Miracle Babies: 1 year later...

This is a story about miracles...

Shanda is one of those friends that I can go for a couple of years without seeing, yet when we see each other again it's not weird at all. We've known each other since Freshman orientation at Western Carolina (more than a couple of years ago!) and have kept in touch here and there over the years. Early fall 2006 I got an email that Shanda and her husband were having twins. But the next thing I knew, there was another email saying that the boys had been born nearly 14 weeks premature.

On November 16, 2006, Evan and Tristan came into the world fighting for their lives. But they did not come into this world alone--they were accompanied by the prayers of hundreds of family, friends, and strangers and the expertise of amazing doctors. Evan weighed a tiny 1 pound 13 ounces and Tristan a teeny 1 pound 7 ounces. Can you even imagine babies so tiny? Their preemie diapers were the size of a dollar bill! Here's where the miracles come in....the boys spent 87 days in the hospital, but amazingly they came home before their original due date in February. And amazingly, they are perfectly strong and healthy and happy today! Shanda and Randy are such sweet and brave parents, and they are fully aware of the miracle of their boys.

I got together with Shanda and the boys at her mom's house in Charlotte just a few days after their 1st birthday in November. We shot some birthday pictures and celebrated their first year of life. Their one-year homecoming from the hospital will be February 11th, so I thought this would be the perfect time to share their photos!

These handprints and footprints were made when they were newborns. Notice the size of the quarter in comparison to the footprints!

Regular size pacifier for a year old baby, compared to the itty bitty paci when Evan and Tristan were in the hospital...

Christmas hats they wore in 2006 compared to the winter hats they wore around their first birthday. Getting an idea of how much they've grown?!

OK, so here are the boys now! Are they adorable or what??

(I'm pretty sure their grins mean "No Mommy, we're not eating leaves! Just looking at them.")

Shanda said they are fraternal twins, but I still had a hard time telling them apart.

I think this is Tristan...

...and I think this is Evan! (Shanda, leave me a comment if I've got it backwards!)

It was almost naptime when we came inside from the chilly leaves, and there was some ear-pulling....

Paci-stealing...

and a couple of tears.

Finally happy again, in Mommy's arms.

Like I said, this story is about miracles: the miracle of amazing medical care, the miracle of the prayers of many, and the simple miracle of a cold day in the leaves with two perfect babies. If you are able, you can click here to make a donation to the March of Dimes in honor of these boys or the healthy babies in your own life! http://www.marchofdimes.com/howtohelp/howtohelp.asp

Shanda--thank you for letting me share your story. I can't wait to see you guys again!

Katy & Jon

How do I know this couple? Let me count the ways....my mom and Katy's aunt have been friends since 1st grade and work together now; Katy's aunt and I used to work together; I've gone to church with Jon's family forever; and I was a bridesmaid in Jon's sister's wedding in 2001. Wow, that's a lot of history! They are such a cute couple and have super sweet friends and family. They had a beautiful church wedding and a really fun dessert reception.

I am all about shoes! One of my former brides pointed out that I always do this with the shoes--stack them up.

Katy and Jon chose to see each other before the ceremony. I love being able to capture that "first sighting" of each other, so it's super exciting to me when couples want to do their pictures ahead of time. I borrowed the first sighting technique below from photographer Cliff Mautner, master of lighting and emotion. :-)

Katy's excitement as she realizes the door is opening and Jon is coming out to see her for the first time...

How cute is this?

I always get excited when I capture a smirk or "that look" that I know the groom is used to seeing from his bride. This look is sooo Katy!

I love the happiness on Katy's mom's face as she hugs her daughter after the ceremony.

The flower girl was SO cute and loved twirling in her poufy dress...

Jon's mom had some fun on the dance floor, too!

J&K--I had such a great time working with you and your families! Thank you so much for choosing me to be a part of your wedding day!

Baby Charlie

Baby Charlie was born right before Christmas, and I got to meet him and take his newborn pictures when he was just a little over a week old. He is a complete cutie! I met his parents earlier this year through mutual friends, and they are naturals at this "mommy and daddy" stuff. On to the sneak peek while mom and dad are waiting for me to give them their proofs...


I love Charlie's little wrinkled up forehead--he looks so serious!

I adore this family photo--it is so sweet and serene. How in love with this baby are they?!?

This one cracks me up! The kitty may be having some jealousy issues--I'm thinking it probably ruled the house before Charlie came along. I love the contrast of the two of them relaxing on the couch facing opposite directions...




Thanks for letting me come out to your home and take some of Charlie's first portraits! I can't wait to see him again and see how much he's already grown!

Go Heels!!!

Wow--what a nailbiter! I went to the UNC/Clemson basketball game tonight with my friend Kevin (a huge Clemson fan), and it was a crazy game. The Heels won it with a 3-pointer literally in the final second of overtime. I was a little worried that Kevin and his dad wouldn't drive me back home from the game. :-)

Finally, Here I Am!

For the past year or so my photography clients have been asking "When are you getting a website?" and "Can we view our photos online?" I've been admittedly slow moving into the 21st century, largely because my brides and families do such an amazing job advertising for me! I was so fortunate to have tons of work during 2007 JUST from word-of-mouth. I love viewing other photographers' websites and blogs, though, so I've come to realize the importance of getting photos and stories out there for the world--or at least my clients and their families--to see. So here goes, this is post #1. I'm learning, so if things look funky for a while, bear with me as I experiment. :-)

OK, I'm going to attempt to include a photo in this post...after all, this is a photography blog! My close friend Robyn was married this fall, and I was honored to be a bridesmaid, so I couldn't photograph her wedding. I did shoot her bridal portraits, and this is a photo of her gorgeous bouquet, taken in the stands at Clemson's Death Valley. (For the record, I'm a UNC Tarheels fan.)

SO...officially...finally...here I am! Amy Clifton Photography. Enjoy!