Unfortunately, sometimes time is not on our side. Such was the case for Nick and Abbie Torroll, who were expecting their third child, a little girl named Penelope, when Nick was deployed. Their best friend, neighbor, and photographer Jess Renee tells WelcomeHomeBlog.com she did a family session for the couple and their two kids the night before Nick left. "Abbie's baby bump was barely showing, and in the back of my mind I kept thinking that so much was going to happen while he was gone," she writes.
To ensure that the Torroll family's story was told in the best way possible, she documented Penelope's birth, as well as "Abbie manning the fort and taking care of three kids solo." And the "capstone" for the project, you might say, was capturing Nick's return home and meeting his newborn daughter for the first time ...
Jess explains the hoops she, Abbie, and her two boys had to jump through on that big day:
We had a lot going against us during the homecoming. The plane was two hours late. It started raining. We decided to go visit the restroom and grab some snacks after hearing the plane was going to be a bit longer, only to find out Nick had already landed. We literally ran into him on the way back to the terminal!
Aww! Here's the heartrending reunion and the journey leading up to it in full:
See this video on The Stir by CafeMom.
As Jess says, it's amazing that "it all worked out" and she was able to capture this incredible reunion. And the way she did it, telling the story not only of Nick's homecoming and first meeting with Penelope but of the lead-up to that heartwarming moment is amazing. She says she "wanted to share with the world a piece of the sacrifice military members and their families have to make." YES! So important! If that was her aim, it looks like she managed to knock it out of the park!
Do you think Jess accomplished her goal? What do you think of this video?
Image via Jessica Fountain/YouTube