Caleb and Kristen welcomed their baby boy into the world a little earlier than expected, at 36 weeks, after a pregnancy that asked more of them than they had planned. What began as a scheduled induction due to a liver condition became a birth marked by steady faith, quiet strength, and deep trust in how everything would unfold. Just hours later, their world shifted. They settled into those first moments of meeting him. These early hours held a version of their story they would never get back in quite the same way again.

Welcoming Wally at 36 Weeks

During her third trimester, Kristen experienced a liver condition called Cholestasis. It caused intense itching in her hands and feet and led her care team to recommend an early delivery. As they prepared for birth, Caleb and Kristen held onto one hope: that their son’s arrival would glorify God. They prayed for a quick labor and for Kristen’s body to be ready, even at 36 weeks. They also prepared for their First 48 session once he arrived.

The First 48 Photos in Emporia, Kansas – with Wally

When I arrived the next day for their First 48 photos in Emporia, Kansas, the room had already shifted into something tender and still. The lights were low. Everything moved slower, like the world had softened around them. A small galaxy lamp glowed above Wally’s bassinet, casting light onto the ceiling for him to notice when his eyes were open.

Labor lasted just six hours. I stepped into their hospital room the following day and they were already in those early newborn hours of learning his sounds, his movements, and the way he settled into their arms. Outside their door, the maternity floor stayed in quiet motion. Soft monitor beeps. Footsteps in the hallway. The occasional cry of another newborn. But inside, it felt contained and still. Like their own small world within the hospital.

Kristen held him close, the way a mother does when she’s trying to memorize every detail at once. She lingered on his fingers, his expressions, and the way he rested against her chest. Caleb stayed near, quietly present. He watched both of them with a steady awe that didn’t need words.

During these first hours, Wally made soft little sighs that filled the space between conversation. When he became fussy, Caleb gently stroked the top of his head. He settled almost immediately, as if that touch was already familiar.

The Details They Wanted to Remember

They had kept their baby’s name a secret. Later, they shared that he was named Wallace, inspired by Leave It to Beaver, and lovingly called Wally. Kristen couldn’t get enough of his tiny hands and feet. She took in every detail.

As part of their First 48 session, they asked for intentional prints of his hands. They wanted even the smallest details preserved, like the gentle scratches from birth. They wanted to remember him exactly as he was in those first hours. Not polished or posed. Just real. Caleb held him close throughout, noticing every feature, the quiet details that often become the most meaningful over time.

Wally was also gifted a small bunny by the Dolly Parton Foundation through the hospital. A small but meaningful keepsake marking the beginning of his story.

A Beginning Worth Holding Onto

Wally’s first hours were filled with meaning, both in the big moments and the small ones. A story of early arrival, answered prayers, and parents who chose to see beauty in every detail. Even when things didn’t unfold as planned, they still saw so much to hold onto.

These are the moments that pass quickly but become part of a family’s memory forever. The ones returned to again and again as he grows. The kind of beginning remembered not just for how it happened, but for how it felt.

These first hours often pass in a blur. If you’ve experienced those early newborn days, I’d love to hear what you remember most or what went by too quickly.

-Aspin

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Follow along with Baby Wallace here:
Maternity: A Kansas Winter Maternity Photography Session at Spring Hill Ranch House
First 48: A First 48 Photos in Emporia, Kansas with Baby Wallace (Wally)
Newborn: 
3 Months:
6 Months:
9 Months:
1 Year: