Childhood dreams have a way of coming full circle, and for two sisters, Brie Dietz and Chaulet Barba, that circle is filled with love, laughter, and a heartwarming twist. In a delightful series of photographs, these sisters shared a special moment from their girlhood, and years later, they’ve recreated it with their own children.
Brie Dietz, aged 35, and her sister Chaulet Barba, aged 33, both from San Diego, were overjoyed when they discovered they were expecting at the same time. But this wasn’t the first time the concept of shared pregnancy had crossed their minds. As children, at the tender ages of 6 and 4, they had playfully pretended to be pregnant, filling their nighties with balloons. Little did they know that their childhood fantasy would one day turn into reality.
Growing up, Brie and Chaulet were inseparable, playing with dolls and taking on the roles of pretend mothers. Their bond remained strong, and even now, they talk on the phone every day, sharing their lives and dreams.
“When we found out we were pregnant together, I said, ‘Do you remember that picture?’” Dietz recalled. “It immediately cropped up in my brain, probably 25 years later, and I still remember it!”
After a bit of searching, Barba unearthed the precious 1990s snapshot of the two sisters, complete with curlers in their hair and balloons tucked beneath their nighties. Determined to commemorate this special moment, the sisters decided to recreate the photo, this time side by side, proudly displaying their baby bumps.
Dietz gave birth to her now 2-year-old daughter Goldie in October 2019, and shortly thereafter, in January 2020, Barba welcomed her 1-year-old Gemma into the world. These little cousins quickly formed a deep bond, mirroring the close relationship their mothers had and continue to share.
Inspired by their own childhood photo, the moms extended the heartwarming photoshoot by recreating the balloon picture with their own children. Now, there exists a touching triptych of images, with the most recent one featuring Goldie and Gemma holding balloons beneath their nighties.
“We got lucky to have a chance to recreate that,” Dietz, now a mother of three, remarked about the decades-long photo series. “It made it feel not only like it came full circle from playing that as a kid, but it felt like a special sister moment.”
These sweet photoshoots serve as a reminder of the precious moments shared during girlhood with family. Dietz hopes that these images will resonate with many, evoking memories of innocent sibling play and the unique bond shared among siblings.
“So many girls can relate to that sweet childhood when you’re innocently playing with your siblings,” Dietz shared. “I hope it makes people remember that sweet time when you’re in this little world of your own with your siblings, and we can’t mimic that now in our busy day-to-day lives.
