Milestone Collection | Hines Family

Saylor just celebrated her first birthday. As you’ll see in the milestone portrait session photos further down in the post, this little girl has some breathtaking baby blues. When we asked her mom to choose, though, Christyl’s favorite picture of her little miracle is from their newborn portrait session, the one she calls the “baby bird picture.” We had to agree.

Saylor Hope had her name from the time her mom was in the 7th grade, a nod to her Andalusia family’s frequent trips to the beach during her childhood. Christyl met Tom in high school and, as it turned out, he also grew up with sand in his shoes. The name she had already chosen for her first daughter was a perfect fit.

Christyl and Tom dated throughout high school and then took a break one summer during college. The split was as short-lived as the season, and they married in 2010 right here in Destin. Guess who their wedding photographer was? *Raises hand.* Yep – it was Pure7. Christyl said she was looking forward to baby photos as soon as they saw the wedding photos, and knew they’d be calling us to document their next big event. They just didn’t think it would take so long.

A pediatric nurse practitioner, Christyl suffered through two miscarriages prior to Saylor. When this pregnancy progressed normally, she and Tom knew they finally had what they dubbed their “blessing baby.” Ecstatic, they purchased the Milestone Collection, a package of three sessions to be used by the baby’s first birthday.

Choosing the shoot locations was easy, because they knew they wanted to capture these priceless firsts in places that reflected their lifestyles. The soft, breezy scenery along 30A where we took maternity photos must have whispered its secrets to little Saylor, because Christyl said she has slept through the night since the first day they brought her home.

Little Saylor’s newborn photos were shot on the grounds of the historic Springdale Estate. This wonderfully Southern home that serves as an event and wedding venue in Andalusia once belonged to Christyl’s uncle. That family heritage made it the ideal location at which to capture sweet moments with the newest family member.

Fast-forward one year and Miss Saylor is just on the cusp of walking. An easy, always smiling, go-with-the-flow little girl, she is not a fan of cake or icing so the traditional one-year smash cake wasn’t exactly a hit. Neither was the sugar sand that got on her little feet at the beach in Seaside, where the last milestone session was done. But you’d never know it by the photos, because she is one happy baby girl.

Do you have a milestone moment coming up? Call us or drop us a note and let’s chat. You don’t want to leave these moments to your iPhone; let’s get them in albums and on heirloom wall art so you actually enjoy them.