My play date with Alex ….
He has officially been out of the womb as long as he was in, nine months! The changes are dramatic, even in just the last three months. That is how long it has been since I have seen him. Three months!!! He went from a “sack of potatoes” to this silly little man. He babbles, grunts, rolls, sits, army crawls, and is beginning to cruise!!! The cliché “don’t blink, they grow fast” is never truer then when applied to Alex!
I am very use to working with babies. I know, before arriving, that they will need a few minutes to warm up. Most are a little intimidated by the big camera. For this reason, I always approach with caution. Alex was ready though. He needed exactly 10 minutes to decide that we were going to have fun together! He gave me the signature wave and we were off. He smiled, I smiled. He danced, I danced. He made caveman grunts and I repeated him. With my own children being far past this stage, it is a wonderful reminder of all the afternoons spent playing
Julie warned he is becoming quite the ladies’ man. “He has a new move. He likes to give the “how you doin” look”. With a twinkle in his eye, he knew just what his mom was talking about. He stuck out his tongue, gave a chuckle, and grunted at me. “Oh goodness, he is silly”, was my first thought. Just when I thought I had seen it all, there it was…it happened…the reverse nod, sly smile, and “how you doin” look. This little man, had me at hello (even though he can’t say hello yet).
His blue eyes remind me of what Sinatra must have looked like as a baby. He is so cuddly, sweet, and has kindness in his eyes. He begins to get sleepy from all of our play time. I know that our time is drawing to a close. He puts his sweet dimpled little hands up to his mama to be brought near. Julie sweeps up her darling baby boy and he cuddles into her. They share the sweetest moment of kisses and cuddles that makes my heart ache for my own children to be small again.
Spending time with this family is a highlight on my calendar. Maybe it’s because I have known them for so long? I photographed their wedding not too many years ago. They aren’t just clients now, they are friends. Watching this darling young family reminds me of my own.
I remember the long days that felt like they would never end, and now they go so fast I struggle to hold on to the moment. I work surrounded by photos of my own children when they were little. The photo of my oldest when he was only two weeks old is a constant reminder of how fast they grow, how much they change, and how lost those memories get over the years. Thank goodness I don’t rely solely on my mind to preserve those sweet faces and cute smiles. Photography is a gift. A gift of a memory preserved. A moment conserved from days gone by. It doesn’t matter if it is when I am photographing a wedding, a newborn, or a soon-to-be graduate. Those moments only happen once, and in a blink, it is gone. I am beyond blessed to have captured them before it passes by.