This wasn’t my first time working with this sweet family, but it was my first time working with them as a family of four! Ellie joined their family just four days before these photos were taken, and I’d say she’s fitting in quite perfectly.

During her session, Kristen and I were talking about just how tiny newborn babies are. When you already have one child, you seem to forget oh-so-quickly how itty bitty their little feet were and how they curled up into the smallest little ball in your arms.

Having a newborn brings to light the rapid pace at which your children grow. It shows the stark contrast between a child who once was your baby and the little one that you hold in your arms now.

I think that maybe, though, it teaches us to savor those moments a little more intently. It challenges us to see the beauty in the time spent with that bundle of joy in the middle of yet another sleepless night.

Because in the blink of an eye, those precious early days are over. And they may be days that are trying, challenging and just downright hard sometimes, but as parents, we are blessed to be living them.