I first met this happy baby girl back in 2011 when she and her big brother visited our studio for portraits.  We stayed in touch online and through the wonderful community of moms at Bellani Maternity over the years.

We were on our Holiday break this year when I saw the story spread over facebook.  A family in our community was struggling with the recent diagnosis of their young daughter.  She had gone into the doctors with a stomach bug and then their world had changed.  I soon found out it was Belle and her final diagnosis was pre-B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) .  I just couldn’t wrap my head around the sudden news.   I sent mom a message as soon as I heard.  Whenever she was ready, whenever Belle was ready, I wanted to be there for them in any way that I could.

I have worked with many families fighting childhood illness through The Tiny Sparrow Foundation over the past few years.  It has been the most meaningful part of what I do as a photographer.  I know how much photos can mean to families fighting through treatment and recovery.  I also knew how much Belle’s beautiful curls meant to her mom.  Not for their physical beauty, or the soft way they framed her baby doll face, but because they were a symbol of Belle’s babyhood.  They were a symbol of Belle before their world was turned upside-down.  I know I would have felt exactly like Belle’s mom did.  Yes, those curls will grow back, surely more beautiful than ever, but I would have wanted to hold onto them as long as I could.  I had to get to the hospital and capture Belle’s curls.

Belle and her mom are some of the strongest girls I’ve ever met.  Mom has been incomprehensibly positive and tenacious for her daughter.  They amaze me and everyone else they meet.  Belle had already fought through over two weeks of treatment and wasn’t feeling great the day I visited.  We had endless fun, girly, dress-up toys to make her smile, but she mostly wanted her Elmo, her mommy, and her cozy blanket.  You know what?  That Elmo and blanket looked pretty perfect to me and there is nothing more beautiful than a mother’s love.

Plus, this isn’t the last photo shoot you’ll see with Belle here.  We’ll be catching up again, when she’s feeling much better.  She has plenty of tutu-twirling ahead of her!  This summer, her hair will be growing back and I probably won’t be able to keep up with her as she runs around outside.  For now, I’m happy to have captured those sweet curls before her next chapter begins.  You can read more about Belle’s story in her mother’s words on the Kent Macaroni Kids Blog.

If you would like to help Belle and her family, please visit  Belle’s Youcaring.com Page or check back in with us for the many opportunities to make a difference for Belle in the coming months.

Oh my gosh, is this not one of the cutest babies you have ever seen?  I was totally in love with her from the first second she looked at me with those big brown eyes.  Little Star sessions are some of my favorite and especially when babies are at this age.  It feels like I’m just hanging out with mom and dad, playing dress up with their little one.  Sometimes I have to remind myself that I’m working!  M was so sweet.  She indulged us in plenty of adorable outfits and sets.  I’m wondering how I’ll ever choose favorites for this gallery!  Enjoy your sneak peek!

We’re so excited to be bringing back our December Deals! Every week from now until the new year we’ll be offering a special deal for a Heidi Hope Photography session.  Each deal is available for ONE WEEK ONLY.  After one week, the deal, and the opportunity, expires! If you’re a newsletter subscriber, you’re already in the know about the entire series. To hear about future promotions, sign up for our newsletter here.

This week’s deal (expires 5pm EST, December 21st, 2012): Book a Senior Portrait session for the Spring of 2013 (before May 31st), and receive 32 free wallets of your favorite pose, plus a free yearbook photo!

We’re already thinking Spring for senior portrait sessions, and want to make sure we have sessions free for the class of 2013 and 2014! This deal is perfect for seniors who want to remember their last highschool years with more than just a studio yearbook portrait. We personally make every shoot unique, and provide stylists for professional hair, makeup, and wardrobe styling throughout your session. This Spring, show off your magazine-quality shoot with free wallets and a yearbook photo!

How do I take advantage of this deal??

Call the studio (401-864-1919) this week to schedule and submit your session fee for a senior portrait session. Please note we are here to answer your calls Monday through Friday 9-5pm.  Calls during non business hours will be returned in the order received.  Session fee must be submitted before 5pm EST, December 21st, 2012.

Please visit our SENIOR PORTRAIT WEBSITE to learn more about Heidi Hope Photography sessions!

~ The Heidi Hope Team

I loved this little birthday girl and her gorgeous family!  S was so full of personality.  She loved crawling around the studio and was so proud of her new standing skills.  Mom and dad were up for anything and chatting with them made our shoot fly by.  We started our session with some sweet family portraits that I know they will love having with baby S while she’s still their little baby.  Then S stole the show!  From our simple classics in all white to our colorful cakesmash, this is going to be one huge gallery.  Enjoy your sneak peek!

Gorgeous baby A came to visit the studio this week and her session was one of my favorite 3 month old sessions to date!  She was A: Gorgeous, B: So happy, and C: Incredibly adored by her parents.  We focused the session on capturing their family bond and of course had to snap a few of just A herself.  As you can see, she’s the steals the show!

This little boy was a dream to photograph.  He went from being kind-of sleepy to SUPER sleepy and never woke up once!  He let us pose away and the images of him on our blue chair are some of my absolute favorite.  Mom loved the our chair shots on the antique pink chair but I was thinking it might look too “girly”.  So she said “what about that chair in your front hall?”  It was perfect!  Thanks for the inspiration mom.  Enjoy your sneak peek!

I had such a good time photographing this family last week.  Baby K’s session was perfect from beginning to end.  She was such a gorgeous, joyful little girl.  She was the perfect cake smasher as well.  She didn’t really eat the cake.  She just played with it and smiled away for the camera!  Enjoy your preview!

I was so excited to hear the good news that these twins were born.  I had the pleasure of meeting mom and dad for a maternity session a few months back and I’ve been counting the days ever since!  E and O did not disappoint.  They were so adorable and I loved capturing their bond with each other.  We also were able to take our first twin hanging shot (with a whole lot of takes!).  Great seeing you again mom and dad, enjoy your preview!

Do I have the most adorable clients or what?!  I knew the second H showed up to our studio and gave me a giant smile through those big blue eyes that we were in for some fun.  H was so easy going that we were able to try out lots of fun sets.  Usually the larger flower bands aren’t my favorite to use, but I think in sets like these they look so stinkin cute and the two mom picked were some of my favorite!  No matter what we put H in, those big blue eyes always stole the show anyways.  I can’t wait to show mom and dad the rest of these!

Newborn baby M was so perfectly gorgeous.  She had the most beautiful skin and tiny pink lips.  Mom and dad were absolutely in love with her and it was such a joy to witness.  With 5 previews on their way today, I’ll let the pictures do most of the talking!  Enjoy your preview!