We love babies. We love shooting babies, we love being around babies, and we'd love to have more babies. But since we only take a limited number of shoots a year, and newborns have to be booked last-minute, our time is usually filled really far out with our engagement shoots and weddings... except for the dead of winter. So, we were ridiculously thrilled when one of our awesomest couples from last summer wanted to get a newborn shoot for their good friends who had their first son, Finn, in January. We headed over yesterday morning for a really rad shoot with Finn and his absolutely awesome parents, Jenn and Nick.

It's an understatement of universal proportions to say that it's a pretty amazing thing to be around a newborn and his new parents. Our little guy is getting older (I'm currently watching him help mandolin-slice homemade potato chips in our kitchen) and I sometimes struggle to remember how heavy and warm the responsibility of being a parent felt, like this huge power had just been handed to me from somewhere to be everything that another life needed me to be. Being around babies reminds me immediately of that feeling and just what an unfathomable gift it is to have a child. I joked with Nick and Jenn about it and I wonder how many other parents felt the same way I did when we put Murphy into our car three years ago for the first time, on our own, to take care of him. ("They're just going to GIVE us our baby? Like, we are in charge now??)

Jenn and Nick are already old pros, though, a few weeks in. Their baby, Finn, gets them and they totally get him. I'm not sure I've ever met more chill, focused parents.

And they're awesome - how many kids are going to get to bring friends over to see the family piranha tank?? Super rad!

I love this one of yours, Rich.

Thank you, hon. I was trying to think of what Nick would always remember from that first month, looking down at his little guy and shoot that, you know? You get so burned out from lack of sleep and how everything has changed and then you look down and hey, everything is fine :).

I couldn't get over how alert Finn is. At four weeks, he'd been awake since before 5 a.m. and was still going strong at our 9 a.m. shoot. We tried to get him to pass out for a few sleeping baby shots, but then Rich was all like, hey! We didn't do any naked baby shots yet, and anyone who's ever had a child knows just about how much newborns in Buffalo in winter like to be naked. So, clearly, he immediately woke up, and was furious. He looked right at me as if I had something to do with waking him from his amazing and wonderful sleep by allowing the cold air to hit his skin, so I pointed at Rich. Totally not my fault, little dude!

Hey - I just know how you are with baby butts, Alyssa. If there is a tiny butt somewhere in your vicinity - it's your favorite thing ever. Finn also has NO problem eating, which is rad for Nick and Jenn. You can tell he'd kindof just like to be eating all the time right now. At one point we got the binky extracted for just a moment - and Finn went for Nick's nose to try and latch. Heart-meltingly adorable.

You guys made an absolutely gorgeous baby.

Heh - yeah, I am completely smitten with baby butts. Heck, I still think Murph's is the cutest thing ever, and he's three. Hopefully, by the time it's no longer cute, he'll also think it's no longer funny to yank his pants down and ask if we can see his butt, so I won't know it's devolved into not cute.

My favorite of yours!

Gah - mini toes. Seriously, babies are so stinkin' cute!

Guys, thank you so much for letting us come over and meet Finn (and Max - Rich swears our next dog is now going to be an American Bulldog. I keep reminding him that Max just could be the world's coolest dog, and it might have nothing to do with the breed, but he's focused!). You guys are awesome, and Finn is so ridiculously cute and sweet. Enjoy this time - it really goes too fast!