How a Grow With Me Package Shows the First Year of Life

Documenting a child’s life is one of the biggest privileges I have as a family photographer. A family always has the option to do a “Grow With Me” package where I typically take maternity photos, then newborn (within the first 7 days), 6 or 9 months, and then a 1-year session that’s either a “smash cake” or a family session.

When Kevin and Tina wanted to create their own “Grow With Me” package, I was more than ready. About two months before Kevin Jr. was born, they contacted me to schedule a newborn session which ended up taking place in January 2016. Since that time, we have taken photos at 3 months, 6 months, 9 months, and most recently to celebrate Kevin Jr. turning 1.

Kevin Sr. is a HUGE baseball fan. As in loves the Giants and all things baseball. He even has a room dedicated to vintage baseball items; it's beautiful.

This love of baseball has extended to our photos, which the family planned for with all of our sessions and turned into something so amazing. It was important to Kevin to tie baseball into each of the sessions and we did that in a few ways throughout their photos from the last year.

In the newborn session we started with Kevin Jr. being held in a vintage baseball mitt: A 1930' Mel Ott glove from the NY Giants (before they moved to SF). Using an object like this really shows size comparison and allows us to mark growth over time. At each session after our newborn photos, Kevin Sr. held the mitt with Kevin Jr. resting on top of to show just how fast he grew.

In our later sessions, they also brought in a mini glove that was the perfect size for Kevin Jr. to hold onto (and chew on once teething started!). This glove was a replica Lou Gehrig glove (originally was from the 1920's) but miniature in size- perfect for a growing baby!


When planning for newborn photos, Tina saw a fun photo of a baby resting in a wire basket filled with vintage baseballs. We recreated the same image at our newborn session and then used the basket and balls into other sessions. At his one-year session, Kevin had grown so much that he was too large for the basket. We set it next to him during his smash the cake portion of the session, which is such a beautiful tie in from his original photos.

Other moments I loved were when Kevin Sr. thought of taking a photo with he and Kevin Jr. holding their own bats; Dad’s is from the 1940s and Kevin Jr.’s was the perfect size for him. A final touch I loved was that we also incorporated the blanket that was used to bring Kevin Jr. home from the hospital; he’s sitting on it in several of the photos at his one year and not only does it bring Kevin’s first year full-circle, but it also helps to show just how much he’s grown in that time.














The one-year photo session was at Osage Station Park in Danville because of the access to baseball fields and the beautiful setting. We were lucky with a clear day with blue skies. Though the location was new to me, I loved the idea and am so excited about the options for photos at Osage Park. The family also brought along Tina’s sister, which helped to create some of these beautiful photos. Having an extra person to help get a little one’s attention lets me be ready to capture moments like these.