It was March of 2016 as we stood in the parking lot of the park after we finished photographing their adoption photos. I remember saying to my cousin Jess and her husband, Jeff, that the next time we would meet at this very place would be when their little one arrived.
This story has a special place in my heart because Jess and Jeff happen to be family. I feel so privileged and honored to be able to capture these memories for them. What seemed like such a dark time with infertility struggles, turned into one of the most captivating stories of love I’ve ever seen and it was the most beautiful thing to capture it in photographs.
For those who have adopted or know someone who has gone through the adoption process, understand how long the waiting period is. While I can’t speak on behalf of Jess and Jeff’s experiences and emotions they felt through that time, I was able to keep up through her blog where she shared the roller coaster of events as they unfolded such as dealing with extensive paper work and becoming eligible to be a match as parents.
Aubrey Mae Burmeister was adopted from China by her loving parents in May of this past spring. Ironically, their greeting scheduled for Mother’s Day (insert goosebumps). While the transition wasn’t easy, it was expected as Jess and Jeff were introducing a new way of life for their baby girl. Aubrey has settled into her new home and family with amazing strides. She is smart, beautiful, and full of life.
I am over the moon excited for the newest addition to their family and will certainly hold these photos dear to my heart, as they will to theirs, as Aubrey grows up in a place where she is loved.
We all knew Jess and Jeff were meant to be parents and that God knew that they would be needed for a child who was meant to be theirs. And while the waiting was unimaginably hard, it appears to have been “worth the wait”.
