The Other Hand

I am having problems figuring out how to start this blog because I fear I am not going to portray the emotions these portraits stir in me. This is Ava, a beautiful little two year old girl. I consider this session a celebration just in the fact that it is her two year portrait. The reason for this is that Ava came into the world with a fight ahead of her. When her mother was pregnant, the doctors informed her the baby she was carrying had Down Syndrome. But when Ava was born she had a bigger battle to face. She was diagnosed with a disorder known as PPHN where her heart and lungs were not working together. It was a very serious disorder that required her to be on the ventilator for 6 weeks. Her parents didn't know if Ava was going to come home from the hospital. Miraculously at six weeks she was weaned off the ventilator but continued on a feeding tube until she was a year and a half. Obviously Ava is a fighter and this was her first session in which we did not have to work around the port for her feeding tube! At Ava's first session, I took a portrait of Ava holding her mother's hands and looking into her eyes. The peaceful look on Ava's face really elicited a wave of emotion in me and late one night I wrote a poem about Ava's struggle and her mom's divine role in being her mother. When Ava was standing at the door with her mother on the other side, I was really trying to get some nice window light on her face. But what I got was the connection between mom and child. It immediately reminded me of this poem which I will include at the end of this blog. Ava, you are a wonderful gift from God, an angel in a child's body, and an inspiration to me! Keep on fighting sister!

The Other Hand

I started life with quite a fight,

To God's great hand I held Him tight.

The nights were long, my mommy cried,

She loved me so but hurt inside.

But as she prayed, His grip in mine

I knew it was His great design.

He had a plan that I would grow

And in this plan His love I'd show.

My hand in His and His in mine

Through life I'll walk, my light will shine.

His Hand's a gift to me alone

He holds me tight from His great throne.

His hand is strong, mine is so small

He'll keep me safe in case I fall.

I love Him so but now I see,

It isn't all He's given me.

With two small hands He's blessed me so,

To guide me through this life I'll go.

He heard her heart and as she prayed

The other hand He gave away.

So now you know what God had planned,

My Mommy holds the other hand.

So little...

In college I took a psychology course that taught us about the way the mind works...our professor explained that the human mind is extraordinarily adaptable and extremely efficient. Our eyesight is one example of this. Our eyes are in constant tiny motion called microsaccades, and according to Wikipedia, "They serve to refresh the image being cast onto the rod cells and cone cells at the back of the eye. Without microsaccades, staring fixedly at something would cause the vision to cease after a few seconds..." So without constant change in a scene, our mind would quit detecting its existence. Sometimes I feel like I am around my children so much and they change so incrementally that I forget to appreciate who they are at any given time. I just 'get use to' their size, and their voice, and their little precious characteristics. That sort of makes me sad because I really want to savor their littleness...I want to ENJOY this time and appreciate that as hard as parenthood is, it is well worth the struggle. Oh yes, the sitting, well, I chose these two portraits to showcase because they really showed the littleness of these two precious little girls. As they hold on to their mom an dad's hands and strain their little necks to peer into their parent's eyes, they look so, well, little! One thing I love about photography is it takes the constant motion of life and freezes it in an instant. That constant motion of life may help us to make it through each day but it also prevents us from seeing the subtle changes in our children. I don't want to become blind to who my children are TODAY because tomorrow they won't be the same. So I hope this post makes you stand up and go to your children and for at least a few moments take note of their littleness...now enjoy it because they'll never be this little again!

Grandparents Welcome!

Precious little Mac, what an angel he was for this session. Oftentimes this age can be the hardest to photograph because once a child starts walking they have no interest in sitting for ANY reason! And the fact that children this age don't quite understand everything we adults say, it makes bribery a challenge. But Mac's session was different, and I have an idea why. Mac lives in Texas...his mommy and he come back to visit several times a year but he doesn't have the luxury of living in the same town with his grandmother. So at this session his grandmother was there to keep him entertained and all it took was a little playing and we couldn't get Mac's eyes off her! He just seemed to be so happy to be at his grandmother's house, he just was intent on listening to everything she said. Thankfully we got some precious portraits of this little one, and knowing this portrait he was gazing in his grandmother's eyes makes it all the more special. I have a policy for all my sessions: Grandparents welcome at all times! Now you see why!

Sweet and Sassy!

This little soon-to-be heartbreaker is Madeline...and she is as sweet and beautiful as her name! The goal of this session was to get some portraits that will be made into a heavy oil painting, so obviously we worked for some very formal portraits. When I saw this one, I just thought it looked like one of those beautiful old portraits that were framed in the oval frames. Madeline's eyes just pop from the portrait. Gorgeous and definitely a beautiful age to create a lifelong family heirloom. But anyone who knows Madeline knows that she is not so proper all the time...no she has some spunk to her! To get through this session we promised her she could put on some lip gloss at the end and we would take some pictures of her like that. She did great and so we did. This second portrait says who she is at this age...it says she is six AND A HALF, it says she loves makeup (especially lipstick!), it says she is rough and tumble (notice the scab on her elbow and the tattoo on her arm)...it says she is SASSY! The first portrait is Madeline, but the second portrait is Maddie! Both truly unique and both truly her. You go girl!!!

Christmas Cheer

Oh dear, I am so far behind on this blog so I am going to try to start updating some in the next couple of days. We are in the prime of Christmas rush in the photography world, so I am just trying to keep my head above water...or at least take a gasp of air every now and then! But this session really cheered me up! This is Sophie and couldn't you just squeeze that little cutie?! I named this blog Christmas cheer because this shot just made me smile. Those big blue eyes, those chubby little cheeks! While this particular shot doesn't look like she is particularly happy, she did great throughout the session and we got a great variety for the mom and dad to choose from. But this one just looked like you could jump out of Sophie's eyes, slide down that little button nose and bounce off her smooshy little cheeks. Sophie you did great! And I will try not to squeeze you too hard when I hug you next visit...but I am not promising anything! :-)