Introducing Ben

So these pictures are some very special pictures to me. They are special for a couple of reasons. One because this precious boy, Ben, is the newest son of some friends of mine from growing up. But they are also special because of this sweet boy’s story. Ben is not Chris and Megan’s first son. Their son, Matthew, will be celebrating his first birthday in Heaven tomorrow. Due to some medical conditions, Matthew only lived a week on earth before God called him home to Heaven. Chris and Megan were incredibly generous to our family in Matthew’s passing because they chose to use his memorial fund for our adoption fund. Because of their incredible sacrifice, we were able to pay for our daughter’s adoption, which ended up costing us a lot more than we anticipated. We are so grateful to Chris and Megan for using Matthew’s story for our adoption. When I heard that they were expecting again I was so excited and knew I wanted to do something for them. I knew I would take pictures of their baby when he arrived but I also wanted to do something more. I was inspired by a friend from college who lost her daughter and had a teddy bear made that weighed the same as her daughter at birth. Well, I knew that was something I could do for Chris and Megan, so I made the bear you see in the pictures and he weighs as much as Matthew. This was the least I could do to thank Chris and Megan for loving our family so much through their loss.

I was so excited when I heard that Ben was here and I could go to Clover to meet him for his pictures. He was such a good model and slept through the whole session. It was so fun to see him with his family, especially his big sisters Elizabeth and Eleanor who adore him. Chris and Megan, we are so thrilled for your growing family! We are praying for you as you celebrate Matthew tomorrow. We are so thankful for you and your precious family! Ben, we cannot wait to watch you grow up and see what God has planned for your life.