#thestrongestolsenhuntonearth

It’s been one month. One month since the trauma that led us to the ER that led us to heart surgery.

I found Olsen blue and barely breathing after being covered with blankets by a “helpful sibling” during his nap. We called 911 and he was rushed to Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital.  My text sent to 10 people, “Please pray. Headed to hospital via ambulance with Olsen. More later”.  

In the ER, the nurses couldn’t find a pulse in the lower half of Olsen’s body so they ordered an EKG, which then showed an abnormality of his heart and an ECHO was ordered. During that ultrasound, it was determined that he had a coarctation of the aorta and needed surgery the next day.  Apparently we all have a valve in our heart that closes upon birth, Olsen’s did not.  This is why he survived so long with the narrowing in his aorta, because that PDA valve never shut and was compensating for the narrowing.  This valve however, had almost completely shut. 

In the midst of all of this, my phone was blowing up with prayers from so many people near and far as my quick text to friends and family during the ambulance ride had travelled beyond my reach. Our dear pastor showed up to pray for baby Olsen before we were moved to ICU.  Our community had banned together, spreading the word for needed prayer, it was quite humbling.  

Olsen was placed on a medicine to keep the valve open until surgery the next day. He was also not allowed to eat for fear of too much stress on his gut that was already not receiving enough blood flow.  What a long night.  I spent most of it in the rocking chair next to his bed holding him to help him forget his hunger pains, and fervently praying for healing. 

Now, remember why we were at the hospital in the first place... test definitely showed he was without sufficient oxygen for a period of time and he had carbon dioxide in his blood. We still didn’t have a good glimpse of our happy boy from that morning, I was so afraid damage had been done, but had no time to work through that as I was preparing my heart and mind for my 11 week old to undergo heart surgery.  

The following morning, the nurse informed me that they had to reschedule a few surgeries because there were not enough beds or rooms, but because we were already there, we would have our surgery first thing that morning (insert praise hands). Less than 20 hours after we arrived, Olsen’s ICU room was filled with nurses and Drs prepping him and me for this big surgery. Andy had gone home the night before to be with the boys and get them to school before coming to the hospital, so I was doing this by myself. 

I said my goodbyes and sat in the waiting room fighting back tears.  Within minutes, two sweet friends showed up followed by my mom and then Andy. We sat and filled the time with stories and laughter to distract from the anxiety that flooded me. Our surgeon came out, surgery was a success. He shared with us that our little boy was covered in prayers - he received multiple texts during surgery from people who knew both him and us and were praying for everyone. 6 hours later we were reunited with Olsen.  He was still asleep and had tubes and wires everywhere. When trying to remove his breathing tube, his heart rate dropped to the 20’s and they had to administer chest compressions, so they sedated him a little longer and waited till he woke to try again.  Second time was a success. But, I still hadn’t seen “my baby” yet. 

Our pastor visited again that afternoon and shared that he had received numerous phone calls from people asking if God was working something for good in their lives like he was doing with Olsen. He said our story is giving others hope.  Insert ugly cry here...

The older boys came to visit one at a time, both asking a ton of questions, main one being “is he breathing okay” after remembering what brought us here to begin with.  My parents so generously took them home for the remainder of our stay in the hospital and a week after coming home!  What a blessing they were!  That night,  Andy went to our home and I remained in the hospital, which is how it played out the remainder of our stay.  

The following days were full of milestones being met, moving to the “floor” as the hospital called it (we no longer were in the ICU), and stories from so many that showed Gods mercy and glory in our situation.  I received emails from people I did not know, saying they had received a prayer request for our baby and telling us he was being covered in so many prayers. A friend visited Starbucks to pick out some goodies for us and told the barista she was visiting some friends at Vandy Children’s and he said “do they happen to have a little boy who just had heart surgery?”  WHAAAAT?  Our little warrior’s incident was traveling not only outside of our community but outside of our state.  It was quite beautiful to feel all the prayers being said over Olsen and knowing that God was hearing his name over and over. Oh and huge milestone - he giggled for the FIRST TIME EVER, on MOTHERS DAY, and I captured it on video!  God was there, gently telling me I had “my baby” back completely and there would be no residual harm from the suffocation. 

