A Salt Lake City, Utah Wedding and Portrait Photographer - Melissa Papaj Photography: April 2011

Sunday, April 17, 2011

Baby Deven's Newborn Session - Utah Newborn Photographer

This session was so near and dear to my heart for so many reasons. Baby Deven is my cousin's baby. He was born with a cleft lip and palate. For those of you who know me from way back when, know that I went on a service mission to Kisumu, Kenya in 1998 with an organization called Operation Smile. Operation Smile is a non-profit organization that repairs cleft lips, cleft palates and any other facial deformity for children in third world countries. This mission changed my life for FOREVER! So when Ashlee's baby was born with a cleft lip and cleft palate, I instantly fell in love with Baby Deven, even more than every other newborn baby. My heart felt for the challenges that him and his parents will face, it took me back to holding all those sweet babies and children in Kenya thirteen years ago and made me long to go back on a photography mission to tell their stories of how operating on them changed their lives forever. Not only did I have the privilege to photograph him, but I was able to photograph him in my own home which made it even more fun for me - and that much closer to my heart. ENJOY!