Outdoor Summer Maternity Session | Eric + Lauren

A Miracle of a Maternity Session

We had our fingers crossed for a summer maternity session leading up to Lauren’s August due date, but we didn’t know whether or not it would become a reality once COVID hit.

You see, Lauren is my sister. She and her husband live in Oklahoma, and I live in Raleigh, NC. So it’s not just a matter at meeting at the nearest park and making it happen. It’s a matter of scheduling an actual trip!

We had originally planned to do their session in Oklahoma, but this pandemic shifted our plans a bit.

We ended up meeting back in our hometown in Indiana for Lauren’s drive-by baby shower a couple of weeks ago. This presented the perfect opportunity to do this maternity session.

And as luck would have it, Winston, their goldendoodle was able to join the show for a bit!

Sister time before baby arrives

Not only was it so much fun to photograph my sister and brother-in-law’s summer maternity session, it was also such a treat to be able to spend a long weekend together given the current circumstances.

The last time I saw Lauren was right after Christmas when I found out she was pregnant. She was only about 10 weeks along at the time, so this was my first time seeing her in person where she actually looked pregnant.

It’s kind of surreal seeing your sister pregnant for the first time when she’s just two months shy of delivering. Naturally, I shed a few tears when I first saw her, and then saved a few more to shed after saying goodbye.

Meant to be a mom

Last fall when we were in Isle of Palms, SC together, Lauren was joking about all of the things I have a leg up on her in. We were both laughing, and she sarcastically said “I’ll find something someday that I’m better than you at.”

Without skipping a beat, I said “You’ll be better than me at being a mom”. We both laughed again, but I was serious.

Lauren is the kind of woman who was meant to be a mom. I believe that she was put on this earth to have and raise babies. It’s something that comes so naturally to her.

I could see it growing up in how she would engage with our younger cousins. I could see it in how she loved to babysit, and how she chose elementary education for her major in college. I’ve been able to see it over the past five years in how she interacts with my own children.

And now, in a few short weeks, I’m positive I’ll see it when she meets her baby for the first time.

There really are no words to describe how excited I am for Lauren and Eric and this journey they’re about to embark upon. I’m confident, though, that they’re both going to rock this parenting thing, and I can’t wait to see it unfold.