Prayers Needed! Mia Mary McDonic

I visited my sister's very good friend the other day at Children's Hospital. Her little girl, Mia, was born at 28 weeks and weighed in a just over 2 lbs. After a series of ups and downs, she is still pushing on after a perforated bowel, an infection, operation and many more unhappy experiences (and far too many needles.) Her mom, Sue, was also hospitalized and is on the mend, but could use a prayer too. And you can imagine what her husband, Graeme is going through. Here are a few photos of her. When I arrived, she had her eyes wide open, an unusual treat.

Nadia

A quick posting of some of my favorites from a recent shoot. The Kostoffs have been family friends for a long time. I had the pleasure of shooting the newest member and first grandchild, Nadia. We also had fun doing a family portrait. Both of the parent's heritage is Macedonian and they love some of the old family photos they have hung all over the house. This is our attempt at getting the same look. The patriarch of this family is an Eastern Orthodox priest, who consequently is the same priest who married my husband and I and baptized our son. Although much fun was poked at his hat, I feel it really makes the photo!

Update on Elias

I spent the other day at the Wendland house. I was taking some family photos of the whole gang and got to see how Elias was doing. (His first photo shoot) Since the feeding tube has been internal, he has gotten a lot of nutrition and I immediately noticed he looked "healthier" and had gained some much needed weight. He is no longer able to smile, but you can feel how much he loves his family who is always around him to kiss and snuggle with. His body occasionally gets stiff and pretty uncomfortable, but it seems to pass and his parents know just how to soothe him.
I got to spend some time with Livia and Leo this time and had so much fun with them. We hung out at their house and had some lunch and played at the park and even managed to get a decent photo of the whole family! I can't imagine how hard it is for them to understand what is happening with Elias. I know it's confusing for them, but hopefully someday they will be able to see how much love surrounded their brother.
I continue to have so much respect and awe for Steve and Emma in how much faith and patience they have at this time. Here are a few more photos of their family.