This post is sponsored by Bliss Photography
My family isn’t what you’d call typical. I have two children, both with Cystic Fibrosis. My son also has autism, and my daughter has her own additional set of additional medical issues. Their life is filled with anxieties, Dr appts, and meds. But I try to make their lives as normal as possible. I strive to find the silver linings in our life by making the most out of every year, every birthday, and every stage of life. The most important thing I do for my family is to take the picture. TAKE. THE. PICTURE.
The problem for me is that I’m a single mom, and I don’t get in my pictures very often. But I’ve made sure to prioritize professional photography, to ensure our memories are preserved…for the someday when they aren’t healthy and we can remember these times. I only trust one person to take my pictures, and that is Catharine Bliss of Bliss Photography. She’s the only one who took the time to listen to my pregnant rants about getting it ‘just right’ and re-doing our first family session with her. She’s the only one who made sure to sanitize everything before my sick kids came to her studio. The only one who last minute squeezed in my newborn session with my daughter. And the only one patient enough with my autistic son’s meltdowns in the middle of family pictures. She’s moved days around because of custody issues. She’s worked late to get me edited pictures ahead of schedule. She’s advocated on behalf of the Cystic Fibrosis foundation a few times, and she’s never been anything but perfect to work with.
My daughter was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis one week after she was born. I remember driving up, practically in tears, because our original photographer pulled out and because my daughter was just diagnosed with a terminal illness. Catharine was patient and kind, despite that my daughter would NOT sleep (and she tried everything in the books). She asked questions and got to know me. And when my ride was late, she let me nurse my daughter for a while we chatted. It wasn’t the fake kind of questions , but ones of genuine interest. And it was like a therapy session and a newborn session, and the relief that even though I didn’t know how long my daughter would live….I’d know she had absolutely stunning newborn pics. I came to her house a mess, and left comforted in more ways than I can count.
When my son was diagnosed with autism, I had also just become a single mother. She took the extra time to wait while I tried my best to calm a tantrum (he doesn’t like being close to people, or sitting, or smiling, or…everything about pictures). And she got the real us. Even if it wasn’t ‘perfect’ to some people, she found the real parts and pieces. Being in the pictures with my kids is everything to me. I was finally in the picture, and someone had finally had the patience and kindness to capture…us.
My walls tell the story of my family thanks to Catharine. My walls make me smile. My walls remind me that every year I will continue to prioritize professional photography because I would regret missing all these stages of life. I haven’t counted the number of Bliss Photos on my walls but I bet at this point it exceeds the hundreds (I love a good collage to get more on my walls)! As I write this, I am shadowed overhead by a picture of my kids smiling 2 years ago, clapping on stone steps. And I remember that life is fleeting, but I will never forget the day my two kids sat together, loved each other, breathed a smile, and we got that picture. Always get the picture. Thank you, Bliss Photography!
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all photos by Bliss Photography
