Meet Samuel, a one year old who is rocking that extra chromosome like a boss.

Some words from Samuel’s Mom:

Samuel David was born on Valentine’s Day 2018, he is such a joy and an ambassador of love! He amazes us with his beautiful smile that lights up a room. He is so curious, fearless and adventurous that I’m confident he will do well in this world and overcome any challenges that get in his way. Those who have the privelage of knowing him will have rich experiences too!

He is part of our love story!! He is my first child and my husband’s third child. My husband was a widower with a son and daughter when I met him in 2015. We got engaged in 2016, married in 2017 and had Samuel in 2018! There have been a lot of changes in our lives so when we found out during the first trimester that our son might have Down Syndrome, it took our breath away. Neither of us has a history of DS on either side of our families so we didn’t know what to expect. Regardless though, we knew that news wouldn’t change the course of the pregnancy. We felt blessed to get pregnant in the first place since I’m an older mom. We knew that we would love our child no matter what and if this is God’s plan for us then we will welcome him with loving arms and lots of kisses!!

My due date was at the end of February so when my water broke on the 13th, I wasn’t sure I wanted to have a Valentine’s Day baby but there was nothing I could do about it. Now I think it was perfect timing that he arrived on the day when we celebrate love!!

We are new to this community of precious people and are so grateful to be a part of it! It truly is a privilege to see the world through their eyes and be on the front lines of his development. Although he’s reaching certain milestones on a different timeline than other children, we are already so proud of how well he is doing. A huge thanks goes to our early intervention therapists that work with him on a regular basis. We have also enjoyed some events at Gigi’s Playhouse and are so thankful that there’s a place for Down Syndrome kids to go and grow!

Our lives are forever changed for the better and we are abundantly blessed by having Samuel in our family. I love watching his older siblings play with him, we all just love him so much!! It’s hard to fully express it but our hearts are so full!! What a joy, a treasure and a privilege to be Samuel’s mother.

Oh, the places you will go, Samuel!

It was a pleasure to do a special photo session with some kiddos from Western New York who have Down syndrome for the third year in a. row. I am hoping to spread awareness locally on messages of acceptance and beauty to individuals with Down Syndrome.

Our local news station aired the story last year to shine a beautiful light on our photo shoot experience. You can watch the story here.

BETHANY CHASE PHOTOGRAPHY IS A TRUSTED AND EXPERIENCED PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHER IN ROCHESTER NY THAT CREATES CUSTOM NEWBORN PHOTOGRAPHY, MATERNITY PHOTOGRAPHY, BABY PHOTOGRAPHY, CHILD PHOTOGRAPHY AND FAMILY PHOTOGRAPHY EXPERIENCES FOR CLIENTS ALL ACROSS THE AREA. BETHANY CHASE PHOTOGRAPHY CURRENTLY SERVES, BUT IS NOT LIMITED TO THE FOLLOWING NEW YORK AREAS: ROCHESTER, WEBSTER, PENFIELD, PITTSFORD, BRIGHTON, PERINTON, FAIRPORT, HENRIETTA, SPENCERPORT, GATES, CHILI, IRONDEQUOIT, GREECE, CHURCHVILLE, MENDON.

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