Twins

Recently I have had the amazing and heart warming experience of being called on by my good friend Charlotte to photograph her newborn twins, Gavin & Alexis. Char had her babies a few weeks ago and she was blessed with them a couple months early as I understand twins sometimes are. I was fortunate to get to see and photo them for the first time just two days after their birth. It is terribly difficult to see two premature babies hanging on to life and giving everything they've got just to keep going. I have never seen such an outpouring of love to these babies as I have from Char. The love is deep. These are her first children and at the time of my first visit she had not yet even been able to hold them in her arm. The best she could do is to reach in through a small hole in the incubator and lay her hands upon them. It was hard to see and I can't begin to fathom how hard it must have been on her. At the time both Gavin & Alexis were both intubated (a breathing tube) and being helped just to breath. They are in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), ICU for newborns. While Char stood looking over one baby at a time I went to work fulfilling her wishes of capturing their precious and delicate new life with my camera. It was an amazing experience as a photographer and as a human being. Later, when I was able to send Char some of the pictures she was overwhelmed and emotional over them. She was home and not by their side. It brought her to tears. The amazing part however, was that she was able to look upon these pictures as if she was looking in on them in the hospital and she could see them any time she wished. I think this made her feel closer to them and gave me a warm feeling knowing that an image I had created was able to make such a enormous impact on her as she struggled being away from her babies she loves so much.

A week or so later I was back at hospital, camera in hand, with Char to see the babies again. Incredibly, as it was meant to be and as we had hoped for, I was able to be by Char's side for the very first time she was able to hold Gavin in her arms. To see little Gavin come out of the incubator and be placed in her arms was just numbing. Still hooked to the respirator and struggling to keep his heart rate up (through gentle stimulation) she held him close to her chest where his little ears could her is mom's heart beat again for the first time in over two weeks. I quietly snapped away while Char grinned ear to ear. I was capturing what I'm confident was the happiest moments of her life. Gavin did great and he looked completely at peace, like for the first time in his short but eventful life he was right where he was supposed to be. It was simply amazing to be able to be a part of this rare experience and even more so because it was a good friend I was experiencing this with. It was a day I will not soon forget.

I plan to get back to the hospital (it's an hour drive) every two weeks or so to watch and capture as they grow and become less dependent on the support they are so brilliantly receiving, and in a few months at home with mom, learning to crawl and walk talk. How great would it be to be their for their first T-ball game? Their first time off training wheels? Perhaps I'll be fortunate enough to be around to capture their weddings.

For now we just keep hoping and praying for their strength and fortitude that they may grow big and strong.

Love ya Charlotte, keep hanging in there.

PS
I forgot... I got to do this on my birthday. By far the best gift of the year!