Older newborn photoshoot with Alba

I first met Nicola and Mark at their maternity photoshoot (see the images here) and then their newborn photoshoot with their first daughter, Elatheia (see the images here).

Four years on, I was delighted to see how much Elatheia had grown up, and to meet their new arrival, Alba.

The couple opted for a home birth this time round, with Nicola’s parents picking Elatheia up once labour started.

Nicola and Mark had already read a children’s book to Elatheia about a baby arriving into a family, so she had some understanding of what to expect and things that might change.

All this meant she was super excited about finally meeting her baby sister (nine months is a long time when you’re four years old!).

So when Elatheia was dropped back a few hours after Alba’s arrival she was almost overwhelmed with happiness.

Elatheia is not shy at all, initiating conversation with me as soon as she pressed the doorbell, telling me all about a floral headband she was given by her nan.

She’s a little performer in the making, with a love of dancing, singing and capturing funny photos and silly videos on mum and dad’s phones.

Elatheia also loves playing with dolls, getting mum to do face paints on her and clambering all over her dad – he’s the perfect climbing frame!

When the couple were on holiday previously, she wanted to know all about the history of the old town, and delighted in telling her pre-school companions everything she’d learned when she returned.

She definitely gets this curiosity from her dad, who likes to unwind at the end of the day – not by watching a comedy or murder mystery – but by learning something from a documentary.

She’s an adoring big sister, introducing Alba to me on arrival and patiently cuddling her and holding her hand during Alba’s newborn photoshoot with me.

The family also introduced a Maine Coon cat, Trixie, to the family home last year.

Nicola tells me that Trixie is a bit of a teenager: wild and independent, yet also nosey enough to follow the family upstairs or into the garden to see what they’re doing.

When they first brought the cat home, they thought Trixie was a boy.

A visit to the vet confirmed that she was indeed a girl!

Trixie is already very much part of the family, and with Alba’s arrival, Nicola tells me she now feels the family is complete.

Nicola is particularly looking forward to an upcoming family to the eastern part of Ibiza.

Both sets of grandparents will be there, which means the adult to child ratio will be very favourable indeed!

In the meantime, Nicola and Mark are looking forward to their favourite thing of all: hunkering down at home in their newborn bubble, as they cuddle, laugh and play together.

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If you’re interested in newborn portraits or family photography in Bicester, Oxfordshire, please get in contact.

Sarah Plater AMPA is an award-winning qualified, certified professional newborn and family portrait photographer based in Bicester, Oxfordshire.

She is the Master Photographers Association Young Families Portrait Photographer of the Year and Newborn Photographer of the Year for the Central Region (covering Oxfordshire, Northamptonshire, Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire).