I met this brave Mum and her family last year, and it left me with my heart both breaking and swelling with love.
When Mum first contacted me, she wanted to have family photographs taken with her 3 gorgeous children - her youngest daughter Parker being close to one year old. But then she also asked if we could somehow include her Angel Baby... in her own words:
"we have never had professional photos done before and it's something that we always enquire about, but I can never bring myself to do as I'm never sure how people will react when we ask to include our angel baby!"
My heart instantly melted and I immediately felt so sad that Mum had resisted having family photographs for this reason. But I also felt so privileged that she felt comfortable enough to ask me to be the special photographer to capture these precious memories for her and her family. I also felt very humbled that they were willing to travel all the way from Whittlesea in country Victoria to Ferntree Gully (Melbourne's Eastern Suburbs) to have me capture their family photographs.
Mum was so brave throughout the whole photography experience and opened up to me about her loss. Angel baby Indi grew her wings at just 22 weeks gestation. She was to be the first girl amongst the children in the family with two brothers before her and two male cousins also. Mum and Dad chose to keep her ashes safe in an angel teddy which is usually kept safe on a shelf up high in their home.
Daughter Parker is truly a special little girl, being born nearly 2 years later.
"we've been blessed again with our second daughter who has just brought our family so much happiness through our darkest times with her very big gummy smile!"
Before our photography session, Mum and I spoke at length about what they should wear. She wanted the portraits to look natural but also have them matching to an extent. I think she did such a great job putting these outfits together! I love the soft colours and how they compliment their features.
Hold Me
Mum sent me a photo of the Angel Teddy to give me time to think of ideas on how to incorporate her into their photographs. When I saw the 'hold me' on her foot, instantly I wanted to capture a photograph of the teddy with all of their hands on her. I admit that with a toddler it did take a bit of patience and persistence, but we finally got there!
More family portraits
I was amazed at how similar the boys look to each other! They are very close in age at 5 and 4 years old, I expect they would sometimes be mistaken as twins!
All three children were a joy to work with and little Parker gave us that gummy smile! It was honestly so humbling to have this brave family in my studio and see them talk so openly about the loss of Indi, with the two boys very understanding of the Angel Teddy and what she means. I'm sure in time to come, Parker will also understand just how special the Angel Teddy is and learn that she has a baby sister in heaven.
Mum and Dad purchased one of my Print Collections and Mum left this review after receiving her photographs:
"My family and I had one of the best experiences with Kiddy Kats Photography. Michelle really made us all comfortable. Worked well with the little ones and even helped us create the best family photos which included our little angel baby in the most perfect way! I am beyond in love with our photographs. Thank you so so much kiddy Kats Photography."
It really touched my heart to capture these precious memories of their young family. I'm sure they will treasure them for years to come! Upon asking Mum if I could write this Blog and mention the meaning of the Angel Teddy and how it holds angel baby Indi, she was so gracious and immediately agreed. She wanted to share her story in the hope that others who may be experiencing something similar wouldn't feel alone ~ such a beautiful heart!
Kiddy Kats Photography specialises in newborns, babies and young families. For all enquiries, please contact photographer Michelle on 0401 514 969.
Based in Ferntree Gully in the Eastern Suburbs of Melbourne.