Shanna + Wolfe | Annapolis Maternity Session | Baltimore Maryland Photographer

I love watching families grow. But this one? This one was different.

Last March, I stood behind my camera with hands that have captured hundreds of stories—but this time, the story was ours. My baby sister Shanna, glowing with that unmistakable mix of nerves and joy, stood alongside her husband, Wolfe as they waited for their greatest adventure yet: a baby boy who would turn their world into something new.

The skies had been moody earlier in the day, but by the time we arrived at the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, the rain had passed, leaving behind soft light and fresh air. It was like the world made room for this moment—quiet, sacred, and full of possibility. Shanna and Wolfe walked hand in hand by the water, wrapped in the kind of joy that only comes when you're on the cusp of something life-changing.

“Walk with me hand in hand We'll write our dreams in the sand…”

It felt like that. A gentle, sun-warmed beginning to something big.

Maternity sessions are always beautiful, but this one was deeply personal. I wasn’t just photographing parents-to-be. I was witnessing my sister step into motherhood… and Wolfe into fatherhood—with grace, with gratitude, with so much heart. Something they were made for. And even though I didn’t know what the year ahead would hold, I knew this much: their little boy was already so loved.

Now, nearly a year later, Fletcher has filled the world with baby giggles that take over his whole body. I didn’t get to meet him right away—life and choices created a little distance in those early months. And while I honored their boundaries, I’d be lying if I said it didn’t feel heavy at times. Missing the in-between moments, the first snuggles, the early wonder... it was hard.

Shanna and Wolfe are incredible parents. The kind of people who protect fiercely, love deeply, and carry magic in the ordinary. Fletcher is growing up surrounded by intention, curiosity, and so much care. And while I may not always be able to be there for every celebration (like his upcoming first birthday, which I sadly have to miss due to work), my heart is always with them.

That maternity session will forever live in my memory—not just as a photographer, but as a sister, as an Aunt CiCi, as someone who witnessed love in its most transformative form.

Shanna and Wolfe, thank you for letting me be part of your story. Fletcher, you may never remember that day by the water… but I always will.