Mommy and Me Lifestyle Newborn Session| St. Petersburg, FL| Cape Cod Family Photographer

This Florida native had the opportunity to fly back to my hometown, St. Petersburg, to meet my best friend’s new baby girl! We’ve been planning this session since she found out she was pregnant, and it was worth the wait! Pamela and I have been best friends since our freshman year in high school. Back in the early Taylor Swift years. Our song to this day is Fifteen. Every time I listen to it I’m brought back to when I found my red-headed best friend. Chosen sisters. Heartaches, happy tears, lunch dates, sleepovers, secrets, pints of ice cream, and milestone moments. Now here we are, sixteen years later, and I’m seeing her for everything she (we) has become through this mommy and me lifestyle newborn session.

Our lives definitely look different since the early years of our friendship. Growing up does that though, doesn’t it? We joke because we are so incredibly unalike from one another. Complete opposites, actually. It’s kind of fitting that we each took our own path. We went to separate colleges, had separate groups of friends, and overall chased different dreams. But it never drove us apart. In the true spirit of a best friend relationship, soulmates if you will, we actually ended up celebrating major milestones at the same exact time. We both fell in love for the first time at the same time, I moved up north as she was getting ready to bring Dean into the world, and we both ended up being pregnant together this time around (for a brief period). Life has, and always will, keep us together. What a beautiful thing to be able to hold on to.

count to ten

take it in

this is life before you know who you’re gonna be

at fifteen

I just love how much beautiful natural light my parents’ house lets in! And how sweet is it that we get to do this newborn session in the very house that Pamela and I shared so many incredible memories?!

Pamela has always amazed me in the motherhood department. She raised Dean practically by herself, and made it look easy. She’s full of so much love and patience, and that’s only grown since baby Raelyn joined their lives. I’m so glad we were able to capture this sweet time in her life. 1,400 miles could never stand in the way of me photographing this mommy and me lifestyle newborn session for her.

with love from the lens,

ashley