July 27 was a beautiful day in Lincoln, Nebraska. I watched the sun rise next to my laboring friend Lauren and remember remarking that today would be her son or daughter’s birthday. Remember these images from Lauren’s maternity shoot? And this one a few days after Judah was born. Well, here is the rest of the story—with permission from Lauren and Josh—as seen from the lens of my camera.

We arrived at the hospital in the wee hours of the morning. Lauren worked through contractions in the dark quiet room for awhile, and then she walked the hallways. First with Josh, and later with me.

I’ll never forget our brief explorations of the hospital before it really woke up for the day. Lauren sashayed through the empty halls, powering through contractions as she walked in order to move the baby downward. We stepped outside and watched the sun begin to rise. When we arrived back in the room, Josh was sound asleep on what some nurses call the “empathy couch” due to it’s lack of comfort. There’s something about a husband resting that, in these two labors I’ve attended at least, puts a laboring wife’s mind to ease. I like Lauren’s happy smile in one of the following shots—she could still smile at this stage.

The sun’s brightness reflects on Lauren’s face. She is not sleeping here, don’t be fooled. Things are starting to get intense.

Out of the tub. The clock keeps ticking and we’re getting closer to meeting Judah.

And then he arrived. And all the hard work, all the growing of these past nine months, revealed itself in the form of a gorgeous gift of a baby boy. It was unbelievable. Even now I struggle to find the words to describe what it was like to see him for the first time. Thank goodness for photos.