Amanda Maree Photography » Amanda Maree Photography - Brisbane Newborn Photographer

Little dove we needed you

more than you’ll ever know

We wanted and we loved you

before that you did grow.

 

Sessions are always so much sweeter when it’s a babe that you have known and loved on already for such a long time. Today’s sweet girl has been around for a little while but thankfully, she escaped the NICU just in time to visit me for the most divine newborn session!! I was one of her very first NICU nurses…and shhhh, don’t tell anyone, but one of her favourite nurses too!! It’s been such a joy to watch her grow from strength to strength over the past few months. I’ll let her mumma share her story below and I’ll share some images throughout but check out this lovely little lady….

Ben and I had both wanted a family our whole life but had never found the right person to do that with until one day in 2014 we stumbled across each other and since that moment we have never looked back. We had many adventures in the first couple of years together, got married on 9th March 2018, then after our honeymoon got the best news that we were expecting our first bundle of joy on 8th February 2019. We fell pregnant much sooner than we thought but were over the moon with the news.

I had the dream pregnancy, I was feeling great and baby was developing perfectly. The pregnancy was going so well that 3 months before Ella’s due date I sent Ben on a fishing trip up north with the boys. Unfortunately 24 hours later I ended up in the Mater Mothers hospital in preterm labour. It was touch and go for a few days which gave my husband enough time to dump the boat on the side of the road and fly back to Brisbane.

At 16:52 on 21/11/2018 baby Ella was delivered by emergency cesarean and weighed a tiny 1300grams (2.8pounds), she was 11 weeks and 2 days early.
It was an extremely scary, unknown, confronting and heart wrenching time but she has proved to the world that she is a little fighter. She overcame one hurdle at a time from learning to breath unassisted, learning to hold her temperature, learning to feed through a tube and later from the breast, having her blood tested every second day, having her eyes and ears tested every week, tackling a double hernia operation when she was still so small and the list goes on…

After many long weeks in intensive care with the wonderful NICU doctors and nurses we were finally able to bring our precious Ella home. She now weighs a massive 3.2kg and is as healthy as ever.
It was a roller coaster of a 12 weeks but now we are finally able to be the loving parents we always wanted to be to our little miracle.

World…Meet Ella.x.

Newborn baby girl sleeping on grey blanket with white lace wrap and grey flower tieback Newborn baby girl sleeping on grey blanket with white lace wrap and white knit bonnetMumma chose a stunning gallery of natural neutrals…greys, whites, browns, creams and pinks…and will you just look at this adorable little lady…perfect in every set up! Newborn baby girl sleeping in farmers basket with pink blanket and wrap and bow tieback and flowers on white wooden floor Newborn baby girl sleeping in round cane basket with brown blanket and knit layer and wrap and tieback with bunny toy on wooden floorSweet Ella smiled up a storm all day long…as long as I didn’t have my camera around!!! But I did manage to sneak this one in without her looking! She brought this adorable little bunny with her and I’d say by the look of the set up…she likes him!! Newborn baby girl sleeping in grey lace basket with grey fluff and fur wearing grey romper and flower tieback and silver bracelet on white wooden floorOh em gee…how divine is this gorgeous bracelet with Ella’s name on it…I just love it when families bring special keepsakes. Newborn baby girl sleeping in grey lace basket with grey fluff and fur wearing grey romper and flower tieback and silver bracelet on white wooden floor Newborn baby girl sleeping on cream blanket with pink knit blanket and tieback with soft toysLook at Ella’s gorgeous little friends she brought with her and this stunning pink blanket made especially for her! Newborn baby girl sleeping in cream tin bucket with cream felt layer and wrap and knit bonnet on white wooden floor and flowers Newborn baby girl sleeping in round wooden bowl with purple blanket and wrap and tieback on wooden floorI shared a live of this set up…did you catch it? I just love this dusty purple colour… Newborn baby girl sleeping on cream blanket with brown lace knit wrap and bonnet Newborn baby girl sleeping on cream blanket with brown lace knit wrap and tiebackNow whenever I do this sort of pose, I always imagine that this is exactly what baby was curled up like just mere days earlier. Of course it’s a little different with Ella because she’s wasn’t snuggled up at term in her mumma’s tummy but still crazy to think that the little 1.3kg baby is now a chunky 3.2kg big girl!! Newborn baby girl sleeping in wooden crate with pink wrap and blanket and knit bonnet on hessian layer on wooden floor Newborn baby girl wrapped in plum wrap with rose tieback and rose sleeping on cream furThis is a special picture and I’d have to say, one of my favourite’s…a rose for little Ella Rose. Newborn baby girl sleeping on wooden bed with pink curly felt layer and knit layer wearing pink romper and knit bonnetThere is just something so gorgeous about babies in little onesies taking a nap! Papa loved this bed and mumma chose the colours and textures so it’s the perfect set up! Newborn baby girl sleeping in pink romper being held by fatherAnd last…but not least…just a teeny girl safe in her papa’s arms.

