Bentley - 6 months old

Meet Nicholas Bentley McLendon and his parents, Nick & Kristen. He looks like the typical baby -- but if you look closer you'll realize that this little boy in a miracle. He is 6 months old and he spent nearly all of that time in the hospital after he was born with gastroschisis (basically a birth defect in which an infant's intestines stick out of the body through a defect on one side of the umbilical cord). Bentley is a fighter and has survived and thrived through countless surgeries, procedures, and complications. His parents are young -- but they have more strength than many people twice their age. Kristen attributes her spirit and drive to the love of her son -- and the willingness to hit her knees and pray. I've followed his story since before he was born, so I was honored to meet him and to get to photograph Bentley in his very first pictures. The little peanut (he only weighs 12 pounds) arrived all smiles and we got some great pictures. I'm sad that they will be moving back to Alabama this summer so I won't get to photograph him as he grows and thrives, but sometimes just meeting one small being for a brief moment gives you a new perspective on life and what is important.