Last year on January 17  at 3 a.m., I got the call that I’d been waiting on for months. My sister-in-law was in labor. Luckily, Jason and I were already in Columbus for the weekend, so we didn’t have to travel far. I grabbed my gear and we headed to the hospital to welcome my nephew and take his birth photos!

Once we arrived at the hospital, we went into the room where Sarah was in labor. Friends, let me tell you- labor is no joke. I was with Sarah for an hour pre-epidural and I realized just how much pain a woman’s body can handle. It was really difficult for me to be in the same room with a person I love, and feel completely helpless since there was nothing I could do to help ease her pain. During that time, I took shots of the room and got my camera settings ready for the big reveal.

Full disclosure, this was my first birth session. I was super nervous- mainly because I wanted to be able to give my sister-in-law the perfect images for her to cherish forever- but I was also excited and a little anxious knowing I was about to watch my nephew be born.

At 6:58 a.m., Sarah began to push and at 7:22 a.m. Quincy Shea Gibson took his first breath. With tears streaming down my face, I kept taking shot after shot after shot of the most incredible experience I’ve ever witnessed. Quincy weighed just over eight pounds, had dark hair and the cutest chubby cheeks–and it’s safe to say he stole his aunt’s heart immediately! 

I can’t believe how fast this year went and that my littlest nephew is now walking all over the place! Happy first birthday, Quincy- I’m so excited to watch you grow!