Charlotte and Ben…thank you sharing your gorgeous girl with me and for the privilege of not only allowing me to care for her in the NICU but also being able to capture special memories of you all during this extra special time.

Ella you are beyond cute…don’t ever change!

 

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You are the exclamation mark in the happiest sentence I could ever possibly write!

Today’s gorgeous little man was all kinds of lovely and a definite light in the darkness. He brought his mumma and papa to capture some special memories and there was so much love it was palpable. You see their journey to meet this sweet guy has been hard, it has been broken and it has been long…but he is working his magic to bring light, to heal broken hearts and to celebrate someone special who came before him. He was such a good boy today, slept up a storm, was extremely patient with me while I worked my way through a bazillion gorgeous set ups and as we tried all his papa’s crazy ideas 😉 I’ll let his mumma share a little of their story but please join me in giving this beautiful family some love today….they are so deserving.x.

We were both teachers at a primary school. Started dating, and have since moved to other schools.
Got married on Sept 17, 2016. We were married, had the house and dog, so decided we were ready for children.

We found out the amazing news that we had gotten pregnant fairly easily. We spread the word to anyone who would listen and posted on FaceBook. We went to all the prescribed gynological appointments.

At our 20 week morphology scan we excitedly tried to make sense of the images while the operator was very quiet and spent a lot of time examining. That is when we heard the scariest words, “I just need to get a second opinion.” It was here that we learnt there was a tear in the placental wall, which had caused the feutus to have deformities that were “not conducive with life.” We were told this was super rare, as rare as winning the lottery. Lucky us…
We were booked into hospital to induce labour in a couple of days. That night Nathan had a vivid dream of angels so we decided to name him Michael. Michael was just a couple of days short of being recognised legally in the system for a birth certificate etc.
There was a lot of heartache and turmoil. Our relationship severely put to the test. However, while never forgotten, the pain did dissipate over time. We came out of the hardship sure that we were a solid team and we decided to roll the dice once again for a second pregnancy.
This pregnancy also took quickly but were we had nothing but hope and joy before, this time was filled with anxiety and stress. We kept it a secret from anyone not close family until our 20 week scan came back successful.

On 1st February, 2019 at 9:02am, we welcomed Elias into the world. We are all now at home and are settling in well. We have set up a monkey, jungle theme for him in his nursery as he was very active in the womb. Thank you to Amanda for capturing our joy in this special slice of time. She was very professional and we had confidence that she knew how to get great photos that we will treasure for a lifetime.

World…Meet Elias.x.

Newborn baby boy sleeping wrapped in white wrap in wooden log bowl with white blanket on white wooden floor with butterflies in rainbow shape Newborn baby boy sleeping wrapped in white wrap in wooden log bowl with white blanket on white wooden floor with blue butterfly“After the storm….there is a rainbow of hope”

This beautiful little guy…a rainbow after a very dark storm…with a teeny tiny blue butterfly in honour of his big brother who I know is watching over him from heaven.

Newborn baby boy sleeping on blue blanketThat smile…. Newborn baby boy sleeping on blue blanket with white wrap and knit bonnet Newborn baby wrapped in blue blanket in round cane basket with blue fluff with blue knit bonnet and felt heartMumma and papa wanted a gorgeous gallery filled with blues and greens and whites…this little guy looked divine in every set up! Newborn baby boy wrapped in green wrap with green blanket in farmers basket on white wooden floor with green and cream knit booties and green felt heart Newborn baby boy wrapped in green wrap with green blanket in farmers basket on white wooden floor with green and cream knit booties and green felt heartThis picture is extra special…those gorgeous knit booties next to Elias were made especially for his big brother Michael…and I wanted to include him in our session today…and the little felt heart because I know Michael will always be with Elias in his heart.

Newborn baby boy sleeping in round wooden bowl wearing tan knit romper and matching bear bonnet with green blanket and multi coloured leaf floor rug on white wooden floorI shared a little live feed of this set up…did you catch it? Elias’s nursery is jungle theme so I knew this set up would  be perfect. I was channeling the jungle book and Baloo the bear!

Newborn baby boy sleeping on cream blanket nakedThis guy was full of smiles today…does it get any sweeter?

Newborn baby boy sleeping on cream blanket with blue wrap and knit bonnet Newborn baby boy sleeping on cream blanket with blue wrap By far the best hair ever!! Honey blonde and brown…a little mohawk…it was so lush!

Newborn baby boy sleeping in round white felt bowl wearing white knit romper and bonnet on white wooden floorOh Lort…this guy though!!!

Newborn baby boy sleeping in farmers basket wearing blue knit romper and bonnet with blue blanket on wooden floorThis is one of my favourite colours and favourite knit rompers…I must admit it was swimming on teeny tiny Elias but it was worth it…the cutest little guy ever! And he was just so laid back…slept the entire time despite several wardrobe changes and many many props! Newborn baby boy sleeping in cream bucket with blue wrap and blanket and bonnet and knit bear on white wooden floorJust a guy and his bear….

Newborn baby boy wrapped in blue wrap with blue blanket and blue knit layer in wooden crate on wooden floorSnug as a bug…

Newborn baby boy sleeping on wooden bed with green fur and green knit layer wearing green knit romper and green knit bootiesAnd last but not least…I think this one is my favourite…a sibling photo of a different kind but just as important…Elias and his big brother Michael’s little booties. Forever linked, forever together…one here earthside and one watching on.

Michael…thank you for bringing your family to me today…your beautiful spirit was present…I hope you know just how loved you are.

Elias…you are the sweetest little guy…I know you will help heal your families broken hearts and live an amazing life in honour of your big brother.

Sara and Nathan, thank you for trusting me to share your story and your gorgeous boys…it was a true honour.x.

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Life it was so simple…

so quiet, calm and free…

And then it got quite busy…

when we added three!

But now it seems although…

you were always here…

never we imagined…

how much we’d hold you dear.

 

I will never forget the day I met today’s sweet mumma. She was standing still, rather dazed and confused amongst a sea of babies and a large collection of them were hers!! You see today’s little visitors are the most amazing miracles and the best of surprises! Life was cruising along smoothly for this family, a young couple together, helping raise papa’s little guy, thinking maybe they might like to add a little bubba, part of the both of them, to complete their little world. You can only imagine the shock when that surprise was a little bigger than they initially anticipated. When the ultrasound revealed not one, not two but three little heartbeats. Even more surprising that this was a spontaneous pregnancy, one tiny egg, split into three to create these gorgeous identical triplet girls!!! So of course you can imagine MY excitement when the girls were ready to leave the NICU and were well enough to visit us in the studio today! What a story….