I spoke with Olsen’s cardiologist soon after surgery and asked her how long she would have given him had we not come in that day... she said “hours to days”. His PDA valve had almost completely closed up, had this happened, his organs would have started shutting down and things would have been REALLY bad.  God used our sweet oldest child to get our attention to get Olsen help. I could have found Olsen minutes after he had been covered and fixed the situation and moved on with my day, but no, God kept me from noticing till Olsen was blue so we would call 911 and get to the right place (not just taking him to the dr, but the ER) to have this condition discovered before it was too late.  We also found out that he as a bicuspid aorta instead of a tricuspid which will also have to be monitored throughout the years.

Y’all, His goodness was ALL OVER THIS. From how it was discovered, to the fact that we were already at Vandy, to the fact that we would have surgery because we had a bed, to our surgeon being in a bible study with friends of ours and having people praying directly over him and his hands while in surgery, to a barista knowing and feeling our situation, to whole churches throughout the country praying for Olsen, to multiple drs throughout the hospital hearing our story and stopping in to see us.  There was absolutely no room for “what if’s”. Gods perfectly created plan was laid out before us and it could not have happened any differently.   

I write all this abridged version for two reasons... one being, so many of you have asked to hear it, secondly, I need it, to remember it .  I need to have it to look back on when I start doubting the glorious and sovereign God we have.  I need it when I forget that the path God has set before us is the PERFECT path, no matter how frightening and or sad it may be, this is the path we were meant for, and I will find joy in that.  

While in the hospital one day, I opened my bible and fell on this verse... “ But now, this is what the Lord says - he who created you, Jacob, he who formed you, Israel: ‘Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not get burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.  For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.’” - Isaiah 43: 1-3   

I also have held this scripture close... “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.’” - Jeremiah 29: 11-12

It’s been one month since this all happened, and I’m happy to report that Olsen has made a full recovery (both from surgery and “incident”) other than his heart is still trying to function at a normal level which will just take a little more time. We now move forward with more appointments to further monitor his heart. The other boys will also have an ultrasound of their hearts as this condition is genetic.

Prayers were in abundance during that week and we felt every last one of them.  “Prayer is the best armor against all trials.”   THANK YOU!

BEST OF 2017 {year in review}

Y'all, this year was nothing like I expected it would be.  I had my second baby the end of 2016, taking maternity leave till the middle of February, and literally jumped back in with my first client on the 15th.  What followed was the most bookings for a year that I have ever had, more than I ever expected.  I truly am humbled by the business I have received, and the referrals, y'all, referrals are the BEST COMPLIMENT!!  I continued capturing mostly families and newborns but threw in a few weddings and engagements as well.

I am frequently asked what my favorite subject is to shoot... I honestly struggle with this one, as I've also been told I need to find a niche and stick with it.  I can't.  I just can't.  I love each session for its own reason.  

I love the newborns for the delicate moments and the love that naturally surrounds them.  I love watching new parents be, well, new parents.  I love being creative with a sleeping babe and capturing some precious moments.  

I love milestone sessions for the idea that they capture that specific moment in time that when they are so small is so fleeting.  I love being able to produce something tangible to always bring the parents back to that time.  I love seeing how each child is different and interacts with me in their own way, I love building a sweet rapore with each kid.

I love family sessions for the excitement that accompanies each.  I love, love, LOVE capturing soulful parent and child portraits, that encompass all the emotions!  I get so excited to create memories with true interactions between family members, along with some of those "perfect, everyone is looking" photos!

I love engagement/couple photos for the fun it allows me to have with my directions and posing.  I love that adults follow directions and don't require me to make silly faces for a good laugh (even though that is exactly what I love about working with kids)!  I love that I get to capture moments of intimacy and romance and I adore watching couples loosen up and have fun with one another!

