
My name is Holly and my husband is Joe. We met through mutual friends in late 1999, I believe. I knew nothing about him, but the first time I saw him, I remember thinking, "I'm going to marry him." And I did, on October 18th, 2003. We were together quite some time before deciding to get pregnant. We enjoyed life, traveling, friends, and each other before starting our family.
We had conversations about having kids, and Joe would always say, “It’s up to you whenever you’re ready.” Turns out, that wasn’t the case. It’s been a long time, so I don’t remember exactly when, but I think we were together around 13 years or so before I thought, *Now would be a nice time, before I’m too old to be a cool mom.*
I was off birth control for over two years before I got my first positive. Something made me think I was pregnant—I don’t remember what—but my girls at work went and bought me a test, and we all screamed together after I took it. Then I called Joe. He was out of town, and he was so excited. Unfortunately, I ended up with two false positives. To this day, I don’t know why, but the heartbreak was hard. I just knew I was pregnant, and the test said I was, until the doctor said I wasn’t.
A few months later, I got another positive. The doctor verified it and gave me a due date. But a week later, I started cramping, and in the back of my mind, I knew what was happening. By the time I got to the doctor the next day, I was miscarrying. I cried so hard all the way home. Twice… here we go again.




Months later, I got another positive. I was happy but very calm. Joe came in with lunch, and while we were eating, I said, “I’m pregnant again. Maybe... the test says so.” And we continued eating lunch. We didn’t say much, but I’m sure he was thinking what I was.
A couple of weeks later, though, we heard the most amazing sound—a strong heartbeat. Overjoyed but still cautious, our doctor sent us to a high-risk specialist who spent the nex seven months checking out our little one with 4D scans and tests, reassuring us, “She’s doing great.”
On January 26, I had an emergency C-section. Adaline is now 8 ½ years old and so full of life, hopes, and dreams.
The first two years that I hadn’t gotten pregnant didn’t emotionally affect me much. It wasn’t until my first positive pregnancy test that I realized how much I wanted this. Through it all, I shed lots of tears, but I didn’t lose hope. I had Joe, my mom, and my sister, and they all kept saying it would happen.
We conceived naturally on May 4th—I know this because Joe was working out of town a lot, and I had flown to Amarillo for the weekend, apparently to get pregnant. Four weeks later, I was back at that hotel and got nauseous. I took two more tests, both of which read positive.


This entire journey confirmed what I already knew: Joe and I make a great team. After hearing about and seeing last year’s project and reflecting on how thankful I am for Adaline, I was excited to be part of the project this year.
Fun Fact: All three of our birthdays fall on the 26th—Joe’s on 8/26, mine on 10/26, and Adaline’s on 1/26.
Photographers note: I met Holly through our daughters. They met in kindergarten and are totally BFFs now, so naturally, Holly and I became friends. I’ve photographed her family several times, and Adaline has been a little model for me (often capturing fun sessions with the two girls together). I never knew Adaline was a rainbow baby until I was sharing about this new project I had been working on last year. I remember how moved Holly was by the idea, and it was then that she shared with me that she was a rainbow mom. I promised her she would be first on the list for next year. I'm so happy she and Adaline were able to be a part of it this year!