This story begins back in June 2018 when Jessica and Adam got the surprise of a lifetime when they were told they were having identical triplet girls, Mia, Chloe and Harley.
With no fertility drugs or family history, these girls were certainly meant to be.
Jessica had a fairly easy pregnancy considering there were 3 tiny humans growing inside her and made it to 31 weeks before the girls needed to be delivered due to pre-eclampsia and poor little Chloe was not as big as her two sisters but never doubt her strength. They spent 6 weeks in the Mater Mothers NICU and special care units before coming home early in the new year stronger than could have ever been imagined.
For Jessica and Adam, adjusting to life with triplets is somewhat challenging but when you have 3 little angels like these life could not get any better. 
World….Meet Harley, Chloe and Mia.x.
Newborn twin girls wrapped in blue blankets in a blue floral nest on white wooden floor wearing blue flower tiebacksI shared a little live of this set up….aren’t they just divine. Mumma loved beautiful beachy colours…blues, teals, tan’s and pink’s and this nest was just perfect. How gorgeous do the girls look in blue all snuggled up together? Now I thought I was onto it, sweet Chloe is the smaller of the girls, so that made things a little easier but the bigger girls are very similar in weight and were near impossible to tell apart. Mumma came up with the clever idea of painting little Mia’s toenail…which was perfect until we wrapped them up! But I’m going to say, left to right, that this is Harley, Chloe and Mia…and that is the order we tried to stick to for the session although at times it was a sea of babies and nappies and wraps!!!
Newborn triplet baby girls wearing pink rompers and tiebacks in a white cane basket with white blanket inside and pink blanket underneath on white wooden floor Newborn triplet baby girls wearing pink rompers and tiebacks in a white cane basket with white blanket inside and pink blanket underneath on white wooden floorYou can just tell already that these girls are going to be the best of friends….
Newborn triplet girls wrapped in cream wraps on cream fur with cream tiebacksIt was so lovely to see the girls looking so chubby and healthy considering they were only 1630grams for Mia and Harley born, and 1030grams for teeny Chloe….
Newborn triplet girls sleeping on blue blanket with blue tiebacks and blue wrapHeart explode….right?
Newborn triplet girls sleeping on pink blanket with pink wraps and pink bonnets Newborn triplet girls sleeping in round wooden bowl with cream blanket and wraps with hessian layer and shells on brown backdropA little bit of beach in the studio today…

Newborn triplet girls dressed in teal rompers laying in round teal bowl with cream blanket and teal curly felt layer on white wooden floorAnyone who knows me knows I love a good romper and these three teal outfits were so adorable on the girls today!!!

Newborn triplet girls sleeping on blue blanket with blue wraps and blue felt layer and tiebacksNawwww I hope they sleep this peacefully at home for their mumma and papa…they were seriously amazing for us in the studio today!

Newborn triplet girls sleeping in teal felt nest in under the sea setting wrapped in green, navy and plum wraps with purple, white and mustard flower crownsAnd lastly…a little bit of sea magic for their beach inspired session…

Harley, Chloe and Mia it was such a blessing to see you all today and see you go from strength to strength over the last couple of months in the NICU. Your fighting spirit shines through and you are definitely meant to be here. Thank you for sleeping up a storm and being so patient with us as we snuggled you up in prop after prop!

Jessica and Adam…while I am tired just at the thought of how busy life is for you right now, it was a joy to see how amazing you guys are doing today. The girls are divine and you should be so proud. Thank you for the opportunity to capture memories of this special time in your lives. I can’t wait to watch the girls grow and have you all back in the studio throughout the next year!

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  • Gen - Sooo beautiful. Love the first shot and the one with blue bows and leaning on each other’s shoulders. Gorgeous!ReplyCancel

Inside our hearts were breaking…

our dreams were crushed you’d say…

Then suddenly light shining…

a rainbow on it’s way…

We let our hearts be open…

in hopes they’d fill with love…

that we’d be rewarded…

with a miracle above.

