Not even 12 months ago
When I photographed Lorne, Caite and Annie-Rose less than 12 months ago, I never expected that I would be photographing them agin in the same year having moved back to Townsville from Japan and with newborn twin girls! How beautiful it was to see so many of these photos printed and hanging on their walls in their new home.
As I arrived
I arrived and walked in the door at the very the moment my friend had milk projected all over her. She laughed and said, “This is life right now”. I looked at her and couldn’t have had my heart filled more seeing her in her lounge, still wearing her pyjamas caring for her twin girls. I felt overwhelmingly proud. This was my first time meeting these baby girls. Caite was changing Elliana, and Sophia started crying, I asked her what she does when one cries (as if I hadn’t had three babies of my own) and she said you can pick her up. I wasn’t expecting my tears to start spilling from my eyes. I just felt overwhelmed with joy for my friends.
As I photographed Lorne and Caite at home with their girls, I thought so often…I cant wait for them to look back at these photos to see how they rocked this time. You know years on…when those early months and years become a blur of feeding, feeding, toddler chasing, cups of milk spilt over, masses of milk being burped up with great and powerful gusto, feeding, feeding, swimming lessons, nappy changes, studying, exams, feeding toddler, feeding baby, swap babies, feeding the next baby, ready story to the toddler while feeding and on and on it goes.
The Swap Over
One of my favorite things about photographing families is noticing and capturing something that they may not even realise it so special to this time in their lives. In this case, with the twins it was the “swap over”. And they do it effortlessly.
This happens in a variety of ways. One baby sleeps the other baby cries. Swap over. One baby feed finishes, the other baby needs feeding. The swap over. One baby’s nappy is changed, the other needs changing. The swap over. There is also an element of parent swap over where they tag team for a shower and thankfully Lorne’s great big arms can hold the two at once.
These parents have pretty much become professional jugglers. With a Baby held in one arm, they play oleka boleka (a German game) with the other. One baby on each of their lap and one hand from each parent supporting the one year old over the cot railing. Similarly she was removed from the cot with a one arm backwards swoop from her father.
Lorne and Caite are an outstanding couple who just keep getting more wonderful in every way.
Thankfully this is the first photoshoot I have had with them that I didn’t have to ask them to move back to Townsville….because they are back and for now and staying (for a long time I hope) . We all couldn’t be more thrilled.
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