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Last week was just brutal for all of my little clients during that rotten heatwave. Carrie and I spoke midweek and changed our location from Buckingham Fountain (where there is zero shade and it’s a walk to variety) to Olive Park (where there would be an abundance of shade, hopefully a lake breeze and a ton of variety within a hop, skip and a jump). So, I thought we had it all figured out when we met early last Saturday morning. Then the unthinkable happened: the park was closed! What?! I mean, I knew there were gates near the promenade at the park, but I have never, ever seen them closed before! We were so bummed. Even though the rest of the park offered plenty of great vantage points, we definitely were going to miss out on the piece de resistance, that killer skyline view.  But, randomly enough, we had a guardian angel in the park, ready and waiting to help. Enter Jennifer: a super sweet tenant of the nearby Lake Point Towers who is interested in photography and felt my pain from a distance. She quite generously offered to let us up to LPT’s beautiful garden level so we could take our photos there. What an amazing opportunity! The space is incredibly landscaped with a pond and little duckings, a waterfall and rock garden and a playground. And, of course, great city views. It was shady and breezy and all seven of us had an incredible time exploring the space. So, a huge shout out to my new friend Jennifer for making our day! Carrie and Adam, it was great to see you and your kiddos again. What a pleasure to meet Abbie for the first time! She is the perfect addition to your fantastic family.

My newborn photo session streak last week continued with the introduction of sweet Tommy, brother to one of my all-time favorite clients, Michael. It’s been such a pleasure to get to know this family over the years, and seeing them so proud and happy with their beautiful new addition was incredibly heartwarming. Michael is a great big brother and loves to kiss, hug and sing to little Tommy. We spent about 15 minutes out in the heatwave before heading inside to cool off. We got creative indoors and I just love, love, love how some of those cuddly brother shots turned out. Congratulations again, Elizabeth and Matt! Thanks for letting me be a part of this special time in your lives.

It’s always very special for me to take a couple’s maternity photos, then see them a few weeks or months later to capture them with their new baby. I have been excited about meeting Matt and Aly’s baby girl since we met downtown for a bump session in May. Baby Hadley Emma was everything I had hoped she would be and more when I got to meet her last week. Hadley was wide-eyed and alert and even tolerated a few really fun sporty wardrobe changes to please her daddy. Tiny fan! So cute. And her fur sister, Chloe, was a top model, too…can’t forget to give credit where credit is definitely due. Congratulations Aly and Matt! I’m so happy for you.

What a pro little Emma is! It was already approaching 90 degrees at 8AM last Wednesday morning when we met in Lincoln Park for photos. It. Was. Steamy. But that didn’t stop Emma from giving us her best smiles and rocking her photo shoot. Love those little toothies! It was great to see you again Monica and Kelly. Thanks for braving the heatwave with us!