Almost 20 years ago, Jashley and Grant met at church camp. Jashley had such a crush on Grant - she even wrote about it in her old diary that she still keeps tucked away. But shortly after meeting, Jashley's family moved away. Little did they know, life would bring them back together when they met again in college.

Fort Worth home birth photographs laboring by the window makes for a beautiful birth photos by Birth & Life Photography

With the fire of adventure in her heart, Jashley told Grant at the beginning of their relationship that she planned to go abroad to teach in South Korea after she graduated. Not wanting to risk being separated again, Grant asked her to wait - till they got married- so they could go together. Without hesitation, Jashley said yes!

In less than four months, they packed their belonging and moved to South Korea as husband and wife. Together, they were a match made in adventure.

They traveled as often as they could, collecting various artwork and textiles as well as photographs in each of the unique places they visited - Iceland, Paris, Peru. When they returned to Fort Worth to call home, ever the artist, Jashley decorated their home with the colorful collections from their adventures together and her own personal art - full of color and life.

DFW Birth Photographs in Black & White. Home birth in the dark.

When Grant & Jashley found out they were going to have a baby, they knew they were about to embark on their greatest adventure yet! And as with all their adventures, she wanted to document every moment.

Jashley planned a home birth surrounded by the people she loved in the comfort of her home surrounded by elements that soothed her soul - the natural elements of her garden; the warm light that shone through the window; the colorful self-portrait she painted of her baby bump.

Her birth team was equally as adventurous - her childhood best friend and midwife, Sarah Jones, was about to embark on a career journey to support women in impoverished countries with maternal care; and her sister, there for love and support, would soon be leaving with her family to journey throughout North America by RV.

Laboring mother looks like a mermaid in her birth tub during her home birth in Fort Worth.

In true adventurer fashion, Jashley's labor was long and full of unknowns.

She worked through each contraction moving throughout her home, wandering from room to room. She sought relief in the warm water of the tub. She found comfort and support leaning in the arms of her love, Grant. For a moment of refreshment, she stepped outside for a walk through the garden during a break in the rain.

Home birth outside in the garden Fort Worth Best Birth Photographer.

After working through as many tried and true ways to help her baby arrive, Jashley was exhausted. For almost 24 hours, Jashley had been working so very hard. With her midwives’ focus on the safety and health of her baby and her, the decision was made to transfer to Texas Health Harris Methodist Downtown Fort Worth.

As Jashley continued to work through her contractions, her midwives, Grant, her sister, and her photographer quickly gathered her belongings and prepared for the trip to the hospital at midnight. The trip was quick and they arrived at the hospital as quickly as they had left as traffic was scarce.

With the Covid-19 pandemic in full swing and visitation on lock down, Sarah helped Jashley and Grant through the front door to the hospital and wished them well. She watched them walk down the hall before turning to leave with a prayer in her heart for her best friend.

Home birth transfer to Texas Health Harris Methodist

At the hospital, the nurses continued to let Jashley try for a vaginal birth. That was her plan and they were going to give her the chance as long as baby and mom were not in distress. After laboring through the night and into the next morning with no change, they prepared for a C-Section.

At 8:06 a.m., Dante Evander, Boatwright had arrived! He was six pounds and 14.2 ounces, 20.5 inches of perfection. Now the three of them were ready to start this adventure as a family.

While Jashley, Grant, and Dante awaited their release from the hospital, Jashley’s sister was hard at work at their house preparing for their arrival.

Given Jashley’s birth did not go as planned, her sister wanted to create the warmest welcome home she could. She hung the motivational notes from family and friends around their house, made a happy welcoming sign, and filled their fridge with delicious goodies so Jashley had plenty to keep her strong and healthy after her birth.

When they got home, Dante was met with so much love from his new family members who patiently waited for his arrival - especially a very excited cousin who couldn’t love his new baby cousin more.

Dante had arrived. They were home. With this birth experience, Jashley and Grant knew they were blessed beyond measure. They couldn’t have asked for a better blessing to add more color to their world.

Congratulations!!