 

Now this story is a special one and it starts a long time ago back in 2011. In an ambulance, in the early hours of the morning, in my other job, I went racing to another hospital to pick up a very small, very premature, very sick little baby. When I arrived, I was met by just that, but he was also a fighter. I met his mumma and papa and our journey together began. After months in NICU, many highs and many more lows, that little fighter went home and I have been lucky enough to stay in touch with that gorgeous little guy and his family since then. In fact, over the years, they have practically become family to me. Super excited for me when I welcomed each of my own little babes and helping me out along the way….in fact this little warrior’s nanny came to my house on Christmas eve and helped me (cough cough Santa!!) put together a trampoline after my kids had gone to bed one year…CHRISTMAS EVE peeps!  Then when my eldest had surgery last year she was there again looking after us. Sooooooo…..when that little fighter, let’s call him Luccas, since that’s his name….found out he was getting his very first cousin…it seemed only fitting that our story grow again and I welcome them into my home (and my studio) to capture special memories for the family.

Sweet Luccas’s Uncle Christopher and Aunty Teagan found out there were expecting a little miracle…and you see this little miracle was just as much of a fighter as his cousin Luccas…a rainbow after stormy times here to help heal his mumma and papa’s hearts. I’ll let his mumma share a little of their journey and I’ll add some pics along the way, but boy oh boy, what a privilege it was to have this gorgeous little guy in the studio today and to give his family the gift of special memories, considering the last time I took photo’s for them it was in the NICU under much scarier circumstances. Today….was the hugest honour.

Christopher and I have been together for 7 years and always knew we wanted to have a family. We both have siblings and while the role of Aunty and Uncle is amazing, we were desperate for our own little one. No matter how patient we were, it seems our journey would not be an easy one. Heart breakingly, we had two miscarriages and worried our time would never come. But thankfully, last year our little rainbow was created. Every week we nervously watched and waited as he grow stronger. In September last year we were married in the most divine ceremony, surround by family and friends and our little love nestled under my heart. Then, on the 11th of January, all our dreams came true when our little man finally arrived safely earthside. Now he’s already two weeks old and it’s like he was always here with us….where he belongs. Definitely…worth the wait.

World….Meet Arlo.x.

Newborn baby boy sleeping in round wooden bowl with teal felt wearing teal pants on teal back drop with rainbow made of buttons Newborn baby boy sleeping on blue blanket smiling Newborn baby boy sleeping on blue blanket wearing blue knit beanie with blue wrapThat sweet little smile… Newborn baby boy sleeping in wooden crate on green fur wrapped in green blanket with green knit layer and bear bonnetMumma wanted a gallery filled with pastels…and this soft green and baby blue’s were perfect! Newborn baby boy sleeping on cream blanket with rainbow knit wrap, blue knit bonnet and felt rainbow heartI did a little live video of this set up….did you catch it? Seems only fitting that my mumma made this gorgeous rainbow wrap, it went perfectly with sweet Arlo’s session and one of my favourite felt hearts from Little Jar Big Dreams. Newborn baby boy wrapped in blue wrap with blue blanket and blut knit bonnet in cream bucket on white wooden floor Newborn baby boy sleeping on cream fur wrapped in cream knit blanketThis was one of our last set ups for the day and I think its one of my favourite shots. I adore this knit wrap, its so soft and creamy. At this point mumma and papa came back into the studio for family shots (after having a little rest out in the loungeroom during the session) so seeing their little guy snuggled up like this was such a sweet surprise…lots of nawwwws! Newborn baby boy sleeping in round wooden bowl wearing knit lion outfit with brown felt and mustard blanket and wrap on wooden floorThis is a super special shot. I always ask families to bring something special to include in their session so when mumma mentioned The Lion King was her favourite, that it was also Arlo’s nursery theme and that she had this little knitted lion outfit I was so excited to see it all come together. When I laid him down in this bowl to set up the shot, he literally just posed himself like this and kicked back. Oh lord…it was all kinds of adorable! AND….I can not wait to see this printed big on the nursery wall!!! Newborn baby boy sleeping on wooden crate with blue blanket and knit bonnet and teddyJust a little boy and a bear…. Newborn baby boy sleeping in cane basket with blue blanket and wearing blue knit pants and bonnetI may have snuck this bright blue in the pastel mix but I think it works perfectly with Arlo’s gorgeous skin tones…. Newborn baby boy sleeping in farmers basket with blue blanket and wrap and felt heart on wooden floor Newborn baby boy sleeping in farmers basket with blue blanket and wrap and felt heart on wooden floor Newborn baby boy sleeping in farmers basket with blue blanket and wrap and blue knit bonnet on wooden floor Newborn baby boy sleeping on wooden bed with cream knit wrap and wearing cream knit romperAnother one of my favourite’s using this gorgeous knit wrap and matching romper. He just snuggled right up here and kept napping!! I adore this romper from Poppy’s Props and wrap from Chino Creations. Newborn baby boy sleeping in tattoed mummas armsAnd what better way to end a session than snuggled safely in your mumma’s arms (right after you’ve pee’d all over your papa’s arms!)

