There is no greater love than the adoration parents have for their child. It's unconditional and one that stands the test of time, no matter the obstacles life brings. After learning that her daughter and son-in-law were struggling to find a surrogate to carry their child, Denise Weaver gave Heather Weaver the most incredible gift: the gift of life, and a child Heather and husband Chris Ambroziak would be able to call their own.
Lorrie Palmer, of Lorrie Ann Photography, captured this beautiful maternity shoot that shows the beauty of unconditional love spanning three generations.
"Denise, Heather, and Chris have a tight-knit bond that will forever give them something unique for which to love each other," Palmer tells CafeMom. "They are a blessing to each other, and since I have learned their story, they have been a blessing to me."
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Take a journey with us a we learn more about this amazing family, told through Lorrie's maternity and newborn photos — their ups and downs, and the joy they have for baby Addison, who changed this family's life and united them forever.
The Struggle to Conceive
Heather knew she wanted to have a family of her own with her husband Chris, but revealed to ABC 57 News, "I've known for a long time that if we were going to have kids, it would not come easy." Sadly, Heather has polycystic kidney disease, which made doctors leery of Heather's carrying her own child.
A Mother's Choice
After watching her daughter and son-in-law desperately try to adopt (only to have agencies tell them they needed more "marital stability") and then post their desire for a surrogate on Facebook, Denise decided to intervene. And though Mom was initially met with opposition, Heather and Chris decided to let her mother carry her child.
Defying the Odds
At 52, Denise met with doctors who determined she was healthy enough to carry a child and proceed with in-vitro fertilization treatments. "I said she's been through hell and back," Denise says she told the doctors before her treatments, as ABC 57 News reports. "I don't want her crushed. If this won't happen, we will walk away now."
Thankfully, things worked out in the most beautiful way.
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The Miracle of Pregnancy
A month after her IVF treatment, Denise took a pregnancy test that confirmed she was in fact expecting. This amazing news would be the start of this family's story, as Denise, a grandmother-to-be, would go on to carry her grandchild in her womb.
Documenting Their Journey
Lorrie Palmer was able to capture the love and emotions of this family in her amazing maternity photos. "I was definitely inspired to shoot these images in a different way than other maternity sessions," Palmer tells CafeMom. "So, the maternity shoot couldn't just be another normal shoot. It needed more raw emotion than just the usual love and elation parents have when expecting a little bundle."
The Heart of the Maternity Shoot
"It was my goal to show all the emotions that came into play with the situation," Lorrie Palmer tells CafeMom. "I wanted to show how much Denise wished Heather could carry, the barrier between Heather and that actually happening (her kidney failure), the love and excitement Heather and Chris have for each other through the circumstance, and the love and excitement between all [involved]."
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Silhouette Series
"I couldn't stop the onslaught of ideas that were coming to my head," photographer Lorrie Palmer reveals to CafeMom. "The idea for the silhouette shot didn't even come to me until we were all standing in the room together setting up lights." Little did Lorrie know, one photo from her silhouette series would capture the hearts of so many.
Expectant Mothers
As ABC 57 News describes, Lorrie captured a photo of Heather standing in front of her mom Denise that gives the illusion she's carrying her child. "It hit me out of nowhere and I was ecstatic to be able to tell them this is how I was going to be able to let Heather see how she would look if she was the one carrying," Palmer explains to CafeMom. "It turned out better than I could have imagined and it makes my heart happy to know that they love that photo so much."
A Daughter & Granddaughter Is Born
In October 2016, Denise, Heather, and Chris welcomed Addison Grace, who will forever change their lives. This beautiful little girl not only unites this family until the end of time, but is the physical manifestation of unconditional love.
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The Next Chapter
"I'm at 20 percent kidney function now and as that gradually continues to go down, we run the risk of trying to grow our family and trying to deal with a kidney transplant," Heather Weaver once told ABC 57 News. Hoping to find a kidney donor and undergo surgery for a transplant in the near future, Heather and her husband Chris are basking for now in the joys of being parents with a desire to eventually adopt.
