Canton Ohio Maternity Photography - Shannon (& Lee)

I've always been amazed at pregnancy & what a miracle it is that a baby is growing inside his mother. It's incredible, mind-boggling, just amazing! After just having gone through my own pregnancy last year, the whole process means even more to me now than it did before & I truly love every chance I get to photograph an expectant mother (and father).

Shannon & Lee are close, personal friends of Tim & me, and being able to photograph this maternity session for them meant more to me than you can possibly imagine! They have endured one of the most heart-wrenching journeys to becoming parents, suffering FOUR miscarriages over the course of seven years. Each loss was harder than the one before & after Shannon's last miscarriage in 2010, she & Lee had resolved that it must not be God's plan for them to have a biological child...or at least not at this phase of their life together. Amazingly, their relationship with each other & their faith in God only grew stronger despite the unbelievably hard circumstances they'd been through on four separate occasions.

They began researching adoption and then, unexpectedly, Shannon became pregnant again...for the fifth time. As excited as they were, it was bittersweet knowing that each time they had gotten this happy news in the past, it ended in heartbreak. When they announced the pregnancy to us as well as the rest of their friends and family, LOTS and LOTS of prayers immediately started going up for them and their sweet baby!

Well...as you can see...God answered those prayers in the way we were all hoping for...and Baby Samuel is due in just TWO weeks!!

I'll stop talking now so you can look at how adorable these *three* are. This is going to be one loved, adored, cherished little babe! :) I CAN'T WAIT TO MEET HIM!

Canton Ohio Maternity Photography: Will & Heather

Photographing expectant parents is always fun...especially when it's their first child! I love hearing about the names picked out, nursery decor, ultrasounds, and any fun pregnancy details! This session was no different...I had a great time with Will & Heather. Their little guy is due around Christmas & I'm so excited for them to experience the amazing blessings of becoming parents!

Update on Mini-Shoots!

Unfortunately, the mini-shoot day on April 24th got rained out, but we've rescheduled for Saturday, May 8th! One of my clients from the April date can't make the May date, so that means a spot has opened up! If you'd like to snatch up the newly opened time slot of 3:30-4:00 pm, please email (grace.designs@hotmail.com) or call (330.312.6263) and I can get you in the books!

Mini-shoots are $75 and you get a 30-minute session, an online gallery to share with family and friends, and a free 8 x 10! See below for more information.

Spring Mini Shoots Are Here!

To celebrate spring's arrival, Grace Designs Photography is offering you...mini shoots!

Mini shoots are designed to save you time and money, and are half the time and cost of a regular photo shoot. You'll also receive a complimentary 8 x 10 from your session when you place your photo order (a $20 value).

Your mini shoot will take place on Saturday, April 24th, sometime from 2-7pm at a designated location that's sure to be unique. Think brick walls, vintage furniture and you and your loved ones! Each shoot will last 30 minutes and there will be 7 slots open for the day. Book soon because the open slots are going to fill up fast!

To book your mini shoot, contact Christina at 330.312.6263 or grace.designs@hotmail.com!

Please Join Me...

Kim & Josh will be heading into the hospital this morning, October 14th, at 7:30am to deliver their son, Calvin. If you're on Facebook, please click on the link below and join the official Facebook event page to show your support for them. Please feel free to leave comments, encouragement, thoughts and/or prayers for Kim, Josh & Calvin. If you aren't on Facebook, please click below on the "comments" button to leave some love for Josh and Kim on my blog!

Josh, Kim & Calvin's Facebook Group

I will be at the hospital photographing the moments right after Calvin is born, and I'll be staying for the following few hours. Please pray for me, too, if you think about it, as I feel honored to be a part of something so special, but am admittedly nervous to do the best job I can possibly do to give this family memories that will last a lifetime. Thank you!

Belly Session: Andrea (& Tim)

Andrea is such a cute prego! I loved photographing these moments for Andrea and Tim as they await the arrival of their first child...a sweet baby girl. Andrea and Tim were the first clients I've had who specifically asked for truly candid, unplanned moments. They were so natural and were just talking, laughing, walking, loving on each other...and I got to capture it all. Thanks, you two, for the opportunity to document such a special time in your life. Enjoy the preview. :)

Belly Session: Julem (and Ace)

I love these two! Tim and I met Ace & Julem at church in the summer of 2008, and we quickly became friends. They are both so kind and so positive...it's hard to be in a bad mood when they're around because they both just have the most pleasant and encouraging attitude. I always look forward to my big hug from Julem every Sunday morning...I'm sure many others from our church feel the same way. I have no doubt that their son is going to be so loved and cherished. He's a lucky boy. :)

Belly Session: Kim and Josh

It was an honor for me to photograph Josh and Kim during the pregnancy of their first child, Calvin. Josh & Kim are an amazing picture of what faith in action looks like, as they recently learned that their baby has a condition called Trisomy 18, yet their faith in Jesus is simply unshakable. I felt that they could do a better job explaining their current situation than I could, so I asked if they could come up with a little something for my blog, and below is the amazing piece they sent me to be able to share with you.

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At 21 weeks of our 1st pregnancy, our doctors alerted us to the presence of multiple developmental abnormalities with our growing son: Calvin. At 22 weeks it was confirmed that he has a chromosomal abnormality known as Trisomy 18. Trisomy 18 is typically fatal with only 10% of babies with this condition making it to 1 year old. Since our Calvin has some serious developmental abnormalities (severe heart defects, etc) he will most likely not live very long after birth. This has affected our lives unlike anything else, however we believe that God is in control of this situation and every situation.
Some people would say that our circumstances are not fair, and on a bad day we would agree, however, instead of looking at things in a negative light we are trying to view everything in light of God's sovereignty and yes, even in this difficult situation give Him praise. We can be thankful that we are able to conceive, we can be thankful for being able to feel Calvin move in the womb, for our special moments of bonding with him while he’s still here and most of all, we can be thankful that we have hope that through Jesus Christ we can be with Calvin again. Calvin and his medical diagnosis is not a fluke or a mistake, he is our son and his life was planned down to the finest detail before the world was formed. God has formed him in the womb just like any other baby and his life has purpose. No matter how short his life will be full and God will use him in whatever way that He sees fit. Calvin will have the benefit of knowing that He was used of God in a mighty way through the lives of his mom and dad and for those around them. He has already taught us how to love and trust God and each other more deeply than we could have ever imagined. We know that this is happening for a purpose and although, we may never know what that purpose is (while on this earth at least) we know God works everything together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28). We know that Calvin is a work of God and that his life is according to God’s purpose. And, we know that The Lord gives and the Lord takes away, Blessed be the name of the Lord (Job 1:21).
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Kim's due date is October 3rd...please pray for Josh, Kim & Calvin!