I love weddings, because, who doesn't love a good wedding.  I'm bound to wipe away tears at some point with each and every one.  I love the anxiety and nerves I feel leading up to the first look.  I love the rush of making sure I "get it all" - even though I am bound to miss something - it's hard y'all!  I love sending out a complete gallery, because by this time I have spent too many hours staring at this couple and reliving their special day and I just want them to do the same!

I love capturing events, I get to retreat a little and capture so many candids and honest moments.  I love watching people interact and documenting whatever special day it may be (birthday, reunion, awards, marathons, etc).

So... I cannot just choose one, I love them all.  I love keeping it fresh and exciting and being able to challenge myself differently with each session.  I pray I always have the freedom to capture it all!

With all this being said, I thought I would put together a little peak into what my year looked like...

Here's to 2018!!!!

My Baby Number 2 {nixon}

Baby number 2.  Not at all what I expected or what people told me number two would be like. Everyone said, the transition between 1 and 2 is hard... Everyone said that things would get crazy.  Everyone said... well they said a lot of things. But let me tell you, having this second baby has definitely brought some fleeting moments of crazy, but overall it has just been the sweetest adventure. My heart has grown double the size and I wake each day with anticipation of spending my day guiding these littles, kissing their boo boos, playing, giggling, and tenderly caring for their precious lives.  

I never could have imagined the love Miller would instantly have for his little brother.  He took on the role of big brother like he had been made for it.  No jealousy, just pure love. He adores Nixon.  He always needs to know where he is and make sure that he is cared for.  He loves giving him hugs and kisses and tenderly touching his face.  I couldn't have asked for anything more.  It's just the sweetest image to witness and I pray it lasts forever!

As far as my new little bundle of joy.  Well he is just that, such a bundle of joy!  I thought Miller was an easy baby, until Nixon arrived.  He is just so laid back and happy - unless he gets hungry, then everything pauses till he is full. His whole face smiles when he giggles and his slow blink turns me to jello every time.   

I can't believe that he is 5 months old already.  Every day I squeeze him a little tighter, breathe him in a little deeper and stare at him a little longer.  

Welcome to our family Nixon, Mama loves you SO GOOD!

Love Birds {ken & brittney}

When these two love birds got engaged I immediately told my husband that I wanted to take their pictures.  Who wouldn't want to focus their glass on this fun loving, GORGEOUS duo?  Ken and Brittney have been friends of mine for a few years and I am beyond thrilled that they are getting married!  

Ken is a quieter soul, where Brittney is definitely the opposite, always able to carry on a conversation and make people laugh.  I just love watching them interact and compliment each other SO dang well!  Ken grounds Brittney, and she helps him let loose! Gah - they are just perfect!

For this sweet session, we headed out to Percy Warner Park and had many many laughs as I asked them to whisper sweet nothings into each others ears, and you know... act normal! Ha!  

Golden Sweetness {kinsley family & baby arden}

I have really, really been slacking on my blogging lately!  AHHH!  I can't believe I've held out on posting this one for so long!  

This sweet family came to me for their family pictures in the fall (with mama showing a tiny little baby bump) and then back to me in Feb when sweet baby Arden was born.  

I can't even begin to tell y'all what a dream this family is to photograph.  For starters, they are all gorgeous... I mean, do you see the hair color of mom and daughter?  Then there is the fact that they choose such flattering colors and clothing to show up in and of course they are just the sweetest family ever!  

We took their family photos outside at an ideal location in the fall surrounded by golden leaves and barns with great texture.  Their daughter just eased right into the session and by the end, was making up her own poses and had us all giggling!  Once they welcomed their second daughter into the family, we gathered at their gorgeous home for a quick session to capture them as a family of four.

So... I present you with their lovely family session followed by a sweet newborn.  I just cannot wait for our next shoot together!

