ONE BIG DILL: Axtyn The Pickle-Loving Baby’s First Birthday
A North Carolina family and their baby, Axtyn, stopped at Firehouse Subs for lunch one day. That was where Axtyn tried his first pickle.
*Photos contributed by Photographer Cheyenne Woods
His mom, Jessica, gave Axtyn a taste, and suddenly he wanted the entire pickle! “We let him hold it, then he dropped it and screamed until we placed another pickle in his hand. It’s been the same way ever since.”
Axtyn’s favorite pickles are Kosher Dill Spears, but he truly loves all pickles. Axyn’s mom Jessica shared with us that “At any given time, there are at least 5 jars of Mt. Olive in our refrigerator!” Their family favorites include Kosher Dill Spears, Mild Okra, Bread & Butter Chips, and Diced Jalapeño Peppers.
“Axtyn had a really rough start in life, and we are so blessed to have him here to share our love of pickles with.”
To celebrate Axtyn’s first birthday this past September, his mom Jessica wanted to do a photo session based around something this special little boy absolutely loves. “Anytime he sees a pickle, he cries until you give it to him,” so they knew pickles and “One Big Dill” would be the perfect theme! Jessica reached out to photographer Cheyenne Woods, and the two worked together to design the setup.
Cheyenne shared, “The whole setup and design was unique. I remember going to several craft stores trying to find pickle colored balloons and card-stock paper and eventually just grabbing a ton of shades of green.”
Jessica said, “Cheyenne spent a ton of time making the pickle confetti, banner, and the balloon garland, while I went to the local grocery store to buy every jar of Mt. Olive Pickles they had on the shelf. The looks we got were hilarious!”
At the shoot, Axtyn was so excited by being surrounded with Mt. Olive Pickles, that Jessica and Cheyenne had to distract him from trying to pick up the jars, and get him to focus on eating his pickle cake!
“Jessica began sharing that when Axtyn was a newborn facing health challenges, she didn’t think he would ever make it to be a year old. She expressed how grateful she was to be there. It was definitely an emotional moment and some tears of happiness were shed as we watched Axtyn expressing pure joy as he ate up his cake. It was a reminder that little Axtyn’s first birthday was truly a big deal,” Cheyenne said. After the session, they opened up a jar of pickles for Axtyn to enjoy!
“Axtyn has a huge family that is so thankful for him and all the joy and laughter he brings to our lives,” Jessica said. “We are looking forward to bringing him to the pickle festival for the first time this year!”
CREDITS:
Photographer: Cheyenne Woods http://cheyennewoodsphotography.com/ @cheyennewoodsphotography
Cake: Alina Edwards at Enticing Icingz Sweet Shoppe in Kernersville NC
Axtyn’s mom: Jessica @jstyers5
More from Cheyenne Woods Photography:
I’ve been doing photography for 8 years now and 3 years as a business – while also juggling being a wife, mom and a student. I just graduated with my bachelors degree in December and I look forward to doing more of what I love in photography. Mainly the cake smashes! Those are my favorite.
I love being able to capture babies and children as they are to be remembered forever. Little ones are so sweet and pure and my favorite part is capturing that and the glimpses of their personality that they show. As a mom, I know that kids grow up so fast, and I cherish the photos that I have of my kids and look back on them often. I want parents and loved ones to be able to look back on precious memories of their children and see the glimpses of their personality shining through the photos and I want it to bring an abundance of happiness.
Thank you to Jessica for sending us these updated photos of Axtyn enjoying his pickle prize pack!
