Our First Family Portrait

When I was pregnant with Audrey and Antonino, I searched for newborn twin photo ideas. I really loved the look of those wrapped shots where twin babies are posed really close together as well as the shots of one parent cradling both twins in their arms.  But when I was approaching my 34th week of pregnancy, I started to go into labor. Because of this, the twins were born three weeks early so they had to stay in the NICU. When they were finally discharged, we were instructed to go on an extended quarantine at home to avoid exposing them to unnecessary germs. Needless to say, a portrait session was the last thing on our minds.

Joey and I tried to document the twins' growth with monthly photos we would shoot ourselves but when their first birthday was around the corner, I figured it would be a great time for a family portrait session. So when the twins' birthday party photographer, Jess Panajon said she usually makes time for a few family portraits whenever she shoots parties, I was thrilled! Yay, we're finally going to have a professional family protrait and I didn't have to make any additional arrangements at all!

We held the twins' birthday party at Stacy's in Capitol Greenstreet. When the guests were just arriving and busy catching up with one another, we went to the veranda for our pictorial. The light was just right and there was a great backdrop of trees which complimented our blue outfits. How lucky, right? We're finally going to have a family photo where we're all posed perfectly and looking at the camera. We took photos for around 15 minutes and the whole time I kept thinking, did we get THE shot? 

During the two-week wait for the photos all I could remember were the times the twins wouldn't cooperate. They looked everywhere but the camera! 

Audrey also refused to stop her thumb sucking. At one point, my mom came out to help us. She's so great at getting Audrey to stop thumb sucking. The moment she carried her, she stopped. But when my mom handed her back to me, she was at it again! Maybe I should have just asked my mom to pose in my place and asked Jess to photoshop my head over hers.

Then the photos arrived. Jess did such an amazing job, we actually had a lot of photos where the twins were still and we were all looking at the camera like this one below.

But as I was looking for my perfect family photo, I came across this moment that I didn't even remember happening.

I was the only one looking at the camera (sort of) but Joey and I both had relaxed, spontaneous smiles. Antonino seemed like he was having fun as long as he was being held by his daddy, and Audrey, as usual was leaning on me. They're currently going through a daddy phase (for Antonino) and mommy phase (for Audrey) and Joey and I are enjoying every moment of it. It's not the perfect photo I had in mind but it's definitely my favorite. It's real. It's so us. And it shows that despite all the craziness 2017 threw at us, we still have many reasons to smile and be happy.