Strength

Imagine the joy you feel when you find out you are pregnant for the first time. Think of all the amazing moments that come with pregnancy...hearing the heartbeat for the first time, seeing baby on an ultrasound monitor and feeling those amazing first movements. Now imagine that at 25 weeks pregnant your entire world changing with the early labour and arrival of that baby. That is what happened to Sylvia and Jeff. What felt like flu symptoms ended up being little Kendra's arrival into the world.

Sylvia and Jeff spent several months at Sick Kids with their beautiful baby girl watching her go through surgeries, tests and procedures. These parents are amazingly strong. They have had to be brave at a time when they should have been preparing to meet their baby! It is that strength that seems to have been passed on to little Kendra. She is one strong little girl....fighting every step of the way. I can definitely see mom Sylvia in her little girl. All the courage that Sylvia had to summon those months she had to watch and wait for her little girl to get better Kendra has too. She fought hard and made her way home to mom and dad's arms 3 months after her early arrival.

I had the pleasure of meeting and shooting Kendra and her parents just days after coming home from the hospital This girl was amazing....she, along with mom and dad, let me do anything with her. After spending months being poked and prodded being placed on a window sill for a photo was no big deal to Kendra. Even when Kendra did cry Sylvia was able to calm her with her soothing voice and touch. Mom and baby have such an amazing connection and a strong bond that will last a lifetime.

As I write this post Kendra is back in the hospital. She is doing well but still needs a bit of support to transition back to life outside the hospital. Sylvia and Jeff have been busy with Kendra and have only seen a few sneak peeks of their pictures, so I thought I would share a few more for them and their family and friends. This is one strong family that I know will make it over this hurdle too.

Enjoy these shots of Kendra and her mom. Their bond is captured forever in these images.