Alli was induced the day before their due date and had a very typical delivery. With a long last name they wanted a short and sweet name for their baby girl. Rose is Alli’s grandmother’s middle name and it is also Alli’s confirmation name, so they decided on Emma Rose.
Alli grew up in Delaware and got a Master’s Degree from The Ohio State University. She teaches sixth grade language arts and has coached cheerleading in Delaware. She loves to read, travel, and spend time with family.
Justin also grew up in Delaware. After graduation he joined the Army and was stationed in Texas in the infantry. He switched to recruiting and was stationed in Bay City, MI and Westerville. He is now stationed in Mason, OH, driving a 4 hour round trip each day just so the family can stay in Delaware to be close to extended families and the girls’ schools. Justin likes to golf, hunt, and travel.
Justin and Ali have 3 children. McKenna just turned 13 years old and she is a bubbly, old soul. She loves Elton John, fun sunglasses, action movies, cheering, and spending time with her friends. McKenna is a sweetheart and always has the biggest smile.
Emma loves to eat, sleep, and be cuddled. She is the perfect baby and isn’t phased by loud noises because she is used to her big sister singing, squealing, and getting right up in her face.
Alli and Justin knew they wanted another sibling for the girls so they were excited to find out in October of 2019 that they were expecting. They were so excited to share the news with the girls and extended family. They had a shirt made for Avery that said ‘This Thanksgiving I am thankful to be a big sister.’ That was how they told McKenna and all of their family at Thanksgiving.
They had a miscarriage before Avery and then another before Emma, making them more anxious that everything was okay with Emma’s pregnancy. At 34 weeks they found out through a 3D/4D ultrasound that Emma had a cleft lip. They almost weren’t able to have that ultrasound because of the restrictions with COVID.
They did a ton of research on how this would impact their baby girl and they had weekly doctor visits at St. Ann’s and Children’s Hospital. It was difficult to go to the doctor appointments because only Alli could go due to all of the regulations with COVID. There was always a lot of new information to process. They received so much support before Emma even arrived and she eased any concerns they had when she was born perfectly healthy, happy, and beautiful.
Alli was induced the day before their due date and had a very typical delivery. With a long last name they wanted a short and sweet name for their baby girl. Rose is Alli’s grandmother’s middle name and it is also Alli’s confirmation name, so they decided on Emma Rose.
Emma was born with a cleft lip and palate, where the lip and roof of the mouth do not completely close or come together. A cleft lip and palate form within the first few months of a baby’s fetal development. One in 700 babies are born with a cleft. Feeding and hearing are two major concerns for babies with a cleft. Emma passed her hearing test and has been eating like a champ! She does use a special bottle with a valve that allows her to self-pace her eating by pushing her tongue up to the roof of her mouth instead of using suction.
Emma has a complete cleft which means she will have 3 surgeries/procedures before she turns 1. Then another around 6 or 7 years old and possibly when she is in her teens. Her surgeries in her first year will be to close the tissue in her lip, nose stents to form cartilage in her nose, ear tubes to help drain her ears, and then closing the roof of her mouth. The later surgeries are more for dental/orthodontic work. She has a whole team of doctors at Nationwide Children’s Hospital that include her plastic surgeon, feeding specialists, otolaryngologist (ENT), audiologist, speech therapist, orthodontist, oral surgeon, nurse practitioner, geneticist, and a psychologist.
The road ahead seems a little scary but the Winebrenners know Emma is going to overcome any obstacle that is thrown at her and she’s teaching her family so much through this process.They love that Emma’s cleft makes her unique and they are so happy to have special photos to always remember how beautiful she is before her appearance changes.
I would love to photograph your new baby and family! Reach out to me and let’s start planning!
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Stacey@StaceyAshPhoto.com
