As I prepped my gear at their kitchen counter, I paused to hear the laughter of the boys, to feel the rays of sunshine pouring through the windows, and to take in the atmosphere of peace and love that is tangible in the Watson home.
“I am so excited to be here,” I thought as I picked which lens to start the session with. It was a special day, and the Watsons are special people to me.
This was the day we were going to officially photograph their newest family addition, a sweet baby boy named Aiden. Aiden and his older brothers, Andrew & AJ, are all precious gifts to Antwon & Marquisse, because they are what we call Rainbow Babies! If you’re unfamiliar with the term, Rainbow Babies are children born after a parent's previous miscarriage, still birth or death in infancy. It is called a rainbow baby because it is like a rainbow after a storm. A beautiful gift, a promise of another chance, after a terrible trauma. The rainbow doesn’t negate the severity of the storm, nor does it mean the family isn’t still dealing with the aftermath. But it does mean that something beautiful can still shine after the darkness of a terrible storm in our lives.
Antwon & Marquisse welcomed their first born, a daughter, Alana Marie Watson, into the world on May 22, 2014. She was born at 24 weeks due to complications of pre-eclampsia, weighing 15oz and 11in long. Due to complications of her premature birth, Alana lived for 36 hours, passing away on May 23, 2014.
The Watsons knew they wanted to help others who have faced the same pain, so they founded a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization named The Alana Marie Project. The organization is focused on encouraging, empowering, and supporting families who have experienced the loss of a baby from miscarriage, stillbirth, or infant death. They provide services such as grief support materials, keepsakes for family, help identifying local support groups, and creating a platform for other families to share their stories. You can learn more about the Alana Marie Project at thealanamarieproject.com
Last year, Marquisse released a 31 Day Devotional for grieving families entitled, “Broken But beautiful.” Learn more here at: thealanamarieproject.com/resources
Mom & Dad were cool as cucumbers as they wrangled their 3 boys with ease. I was so impressed by their preparedness! They had snacks on deck for the older boys, outfit changes ready for the newborn, different locations planned through out the home, and had managed to get 2 adults, 2 children and a newborn fully dressed and ready for morning family portraits! They were made for this!
Newborn Aiden was completely unphased as his brothers danced around us, wild with laughter and having the time of their lives. After all, he knew those laughs, he knew the sound of their feet shuffling around him. This was his lullaby in the womb.
I’m so honored to have been a part of capturing so many cool life moments for the Watson family, but this may just be my favorite thus far. We got some really sweet photos of the family, and honored their sweet gift of baby Aiden.
To know the Watsons is to love them. They are the kindest, most humble, sweetest, fun and loving family. And I’m honored to be their photographer.
