I only have one kiddo, but I hear OFTEN that the transition from no kids to 1 is not nearly as hard as the transition from 1-2 kids. So anytime I’m going into a newborn session where there’s one older sibling, I am always aware of and prepared for this possible/probable dynamic.
Heading into baby Jackson’s newborn session, I had met and worked with Big Bro William at his mama’s maternity session. So I knew he was full of personality and had a healthy toddler balance of being headstrong but also willing to take direction. At the in-home newborn session, he was no different. According to his parents, he had been a rockstar adjusting to having a baby brother around. He clearly LOVED baby brother Jackson. But he also wanted to have a say in the session and what he was being asked to do – and let me know clear: ANYONE is allowed to have a say in what they’re being asked to do, from a newborn, to a toddler, to a kiddo, to a teenager, to a mom or dad or grandparent. So your kiddo speaking up and having some say in what they’re cool or not cool doing during a session is ABSOLUTELY ALLOWED. That doesn’t mean they’re being a bad listener or a problem. And that certainly doesn’t mean we’re not getting good photos.
With baby Jackson and big bro William, I was so lucky that mama and daddy allowed them both to act how they wanted to act, ask for their needs to be met, and participate in whatever way they were comfortable with.
Here are some of the ‘picture-perfect’ moments and also the real moments that happened in between. I love them all equally.
