On Monday morning at 5:51 a.m. I woke up to the eighth phone call (a combined effort between my sister and my mother) with the most wonderful news — my sister had gone into labor and she and her husband, Sam, were en route to the hospital. I was one of the first to be notified because I had volunteered to document this blessed occasion! Fifteen minutes after getting off the phone with my mother (and after contemplating what one wears to photograph their first labor and delivery) I was in my car headed to Fort Worth, camera in hand, nervous-excited jitters in full swing. On the way there, I came to the conclusion that the next time someone was tailgating me that I would just give them the benefit of the doubt that their sister was probably in labor.

By the time I had arrived at the hospital I thought I was the one in labor because it felt like my tear ducts were having contractions — I kept getting hit with waves of emotion at what was about to take place.

And so it began . . .

(The Full House PREGNANCY EPISODE was on in the waiting room!! “HOW TOPICAL,” my brother shouted!)

The second I saw Jasper I just LOST it. I didn’t know I would, but I did. Tears. (quietly). Everywhere. Obviously I kept taking photos through the waterworks but I cried to such a ridiculous extent that the nurses and doctors made fun of me.

The only way I can describe it is that it was such an overwhelming sense of joy, newness, and excitement in thinking about the journey my sister had just been though in the past nine months and the journey that had just begun for her and Sam for the rest of their lives. And then praise to my Creator for bringing all of this together.

I think it was at about this point that the tears slowed to a normal level. This was also the moment I deemed him my “little potato nephew” because I thought he looked like a potato all wrapped up like that. It was the first thing that came to my mind.

Favorite moment — the new family gathered closely together just quietly soaking it all in before heading out to tell the rest of the family in the waiting room.

To clarify the above photo, the second baby is Colby. Jalesa’s best friend starting from childhood was pregnant with a baby girl at the same time as Jalesa and she gave birth to Colby just a few weeks before Jalesa. This is their first photo together and we plan on setting them up in the future.

My second favorite moment of the day was when my dad got to see Jasper for the first time after he closed down his store. He took him in his arms and couldn’t look away from the babe for a solid half hour.

Precious.

 Welcome to the world, Jasper Dean. You are loved more than you more than you could possibly know.