View photos of Van’s newborn photos and read all about his sweet beginnings here!

I had the pleasure of meeting this sweet family during big sister, Elliana’s newborn session less than two years ago, so I was just tickled BLUE with news that I’d get to meet the newest member of the Haynes family, Van. I saw his first pictures posted on Instagram after his birth and knew his session would be amazing! He was smiling….at only hours old!!

Parent’s Name
Joy and Michael Haynes
Baby’s Name
Van Hamilton Haynes
How did Mom & Dad meet?
We met in New Orleans at the Alabama LSU national championship game in 2012. Roll Tide! Alabama won and we fell in love at first sight!!
How did you tell family and friends you were expecting?
At our daughter Elliana’s 1st birthday party, she unwrapped a t-shirt that had a camera on it and “I’m going to be a big sister! Everyone started screaming in delight! It was perfect!
What was the best, most surprising or most difficult thing being pregnant?
Best: Giving Elliana a brother and my husband a son. Van is named after his late Great Grandfather.
Most Difficult: I got a blood clot in my leg around 16 weeks the caused painful swelling. Luckily it went away on its own without medication… just glamorous thigh-high compression stockings!
Most Surprising: We struggled with infertility for 2 1/2 years before becoming pregnant with Elliana. It was a huge surprise to find out when she was just 11 months old that we were expecting another baby!

Did you find out the gender beforehand? What were both Mom and Dad’s reactions.
I’m an ultrasound technologist and one of our students scanned me for practice. She put the gender in an envelope which I then gave to one of my neighbors. She tied blue balloons around Elliana’s waist and she crawled out into the living room where her dad and I were standing. Again, we screamed in delight!
How did baby prep go? (Setting up the crib, decorating the nursery, buckling in the carseat,.)
Expecting your 1st child, you kind of go crazy decorating the nursery and making sure everything is perfectly ready for the arrival. 2nd baby problems… We waited until I was about 34 weeks to buy a crib. Luckily it was in stock. Van’s room has a theme with teepee’s, buffalo, arrows, etc… all of the decor was hung when he was a week old…it’s still not completed.
Was labor and delivery what you expected?
I worked up until the day I delivered. This labor was different from my first. My water broke first and then I began having contractions with Elliana. This time, I was having contractions but didn’t progress as quickly as I would’ve liked. I decided to let my doctor break my water and 3 hours later Van arrived! It was a very smooth delivery thanks to my epidural!
Did baby look a lot like Mom, Dad or other siblings? Did you have fun with comparing baby photos?
Our children are identical to each other and their dad. There is no sign of their momma anywhere! Elliana and Van are so similar, it’s difficult to tell their pics apart!
What have the first few weeks at home with baby been like?
The first few weeks have been tiring. We have two children under two years old. Van wants to eat every 2-4 hours and Elliana is a busy bee and rarely sits down. Our house is loud, chaotic, and full of joy and laughter. I wouldn’t change a thing!

You can even write a little bit about your baby’s newborn session if you’d like.
This is our 2nd time having newborn sessions with Destiny. This time, we were able to do sibling pics and even a few with us for our first family photo. Haynes party of 4! Thanks for spending time with us and giving us exactly what we wanted for our newborn shoot. You do fabulous work!!!