* Warning: This post is longer than normal and may be a trigger for some*

I have so many emotions and words swirling through my mind so forgive me for the length of this entry. I’ll be honest, I originally hadn’t really considered blogging this recent pregnancy announcement/gender reveal session. Not because I didn’t feel they were beautiful and moving because they totally are. And it certainly wasn’t due to the fact that I have featured this family on the blog several times already. I just knew how intimate and special this session was to an already vulnerable & emotionally rocked family, that it never crossed my mind to share their story on a public platform. I’m sure you are asking yourself “what changed ?”. I get it and here is what compelled me. I’m writing today because my dear friend asked me to. This will all make sense soon I promise.

Many who follow our blog religiously have seen several posts over the years of Allison and Dane along with their growing family. The last one being the delivery of baby Oliver back in December. It saddens me to relay that on May 28th of this year, Dane lost his battle with depression and this sweet family’s world was turned upside down. Allison found herself planning a funeral instead of spilling the beans to all her friends and family that they were expecting their 3rd baby. Dane’s passing was unexpected and as you can imagine, devastating to so many. Through all of this, Allie has tried to be strong for her children and has been making strides as she struggles through her grief. With the amazing support from her family and close friends, she has handled herself such dignity and grace through some very hard times. She has recently decided that she wants to share her story by blogging her experiences and all that she hopes to learn along the way. Hence the request to share her latest images as well as her story here with all of you today. She felt so strongly that this came up 2 hours after the shoot and before she even saw one shot! Her hope is that telling her story will help bring comfort and hope to someone in need. #courageous

The Session:

Was I surprised when Allie mentioned wanting to shoot a special set of photos to “officially ” announce her pregnancy? Absolutely not! It was always important to her and Dane to document their milestones so all I could do was smile at her bravery considering I knew it would be hard. I could spend all types of time telling you how quickly the idea came for Allison or tell antidotal stories about how the perfect location came to be, or what it was like seeing the crazy dreamy fog lifting at sunrise when we pulled in…. or even how uncharacteristic it is for balloons to float away as slowly as they did. But all of that doesn’t compare to the strength, gratitude and love displayed that day. As the shoot got closer, Allison wanted to invite her parents to join since they have been so instrumental to navigating her new reality and expressed how thankful she is for their love & support. Along with her sisters, they have been her rocks day in and day out.

I for one look forward to meeting the newest member of the family (see pics for the gender wink,wink) and continuing to watch little Ava and baby Oliver ( who is the spitting image of his daddy) grow up. I know Dane was with us in spirit as Allison and her family celebrated the last and most precious gift Dane could have given her. Another child to love and carry on his memory. If you would like to stay up to date with Allison and the kids or if you know someone who is currently dealing with a loss, please visit and save her blog at  www.feathersanddragonflies.com