Amanda Maree Photography » Amanda Maree Photography - Brisbane Newborn Photographer

If you’re wondering where to find me…

I’ll tell you where I’ll be…

I’m in that in between bit…

that space where sky meets sea…

In the whispers of the trees…

and the edges of your dreams…

close enough to almost touch…

but slightly out of reach…

I’m in the moon and in the stars…

but never really far…

and always, always I am there…

deep inside your heart.

By Catherine Prutton

 

Ok…there may have been tears for today’s session…happy tears, sad tears…and lots and lots of love. I’ve thought about this session for such a long time and although it’s not the session that Mumma and Papa hoped and dreamed for, we made it as extra special as we could. You see I first met this sweet family many months ago when their gorgeous boys were born at just 23 weeks, long before they were supposed to be earthside. Sadly, darling Samuel lost his courageous battle but his brother has fought long and hard and today, at 132 days, he came for his ‘newborn’ session with his tiny brother Samuel watching over him. I just adore this family and it was such an honour to celebrate both of their boys today. I’ll let his Mumma share their tale and I’ll share some special pics along the way.

World…Meet Sebastiono…He’s New Here.x.

My boys Sebastiano and Samuel are not only Mater Miracle Babies they are miracles in their own rights taking 16 years to arrive conceived naturally we found out on the 13th June 2020 and I was 7 weeks along. The boys were to arrive on Australia Day 2021 (26th Jan 2021) they decided to arrive at 23wks+4 days and 23wks+5 days. Yes, you read correctly they have two different birth dates as Sebastiano was born 3/10/2020 @1054pm and Samuel was born 4/10/2020 @ 0128am. Sebastiano was 645grams and Samuel 610grams born and due to their age and prematurity we lost Samuel 6 days after they arrived. This is where Amanda fits into our story as she is a Nurse when she is not behind the lens, she was assigned to look after Samuel on his last day with us and she made sure that he was looked after the best was possible and capturing some precious moments with our son that we would not have if she was not rostered to work with Samuel on his last day of life. At this stage of our journey as first-time parents we were not only facing the arrival of twins we also faced the fear of possibly losing one or both of our boys due to their early arrival. On day 7 Sebastiano was still fighting his fight for survival having his own hurdles to cross we had to stay strong for him whilst grieving the loss of his little brother. We spent a total of 115 days in the NICCU unit numerous good bad and ugly days and on the 25th Jan 2021, we were discharged with our boy.  Not a day goes by that that we take for granted what we have been through we have had amazing support from our families and the staff of the NICCU unit to get us through each and every day which brings us to this day (11 Feb 2021)Sebastiano being 132 days old and kicking goals daily continuing the journey on the outside world with his brother along for the ride every step of the way as his Guardian Angel today we capture our journey on the outside again with Amanda working her magic with her fellow nursing colleague Dani with a photoshoot session with our sons. We can’t thank Amanda enough for the beautiful work she does not only as a photographer but also as a nurse so thank you so much from our little family to you and your family. Bless you for being such a beautiful soul.  So much love for this image…not just for the connection that these darling boys will always have even though one is earthside and one is watching on from heaven but also capturing just how hard sweet Sebastiano has had to fight to get to where he is today. I remember just how small they both were when they were born, his strength to fight on in honour of Samuel is inspiring.

Not the sibling image any parent wants to have but one that will be treasured forever.x. He’s a true fighter this little guy and we wanted to celebrate his journey… Now considering he was a mere 132 days old and our usual sessions are scheduled in the first 14 days…this little guy was an absolute dream…so laid back and didn’t make a peep! I literally didn’t even pose him…he just snuggled up like this with his hands! Mumma and Papa brought this gorgeous little wrap with them today to include in Sebastiano’s session and it went perfectly with the aqua theme and his gorgeous olive skin. Boys always get the best lashes and lips…right? Ok I can’t even with this photo…this teeny tiny highchair is not for every baby, they have to be really sleepy and Sebastiano definitely was, so with my assistant right beside him we set to snuggly popping him in to rest his head on the table in front on a pillow…but when I put him in he just laid there back like this completely relaxed…we were in fits of laughter…he was practically snoring! This snug sort of pose can be tricky for older babies…after all it’s been months since Sebastiano was snug in the womb like this but he could have cared less and let us do whatever we liked with him in all our props! How adorable does he look just snoozin! We shared the same cocoon,

my sibling and I.

And where I have learned to walk,

my beloved friend will show me how to fly.

This image is everything. I literally cried when Mumma showed me these breathtaking little golden casts of sweet Samuel’s hands and feet and knew we had to capture the special connection between the brothers. Inspired by my amazing colleague Lizzie over at Kowhai + Thistle I wanted to show just how teeny tiny Samuel’s (and long ago Sebastiano’s) feet were, and that despite their bodies not growing together earthside, they will always be intertwined.

Sebastiano you are the true example of what a warrior is…no matter what you have fought and I know you will flourish with your Mumma, Papa and brother by your side.

Tanya and Uaine my heart is literally exploding…thank you for the privilege of caring for both of your boys and your family both in the darkness and the light. Being in your space when Samuel grew his angel wings will be one of the most beautiful and enriching experiences I have ever had the honour of being a part of. And sharing your story is has been the greatest gift.