Assisted Walking
Bella wants to walk! Unfortunately, she has not developed the courage to let go yet. This means she has to rely on Mommy to walk her around. That is all she wanted to do, during her entire session! Walk, walk and walk some more. Every time Mommy let go, and tried to sit Bella down, she would scrunch up that face and let out a whimper. Sometimes we were able to distract her, at least for short periods of time, but really, she just wanted to walk!
Not So Sure
Emily was a little tentative about her session. The last time I saw her, she was a tiny newborn. So, as far as she was concerned, I was a stranger. When Mommy started undressing her, shortly after arriving, I’m sure she had flashbacks to her one year checkup at the doctors. Not exactly what I want to be compared to!
Then there was the tutu. I don’t know if it threw off her balance, or felt weird, but she just wasn’t into that tutu. Even though she’s a stander and a walker, it took everything to get her to stand on her own in the tutu, and walking…not happening! Of course, at the end of the session, when Mommy took it off, it was like Emily became a different person!
The birthday hat was a complete no-no! As soon as the hat went on, the water works turned on. She wanted nothing to do with the hat. She did find a fun activity involving the hat. We thought we would put it on the bench next to her, just to get it in a few images. Emily thought picking it up and throwing it was a great idea! She cracked herself up, every time!
Despite the uneasiness, with some crazy actions from Mommy and me, we captured some adorable expressions…big eyes and all!
Big Man!
Brendan deserves the title big man for many reasons!
First, he was born weighing in at 9 lbs and 1 ounce with a short length of just 19 inches. I guess you know where that means all the weight goes…that’s right…in the thighs! They’re great thighs…rolls and all!!
Second, he’s only seven days old and he’s already holding his head up. I know, I know, crazy talk, but really! I put him on his belly and up popped that head, strong neck and everything. Yes, it was only for five or six seconds, but he had total control over it for the whole time. He was so proud of himself that he just kept doing it over and over. Totally un-newborn like!
Third, he rolled over! Okay, so not a completely flat on the back flip over to belly, but I definitely had him on his tummy and, just like that, he was on his back. It freaked me out a few times, because I was sure he was going to roll right off the bean bag. Someone needs to tell Brendan that it is okay to be a baby for a while!
Last, but not least, he was very laid back and relaxed for the entire LONG session! He only fussed for a minute or two twice, and even those fusses were minor. He just went with the flow! He did try to stay awake for the entire session, but he learned his lesson…I always win!
More Hands!
During Ella’s first session, we spent the entire time fighting hands in the mouth! It was definitely her favorite thing to do…AND…that has not changed! For her six month session, she started with her arms straight out in front, or to the side, to balance herself, but as she got comfortable, the arms starting to bend and the hands…they went straight to her mouth!
Of course that did not stop us. We conquered the hands the first go around, we can certainly conquer them this time, too!
Standing?!?
The discussion we had before we started the session was that, “No, Evan is not really standing.” The daycare lady has seen him stand once, but that is really it. He pulls up on all types of furniture, but he does not let go.
So, in the middle of the session, Daddy puts him down in a standing position and what do you know…he does it…for a good 10-15 seconds! Of course, he has his hand in his mouth. So, we try again, and what do you know, he does it again! We will call it his first official time standing, and it is recorded for life!
Way to go Evan!!
Again!?!
At Kaylin’s newborn session, we experienced some major blow-outs! At her one year session, we experienced some major drool, snot and even some watery eyes!
Kaylin looked so cute in her brown and pink dress with her pink bow, but then she would look up at you and just have drool coming out of one corner and snot streaming from her nose! BUT, no worries! Momma was always close by with a box of Kleenex and the rest is for me to retouch!
It took a little while for Kaylin to warm up, but once she had a bottle she was ready to go! With her favorite bear by her side, she performed like a rock star…clapping and laughing and cheering herself on!
Daddy’s Little Girl
Isabella started off a little uncomfortable. Mommy had squeezed her into a cute holiday dress, and here was this weird lady, that she kind of recognized, with this big thing in her hand, trying to get her to smile. Confusion was definitely etched across Bella’s face.
BUT…Daddy to the rescue! Daddy walks in the door and she just lit up! She laughed and giggled at Daddy. Then, I had Daddy hold her hands so she could stand. She thought that was the best thing ever. She could reach back and touch her Daddy and look up at him adoringly! You could just tell, that she loved her Daddy, and wanted you to love him, too!
Despite the Ickies!
You would never have known it when he walked in the door, but John Daniel had the beginnings of an icky cold the morning of his session. Though he worked the camera like a rock star for a good thirty to forty minutes, it quickly became obvious that he was not feeling his best.
It didn’t matter though, we were able to capture tons of adorable images of him in just that short amount of time! He even flashed me that adorable grin, more than once!
No Tiny Here!
Blake may have been born a little guy weighing in at just five pounds and even had to spend some time in the NICU, but in just a few months, he’s more than made up for it! At almost fifteen pounds, he has tripled his weight and is actively working on some great rolls and baby chub!
His big brown eyes followed the camera no matter where it went. With some encouragement, and a little craziness from Daddy, he busted out some adorable smiles, even showing off a cute dimple!
The Year of Newborns
I was working on organizing some of my favorite images of the year when it occurred to me that I photographed quite a few new little ones this year. So, we looked it up - I photographed 14 newborns this year!
Though you have to have a vast amount of patience and time to photograph newborns, it is one of my most favorite ages. They are just so tiny, precious and moldable!
Each one of my little ones is amazing and unique. Some have hair, even very dark hair, and some have no hair. Some arrive all chunky and pudgy, while others are skinny and scrawny. Some are obsessed with having their hands by their faces, while others are more relaxed and sprawled out.
Of course, almost every one of them “marks their territory” in my studio! (Usually in more ways than one!)
In the end, we end up with adorable images of these teeny, tiny creatures.
I can’t wait to watch and capture all of them as they grow and change! I have the best “job” in the entire world!
