A Home Newborn Session to Welcome Owen Riley to the World
There is something extra special about a home newborn session. Especially when it’s with a family you’ve photographed before.
I arrived at the Wertz home right at the tail end of our first snow of the year. The roads had cleared just enough to make it an easy drive, and I couldn’t help but smile pulling into their driveway. This was the second time I’d been invited into their home for a newborn session. The first was three years ago for Beau’s newborn photos. And now here we were again, welcoming sweet Owen Riley.
Full circle moments like that never get old.
Alina and Zach have created the most warm, inviting home filled with soft light, neutral tones, and the kind of calm that makes a home newborn session feel effortless. Beau stepped so naturally into his role as big brother. There’s something about watching your former newborn become the toddler gently peeking into the crib that hits you right in the heart.
But I want to talk about something else, too. Something that I think more moms need to normalize talking about.
The newborn stage is hard.
I know that’s not everyone’s opinion. Some people absolutely thrive in it. They function beautifully on 3–4 hours of broken sleep and somehow still glow. I envy those people. I personally need a solid eight hours of consecutive sleep. And as an Enneagram 3, I thrive on productivity. I love checking things off my list. Groceries done. Dishes washed. Dinner prepped. Success.
And then, you have a newborn.
Suddenly, there’s no predictable schedule. No guaranteed productivity. No consistent sleep. You’re living in what feels like a routine, but it’s a routine entirely centered around feeding, soothing, rocking, and repeating. And if you add in a newborn who isn’t particularly chill? The difficulty multiplies.
Alina and I have talked about this. We’re very similar in personality. We’re “get things done” people, and the newborn phase stretches us. That’s why I think it’s so important to say this out loud: if the newborn stage doesn’t feel dreamy and magical every second of the day, you are not broken.
Yes, there are beautiful snuggly moments. The tiny fingers. The sleepy stretches. The smell of their head. But you can be wildly in love with your baby and also very ready for longer sleep and more predictability. Both can be true at the same time.
That’s one of the reasons I love a lifestyle home newborn session. There’s no pressure to perform. No expectation that everything looks perfect. We document what is real. The soothing. The bed cuddles. The toddler interruptions. The way Zach looks at his boys. The way Alina holds Owen with both strength and tenderness.
Every age is a phase. You’ll love some phases more than others. But that doesn’t determine what kind of mother you are. It doesn’t determine how deeply you love your child.
I’m so thankful the Wertz family invited me back into their home to document Owen Riley’s first days. I’m thankful for their honesty. Their authenticity. The way they show up fully themselves.
You can adore your tiny human and be excited for the next phase all at the same time.
And that, my friends, is more than okay.
I’m a Knoxville Wedding Photographer that loves to travel. I shoot anywhere! Click here to contact me with any questions you have about pricing or booking! If you liked what you saw above, go ahead and follow me on Facebook or Instagram to see my daily updates of the latest sessions!
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