These sweet twins are finally here and settling into the Anderson Home! Though, this is not my typical newborn blog post. The Anderson Family and I have something special to teach you! ♥

Carli Jo and Jake are no ordinary duo. These precious babies have a rare genetic condition called Cystic Fibrosis. This condition effects 1 in 3,000 Caucasian babies. As fraternal twins, it is even more rare that they both were diagnosed (1/16 chance actually). Their Momma has advised you don’t go googling around to learn more but use this website as the best and most accurate source of information: Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. You are welcome to learn more on your own but mostly, I want to share how important it is to the lives of these two, and others with their same condition, that you wash your hands and stay home when you’re sick. They require an environment as germ free as possible to stay out of hospitals and to enjoy a higher quality of life.

I have been following their journey and it will not be an easy one. Already going to so many appointments and hours of therapy every day. They have a team of 8+ specialists they meet with multiple times a month that specialize in different areas of their care.

You would never know, just by looking at them, how important it was that I washed my hands thoroughly before getting to work. They look and behave just like all my previous newborns! I would say they were more flexible. However, I’m thinking all newborn twins are more flexible as they grow around another body in a tiny shared space! I am always cautious and thoughtful when preparing to welcome newborns into my home studio, but it has always been about tiny immune systems…now, I prepare with even more purpose. Infants come to me at such early stages in life, I may never know their unique needs every time, but these two have taught me to prepare to the highest level.

I hope you think twice when you wash your hands out and about. I hope you take an extra 20 seconds to scrub thoughtfully. If you work at public service locations, I hope you take care to sanitize the environment and call in sick when you need to. When you see a mom with her new baby at Target, I hope you smile and support from a distance. If you say hi, just don’t touch or lean over babies you don’t know.

Welcome to the world Ms. Carli Jo and Jake Cody. Congratulations Amy, Cody, and new big sister Hailey! These babies couldn’t have been born into a better support system! I am so ready to learn more about C.F. and how our community can help in finding a cure. Thank you so much for sharing your journey as a C.F. Mommy, Amy! I promise to be one of your best behind the scenes cheerleaders along the way. ♥ It makes me so happy to see your extended family diving in to help and learn. Thank you for inviting me to be their newborn photographer. I hope to see you all again at one of my family mini events soon!

Sincerely,

Jaclynn