The Woodlands at-home newborn photography: life begins with Merritt

This newborn photography session celebrates first-time parents Liisa & Warren as they welcome their daughter in The Woodlands, Texas

Welcome Merritt Hazel, born on April 10 in The Woodlands, Tx, weighing in at 8 lbs, 9 0z.!

As a newborn photographer, two things about this session absolutely melted my heart:

First: Merritt, an adorable baby girl with the most amazing newborn hair ever.

Second: She has her own personal guard dog, Pekoe, who is a ferocious tiny dog that is fiercely protective of the family! Really all it takes to completely melt me is a session with a baby and a dog. There’s just nothing better!

This relaxed in-home newborn session in The Woodlands with Liisa and Warren was such a beautiful celebration of their daughter and new parenthood. I photographed these two earlier this year during a gorgeous maternity session at Mercer Arboretum. Miss Merritt was born a week after her due date, on April 10, weighing in at 8 lbs, 9 0z. She was worth every bit of the wait!

The beauty of motherhood

One thing I enjoy about in-home newborn sessions is taking time to hear mama’s birth story. The actual experience of becoming a mom and giving birth is so very different for every woman. It’s a story every mother wants to tell because it’s such a defining moment of our lives.

Although labor is incredibly hard work, all of that instantly disappears when baby is finally here. Liisa’s own birth journey with Merritt was a beautiful experience, complete with super supportive husband Warren and the team at The Addice in The Woodlands. She was able to catch her daughter as she was born, a moment that was truly magical for Liisa.

Don’t miss the sneak peek video of Merritt’s gorgeous in-home newborn session in The Woodlands, Texas!

Making memories with Merritt

We kicked off Merritt’s sweet newborn photography session in the living room with her tightly swaddled and cuddled with her parents. I snapped a few gorgeous portraits of Liisa here, side lit with sunlight flowing in through the living room window, looking like she was made for motherhood. There was such a peace about her as she held Merritt up next to her face; two-and-a-half weeks in, Liisa’s got the mom sway down and you can see she’s so in love with her baby girl.

From there, we moved into Merritt’s nursery, where we captured my absolute favorite moments of the day: little Pekoe was peeking in at Merritt through the crib slats!

Proud dad Warren joined us for several photos of just he and Merritt. She looks so tiny in her dad’s big hands; Liisa shared with me that as excited as she is to be a mom, she’s even happier for Warren to be a dad. If you have kids, you know that sentiment; it’s the same for me and my husband. You fall in love with your husband in an entirely new way as he grows into fatherhood.

I also had a chance to meet Warren’s parents who were in town to spend time with Merritt. His mother painted a beautiful piece of artwork especially for Merritt, which is hanging in her nursery.

More moments with Liisa and Merritt

We also made time for a beautiful series of photos of Liisa and Merritt cuddled together in the master bedroom. The light was so flattering here, and it’s nice to change it up a little and invite mama to lay down with baby after so many photos with them sitting or standing. Merritt slept so soundly in her swaddle – she looks absolutely perfect snuggled with her mama.

Warren joined us for a few more photos, complete with guard dog Pekoe, in the master bedroom. These are some great playful photos, with Pekoe taking center stage and her family softly out of focus in the background. Liisa shared with me that Pekoe is used to posing for the camera – and she was right! You can totally see Pekoe’s model face in most of her photos. She knows she’s adorable!

It was a joy to watch Liisa and Warren transition from being parents-to-be to seeing them fall in love with their daughter. So much happiness is ahead for this family of three – and Pekoe too!

View the McCarthy’s The Woodlands, Texas, newborn session below.