Luccas…thank you for bringing us all together…I feel so blessed our story continues. Thank you for always lending your nanny to us and for sharing your gorgeous new cousin with me!

Teagan and Christopher it was truly a joy to meet you today and have you all in the studio, Arlo is divine and I feel so honoured to be able to capture special memories for you as a new family.

Arlo…thank you for being the most lovely little rainbow I ever did meet.x.

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So many things come in pairs…

like ears and socks and panda bears…

But best of all are sets of twins…

with extra laughter and double grins!

Ok….so you may be thinking that these sweet girls look a little larger and more alert than my usual newborns…and guess what? You would be right! But that doesn’t mean they should miss out on a newborn session. Today’s gorgeous little ladies were born a little early and teeny tiny and so we had to wait a little while before we could get them into the studio. But lucky me, today they were all set to go and by the look of the excitement…particularly on one little face…they couldn’t wait!

Born at just 32 weeks and weighing only 1.7kg and 1.4kg these little wonder women have been warriors from the very beginning and it was an absolute joy to see them again today now out of the NICU and looking so chubby and healthy! I’ll let mumma share a little of their journey and I’ll share some cute pics but boy oh boy they were absolutely divine!

When Winter & Grace came into the world it felt amazing. Damian and I had decided to take one last chance on what had been a long IVF journey. We look at our two beautiful girls with wonder. To us they are truly our super heroes. Seeing them grow so much already, we wanted to be share we did not miss the chance to capture this special moment in life.

World….Meet Winter & Grace.x.

Newborn twin girls sleeping in farmers baskets with cream and pink wraps and curly felt and tiebacks Newborn baby girl sleeping in farmers basket with pink blanket and wrap and felt and knit bonnet on white wooden floor Newborn baby girl awake in farmers basket with pink blanket and wrap and felt and knit bonnet on white wooden floorLittle Winter was not super excited to nap today but she was so very sweet…she followed Amy, my assistant everywhere with these gorgeous big blue eyes and gave the BEST smiles!!

Baby twin girls sleeping wrapped in cream knit blankets on cream fur with bow tiebacks Newborn baby girl sleeping in white wooden bed with white blanket and lace wrap and headband on white wooden floor Newborn baby girl sleeping in wooden bed with pink blanket and lace wrap and headband on white wooden floor The girls both just loved being snuggled up in these little beds…sweet sweet sleeping….

Newborn baby girls sleeping in round cane basket with pink blanket and wraps and tiebacks on white wooden floorNow I always ask my families to bring something to include in the session that is special to them…something that was given to or made for the baby, something that belonged to the parents as babies, something that has special significance in their story. And the next two images are exactly that. Known is super heroes, the girls were gifted the most divine art prints for their rooms with their names and superheroes on them so we just had to create a special set up just for that story today. Look at these two little fighters!

Newborn twin girls wrapped in grey blankets wearing superhero masks surrounded by soft toy super hero dolls wrapped in a red blanket on cream fur Newborn twin girls in wonderwoman outfits on blue fur“When you’re all set to take on the world but your partner in crime isn’t feeling it????”

Winter and Grace it was an absolute blessing to care for you in the NICU and an even bigger joy to see you today thriving. Even though my back is sore from rocking some rather large newborns to sleep, I am so glad you could come today!!!

Naz & Damian thank you so much for trusting me with your gorgeous little fighters, I am so glad our paths crossed!

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