Jillian & Brian…and Joy & Brooks

Families

July 10, 2023

Jillian and Brian met in college in Missouri, got married and moved to Austin where I met Jillian at a Galentine’s day event with some new friends. By the end of the night, I knew we were gonna be besties!

When I started taking photos, I asked Jillian and Brian to model for me so I could practice working with couples. At the time, Jillian had just had her second miscarriage, so while we were having a lot of fun frolicking around the grass field on Slaughter Lane (not well named, but if you’re a local you don’t think twice about it), we took a moment to reflect on the season that they were in, mourning the loss of their unborn baby (who Jillian expected was a girl – a mother’s instinct, am I right?), who will always be known as Joy. We took a few photos for them to remember these moments as they continued to try for another baby.

A few months later, I was in the routine of working from their house on a weekly basis when Brian suggested some post-work drinks, but Jillian turned down the idea through a sneaky grin on her face. It only took a second of eye contact for me to know exactly why! SHE WAS PREGNANT! We laughed, cried, hugged, and jumped around in utter JOY for this sweet miracle!

Jillian and Brian chose to keep this pregnancy more private, hoping to minimize the number of people they may have to explain a third miscarriage to. Around 30 weeks, I took maternity photos of Jillian at Red Bud Isle in Austin as we continued to pray over this pregnancy.

We fervently prayed for a safe, full-term, healthy baby, and God DELIVERED! Jillian and Brian welcomed Brooks into the world early Easter morning at 9 lbs, 9 oz and have been falling more in love with him ever since.

I met them at the hospital the next day for some fresh 48 photos while Jillian met with the lactation consultant and Brian changed Brooks into his Easter best.

The following week, I met them at home and watched them swoon over their precious newborn. Luka (their fur baby) found his way into the photos right away and wasn’t sure what to do with his new little brother, but I just know they’re gonna be the best of buds.

Walking through these seasons with Jillian and Brian has been so special. Though they experienced loss and walked through a season of grieving, they continued to lean on the Lord and praise Him, knowing that His plan would prosper.

As we continue to do life together, I’ll update this blog with more photos of Brian, Jillian, and Brooks so you can see what it looks like for me to be someone’s lifestyle photographer!

Here are some images from the 3-month in-home milestone session we did in July! I love capturing real life moments of families interacting together, and at this age, that’s typically most authentically done in home (or studio). We hung out in the master bedroom where the most natural light comes in and then Jillian and Brooks played in the pool on the patio!