When I'm with her, I just can't stop staring at her. My niece is utterly precious and I don't want to miss a single minute.

My sister, Caitlin, had a wonderful pregnancy, but by the end, as will all moms-to-be, she was ready to see her baby but also nervous. My sister had a scheduled induction. Our mom, her husband, Alex, and I all went to the hospital for the big day with her. It was an early day and by early afternoon my sister was in full labor.


But there was a complication. Every time my sister would push during a contraction, the baby's heart rate would drop dangerously low. During the wait, her heart rate would climb back up slowly. Those moments were so quiet and scary--the nurses and doctor were even silent. But luckily, Caitlin's doctor made the decision to do a crash c-section.


My sister didn't have much time to process what was going on, but in the end, my niece and my sister were both healthy and alive. The umbilical cord was wrapped around the baby's neck, body and a leg. My sister thanked the nurses and doctor for saving her baby. It was emotional. Now, we are all happy and enjoying our time with the baby.

In preparation for my niece's arrival, we were already speaking to a friend of mine who is a professional photographer about doing a newborn photoshoot. She explained that to get the best photos, you ideally want to have the photoshoot done before the baby is 2 weeks old. This is because it is easier to "mold" the baby, as she put it, into the poses you want. And when that photoshoot day came, as a scrapbooker, I couldn't be more excited. There was a lot of work in that 3 hour photoshoot that my friend did but the results are just stunning! I can't wait to scrap more of the photos and share them with you.


And in preparation for the newborn photos, I bought Heidi Swapp's Wolf Pack collection. I fell in love with the soft hues and watercolor elements immediately. Not to mention that wolves are my favorite animal. But I also knew it was perfect for my niece. The whole time Caitlin was pregnant, she and Alex referred to their baby as their wolf pup. I bought this collection so far in advance it was ridiculous, but I'm so glad I did!

I kept this particular layout simple, with a solid cardstock base in a coordinating color. I chose a pretty birch pattern paper and tore it for an even more rustic look, adding a watercolor dot paper under the photo. I fussy cut out the crescent moon, using Distress Ink on the edges and then used a Tim Holtz die to add feathers under it. I used my Silhouette to die cut the title in the same soft grey cardstock used for the feathers. I added a few bits of ephemera and a wolf sticker that I popped up with foam mounting squares. I also added some strips of washi tape.


I made this layout as a gift for my sister and brother-in-law for Christmas. I even bought a shadow box for it. My sister teared up when she opened the gift. I went to her house the other day and already saw it hanging up in the main area.

I'm so excited to add layouts to my niece's album all year long. There will be a lot of firsts and fun memories. I hope your year is full of wonderful memories too!


Products Used:
Heidi Swapp: Wolf Pack - over the moon, explore, woodland, washi, ephemera, stickers | Bazzill: Cardstock - lagoon | Martha Stewart: Cardstock - smoke | Tim Holtz: Distress Ink - hickory smoke; Alterations - feather and ravens | Other: foam mounting squares

To read more about my niece's birth story from my sister's perspective, view her post on our family blog about it.

Happy Scrapping!
Adrienne