Motherhood can be an interesting journey.

You become a mom before you even meet your child.

You feel them before you see them. You see your own body change before you even see their tiny body in person.

Your baby is first part of you (weird) and then expected to come out of you (ouch), all while people give you unwanted advice, and some even feel the freedom to comment on your physical appearance as though you’ve never looked in a mirror before.

Somehow in the midst of all the newness and unknown, you’re expected to feel connected to your baby, excited about the next step, and confident in what’s coming.

Motherhood comes with a whole lot of fear. A whole lot of stretch marks. And a whole lot of change.

But sometimes that change surprises you (and your partner too!) with beauty. With extra love. And with new determination.

Because motherhood doesn’t happen overnight, but it instead eases over you day by day as it prepares you to be a different kind of woman.

A different kind of you.

Jess, it has been SO beautiful to watch motherhood change you slowly and confidently! Don’t forget that even though your body looks unrecognizable in the mirror, underneath you’re still the same person… Just a little bit different and a little bit more you. Love you guys and I can’t wait to meet baby Hughes!! :)

She emailed me last minute to ask if I was available. As soon as I read the word adoption, I was all in.

Could I photograph the day these children became legally theirs? Yes. Could I be there to witness the moment when this family became a full unit? Yes. Would this 30 minutes be a vastly more emotional experience than I ever imagined? Yes.

I had no idea what to expect, but I knew that for those in the room… this day would never be forgotten.

Adoption is a messy beautiful thing.

Messy, because brokenness and pain and trauma come packaged together with hope and kindness and redemption.

Messy, because in order for one family to become whole, another must first be broken.

But among all that messiness - hope glimmers.

Hope for the future, hope for love, and hope because His plan is always perfect.

Jana and Dan, I can’t even begin to describe how much this meant to me. THANK YOU for including me, for trusting me, and for following the path God laid out for you. I have such a greater understanding of and appreciation for what family really means because of you. Praying God’s richest blessings for all seven of you in the days to come!