. Wilder is so lucky to have her snuggles and confident care, too. I loved hanging out with Basil again, having photographed her as a newborn and toddler.
Each day, Wilder’s plucky personality shines more and he is thriving, the dramatic part of his story firmly in the rear view. I love seeing him grow up.
Flagstaff Family Portrait Photographer • Flagstaff Maternity Pregnancy Photographer • Flagstaff Newborn Photographer • Flagstaff Child Photographer • Flagstaff Senior Portrait Photographer • Flagstaff Couples Photography
Kristen Dacey Iwai of KDI Photography is a full-time professional portrait photographer based in Flagstaff, Arizona with decades of experience. Making portraits of families, pregnancy, newborns, babies, children, and high school seniors in her downtown studio and on location, she serves clients from Flagstaff, Sedona, Tuba City, Winslow, Payson, Page, Williams, Prescott, Mesa, Scottsdale, Phoenix, Arizona