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Happily Ever After {kortnie & jonathan wedding}

Kortnie and Jonathans wedding was such fun!  These two are so fun together and are always laughing!  Their wedding was held at the new venue Graystone Quarry and it was just the most beautiful place!  This place took great care with all the details necessary for a lovely event!  Kortnie and Jonathan got married outside and then took the party into the gorgeous event space!  I had a blast watching all the dancing and mingling (there was even a surprise moment when one of the groomsmen ran around the reception in a t-rex costume)!  I was so honored to capture the wedding of a longtime friend!  Kortnie and Jonathan, I wish y'all the greatest happiness together! - Love Jamie

Senior Beauty {emily halvorson}

When I taught Early Childhood 2 years ago, I never thought I'd be taking pictures of the daughter of our physical therapist.  How things change... This session was just as lovely as could be!  Emily was such a sweetheart!  We ventured out to Arrington Vineyards and scoped out all the fun spots.  Luckily we went on a Monday evening before the crowds!  I can't believe this girl is a senior in high school, I looked nothing like her when I was in my final year.  Congratulations Emily, I hope your senior year is your best yet!  :)

Tiny Toes {baby ryman}

I adore meeting new families, and this family was no exception!  Brooke and Michael welcomed their first baby, Ryman, into the world in June and I was lucky enough to capture some of the precious moments during their first week home.  Ryman was the perfect little subject, he did EXACTLY what I wanted when I wanted, did y'all hear that - he was amazing!!!  It's not often I can shoot a whole newborn session in 2 hours without breaking a sweat! :)  Brooke and Michael welcomed me into their home and let me do my thing and were such wonderful clients!  I cannot wait to continue our sessions throughout the year and being able to watch this little stud grow! :)

Pink Shoes {acuy maternity}

It's been a while since I last posted a blog!  Thought it was time I hopped back on and shared!  What a better way back than to post the sweetest maternity session I had with my younger cousin and her husband!  They are expecting their first child the end of July - eeek, not much longer!!!  I was so privileged to be able to capture such a sweet moment in their lives!

We shot in Dallas which is where they live at a lovely little park without much traffic so we could just have fun, and fun was definitely had with many, many laughs!  They even stole a moment with my little one and I snapped a picture!  Once we had enough of the summer heat, we went back to their cozy home and finished out the session in the darling nursery they have created!   Y'all, these two just exude love for one another and it totally shows, they are absolutely going to spoil their little girl, Olivia Kate!  I am so excited for them on this new adventure in their lives, it's a ride for sure!  I am counting down the days to see this precious little lady and to be able to give her all the sugar I can!  Oh, and those pink shoes... they just melted me!  Congratulations you two!  W! (that's how we say "love ya") :)

I Do {annie and megan wedding}

Shooting this wedding was just so sweet.  I have known this couple for a few years as we used to do kickboxing together at 6:15 in the mornings!!  I was so honored that they asked me to capture these moments!  It was a small intimate wedding at Rumors East and even though they planned for rain, it turned out to be such a lovely day!  Their happiness was just contagious and I enjoyed every moment!  Congratulations Megan and Annie!

Venue: Rumors East

Makeup: Nikki at Maple Sugar Lips

Hair: Kayce Tutor

Florist: Donna Skupien and Rose Bud East

DJ: Davis Mallory

Caterer: Rumors East

Cake: Sweet 16

It's My Baby {miller hunt}

Miller.  That's my baby boy!  He was born in June and I'm just in love.  I stare, stare, and stare.  Poor baby is forever gonna have a camera in his face!  Within his first week of life, I was able to snap some pictures at various times and have to share with everyone!

A Little Bit of Country... {Blackledge Family}

I can't even begin to tell you how fun it was to take pictures of these three!  I absolutely LOVE a good old country truck - especially a blue one.  Rob and Emily are such down to earth people and their little one Fletcher is just as easy going!  We spent one evening out snapping photos with their truck, under a railway, reading books, drinkin some drinks and sitting by the river.  Just doesn't get much better than that!