Sunday rewind

Little L @ 8 weeks

Rock on!

I just love my Little L to bits. She's just the most squeezable, tolerant, endearing, cuddlesome little peanut that ever existed. It's like she was conjured out of some special kind of magic that only thirdlings know about. You can see it in the way her eyes just sparkle sometimes. She has the power to cheer up anyone with one quick grin, as was evidenced tonight when G became very upset because her friend bailed out on a sleepover. G was practically sobbing, and Little L just started quietly crying along with her. G looked up and made eye contact, Little L gave a half smile, and the world was right once again.

5 months ago today....

I found out exactly how patient she was going to be.

Hoppy Easter!

I don't exactly know how the Easter Bunny became a part of this springtime holiday. I'm pretty sure it is derived from something Pagan. like the Christmas Tree is, or perhaps from the Jews, where the egg came from, or was that Pagan, too? I'm certain I could Google it and get the answer, but I sort of like to be in the dark on this one. I mean, who wouldn't love a large benevolent rodent that comes to your garden, not to nibble the shoots of the vegetables you are trying to cultivate, but instead to leave you presents of candy and chocolate on a Sunday morning? Way better than the fake cocoa puffs that real rabbits leave behind.

Me & My Baby

She's such a sweet baby. So easygoing and patient. She puts up with the bigs attacking her with love constantly and me being distracted half the time with a graciousness one cannot expect a 10 week old to possess. When she smiles, the sun and the stars shine just a little bit brighter. When she sleeps, so warm and quiet next to me, I am filled with peace.

Evolution of a smile

The Shot

I have been trying to get this capture since Little L was born. Every time she'd be asleep and I had my scene set, I'd place her gently down and she would immediately wake up and push herself right off of the beanbag chair... even when she was only a few days old! Strong baby! Finally, at 3 am on Monday morning, with the heat cranked up high and and exhausted baby, she let me catch it. I was only able to get 2 frames of it, but I am thrilled I finally got it at all! And will you just look at those cheeks!! Makes me want to just gobble them up!

Maybe one day another baby will let me catch it again... when the sun is up.

little dumpling

I equate each of my children with some sort of foodstuff. G is a puddin' pop, the Jell-o Chocolate and vanilla swirl kind that are now discontinued. Bill Cosby must be so disappointed. Little Guy is BBQ sauce, all sweet and tangy and sticky. Little L, she's just a dumpling. Soft and warm and squishy.

It's weird, I know, but sometimes they are just so delicious looking you kinda want to give them a wee nibble.

pretty in pink

The night Little L was born, after she'd had her first bath and was all snuggled up in that nest of receiving blankets that turned her into a little baby burrito, my midwife Kay came over to admire her wee face up close. The first thing Kay said was "Ooh, look at those cheeks!"

These were taken on her first night home, January 27, 2009. Just look at those cheeks.

bits & pieces {3 days old}

I can't believe how quickly she's growing. Looking back at these first pictures I realize how hungry she was, poor thing. Constantly sucking on her hands. Now, she has plenty to eat...

Hangin' with Gran

My mother in law graciously came to spend the week with us after Little L was born. She was such a big help to me, constantly dusting and vacuuming and doing the dishes and the laundry. She even spot cleaned the furniture while she was here. Every speck of dust and floating Zoie hair was magnified to my hormone crazed eyes immediately after I returned from the hospital, so it was quite a relief to have her here banishing all the specks so I could recover peacefully.

Being here served her well also...she got to hold the baby tons. And who doesn't like to hold a baby? :)

Homecoming {jan 27, 2009}

I wanted balloons. Ms. Ruth from across the way had given me a little helium balloon on a stick that was a pink smiley face, which she instructed me to put on the mailbox when next baby made her appearance, so she would know. Ms. Ruth called me several times wondering if I had lost that little pink balloon since she still hadn't seen it on the mailbox.

When Little L finally did arrive, I told Mister where to find the pink smiley faced balloon (it was stuck in the basket where we keep hats and mittens) and I told him to put it on the mailbox. I also told him I'd really like some pink, purple and white balloons inflated and tied to the mailbox, also. Little Guy had a stork in the yard when he got home, Little L should at least have some balloons. In preparation for the big day, I had purchased a helium tank and a bag of mixed color balloons from Walmart. It also worked well since Little Guy's birthday was earlier in the month and so it saved some money on his party decorations... you know frugality is where it's at.

When Mister came back to the hospital after attempting this assignment, I was sad to hear that he was unsuccessful at inflating and placing the balloons. I mean really, it isn't THAT hard, right? He IS an engineer, I would think he could handle at least a clown task. Apparently, the balloons I had purchased were only 6" balloons and would not hold enough helium to keep them aloft. Who knew balloons had a minimum surface area to helium ratio? I asked him if he'd at least stuck the pink smiley face balloon on the mailbox. He said that it wouldn't inflate either.

Whaaaat?? Yep, he had taken a perfectly good balloon on a stick, snipped it off of the stick, then tried (and failed) to inflate it with helium. Oh my.

The only solution for this balloon-tastrope was to hit the dollar store on the way home from the hospital to score some inexpensive Mylar swag. Luckily, it was before Valentine's day so I was able to get pink and white heart shaped ones, supremely appropriate for our new baby love.

Once we got home, Zoie sniffed the newest member of her pack, as she always does. Then we celebrated Little L's homecoming with the only kind of cake I really like....king cake. Next year, we are SO getting chocolate and cream cheese filled king cake from Gambino's for her birthday. She seems like a king cake kind of girl, too.

And thus we started our life as a party of five.

Hello world

Eyes wide open at the hospital.





Don't worry, she doesn't have nipple confusion even though she got the pacifier early in the game. She was a thumb sucker from the start and we wanted to give her an alternative that is easier to take away than one's thumb.

for michelle

I have a friend who just loves baby tushies. WhenI came across this one from a mini session I did with Little L, I just had to post it for her. All those rolls! So squeezeable!

Baby Love

Little L posed for me on Valentine's day. She's a patient little thing.....

Special Delivery

So here are Little L's first portraits... I did a mini session soon after we got home. She was 3 days old.

I just love baby yawns...

At the hospital...

The Hooper Street Session...

I did a shoot the other weekend on a little side road downtown called Hooper. It was a place where you could just feel the connections between the families who lived there without even having to meet the residents. It was an absolutely magical place where the entire street is the children's playground... it was simply perfect.

I made portraits of M and his little sister J that day. M is a gorgeous little fellow with curly golden locks and a cheeky little spirit just bursting to get out. J was adorable, also, a sweet baby who was way more interested in me than any other 4 week old I've ever met. She also had the cutest baby faux-hawk ever.

I found out that the family has bluegrass connections in their family tree... the first song on the playlist is for them. My favorite Alison Krauss lullaby...