Glaser Family Shoot

      With a hot Duch Bros. latte in my hand I left Oregon City around 9AM and headed out highway 26 toward Mt. Hood. Tucked back in the woods off a tiny road in Rhododendron is a cute little cabin by a stream, the location of the day’s shoot. As I turned off the main road, winding through the maze of trees I could see patches of blue sky, streaks of light through the trees and just the smallest bit of snow on the ground. The setting was perfect for some family shots with a new client. I had met both Brian and Jordyn Glaser previously but this was the first time I would meet their two children Davis and Rory.

     I walked through the door of the cabin, chatted with Jordyn and Brian a bit then directed my attention to their gorgeous children. I try to make the photography process as stress free as possible for kids so I tend to pull out my gear and let them examine it before we start shooting. I held my camera out for Davis, who is 2, to examine and he was immediately enthralled. He checked out the view finder, looked in the lens and twisted a couple dials. I pointed his finger in the direction of the shutter release and let him snap a few shots. While this seemed to be enough at first, eventually he wanted to hold the entire camera himself and his own little photo session commenced. Unfortunately his images didn’t make the final cut, but given his enthusiasm I think we may have a photographer on our hands in the years to come. As Jordyn and Brian finished getting the family ready I asked Jordyn about a comment she had made in a previous e-mail. Apparently both kids had given the family quite a scare at birth and I was curious about the rest of the story.

     Gastroschisis is a rare birth issue that deals with the wall of the abdomen. As a baby is developing in the womb the intestines make their way through a small hole in the abdominal wall and the child is actually born with the intestines outside their body. Most cases are corrected with a small surgery after birth but the whole process means weeks in the ICU while things are being sorted out. Currently the chance of having a baby born with this condition is 1 in 5,000. Davis just happened to be that 1 in 5,000 case. Doctors told Brian and Jordyn that the chance of their second child having the same complication was next to impossible. I can only imagine their shock when Rory came along about 2 years later with the same condition.  Now, four months after Rory’s birth, you would never guess any of it took place. Both children were all smiles (well most of the time anywayJ ) and giggles during the shoot. Davis especially likes it when you make farting sounds with your mouth…but then again, what two year old boy doesn’t. My time with the Glasers was a joy and you could tell as Brian and Jordyn held their children that they were holding something amazing in their hands.

     This life brings challenges to us all; some require a bit more energy than others. As Jordyn and I talked I was amazed at the level of peace reflected in her voice as she recounted the events of such trying times. My guess is one can only live day to day in moments such as these. We wonder what went wrong, how or if we could have changed things and pray that the outcome will be positive. I’m certain Brian and Jordyn would never want to walk through that journey again, but I also know they have come out on the other side with two amazing gifts. Their children are phenomenal and while it sometimes seems cliché to say that children are little miracles, in their case, it couldn’t be truer.