This was an extra special birth for me, and one that will stay with me forever.

Katja and I met five years ago when her husband Asa and I were working on a sailing ship in Puget Sound together. Asa and Katja are two of my best friends, and their two daughters (2 and 4) are two of my very favorite people in the world. They are an awesome family, and I was so honored when they asked me to photograph the birth of their third daughter!

Katja’s last birth went SUPER fast, so we decided I should stay close by in Portland until she went into labor. It was such a great week of hanging out – especially going out for pedicures to celebrate her due date. 🙂 Baby decided it was time several days later, and Katja, Asa, Katja’s mom and I headed to the hospital together.

Another extra special aspect of this birth was that Katja is a labor and delivery nurse at the hospital where she was having her baby! So she was surrounded by friends! When it was time to push, Katja and her birth team were all having such a good time together that Mama practically laughed her baby out!

The next day I returned to photograph the two older girls meet their little sister for the first time. Pretty sure my heart exploded watching them check out their new sibling and explore her little nose and eyes and ears.

One of my favorite things about photography is storytelling through pictures. Whether that story is of family, birth, everyday life, big adventures or small moments, I love it all. This family is living a wonderful story, and it was a huge privilege to photograph such an important event in their lives – the birth of their third daughter!

Welcome to the world, sweet little Tuuli B. You are so loved!