Lizzi & Quintin are brand new parents in the sweet and sleepness season that is newborn la la land.

Their story began about seventeen years ago after meeting each other in their church youth group. Lizzi mentioned to us that Quintin’s passion for Jesus and his desire to keep the Lord at the center of his life was what initially drew her to him. He was also pretty nerdy and sweet. Quintin fell for Lizzi because of how fun she was to be around and how big her heart for people is.

The transition to being parents has taught Lizzi + Quintin that they are far more resilient and capable than they imagined. Lizzi endured a 40-hour labor, followed by lots of sleepless nights with her little man and learning how to care for a tiny human. (For all you parents reading this, feel free to throw some encouragement for them in the comments. You know they need all the love and support in this season)  They are taking one day at a time and being intentionally to laugh at how this new adventure is stretching and growing them. They are also enjoying discovering Preston’s little personality as it is developing and taking shape.

One of my favorite moments from our shoot was stepping back and watching Lizzi hold Preston for her portraits alone with him. Preston might be the most chill baby I’ve ever met. I remember trying to take pictures of Ethan or Selah while they were little and we had to stop photos to take a nursing break or to change diaper…it was the opposite of chill. However, Preston made it about an hour before he made it known that he needed something from his mom. He was so quiet and calm-tempered! Lizzi swayed and talked to him as if she was alone with him. As sleepy and little as he was, every time she spoke, he would look up at her as she was talking. It felt like I was getting a  glimpse of the growing bond between a mother and her son. Watching her with him, her first child, brought back memories of the beginning moments with Ethan.

“Being a parent is a million times more amazing than I could have ever imagined,” Lizzi told me. “So many people tell you how rough it is going to be to have a baby, but the past three months have been the best months of my life and I truly cannot imagine life before we had Preston. It has been the greatest joy to become a mother.”