I’m so pleased to introduce you to the first of several personal projects I’ve committed to this year. For this project, I’ve joined with 14 other photographers to write one letter per month to our daughters (and/or sons!) and accompany it with our photography, then we’ll link to each other’s blogs. It’s an opportunity for me to slow down and record some of the things that make my daughter so special to me, as well as to capture those sentiments in photographs. Each month there is a photographic theme which each person may choose to follow as a way to challenge ourselves in our growth as photographers. We’ve also committed to getting into the frame more with our kids, knowing that they will treasure these photographs of us in our “younger days” when they are older, so I hope to include at least one self-portrait each month. This month’s photographic theme is close-up portraiture. Please note that this is as close as she would allow me to get, and the $1.99 clearance gingerbread house kit makes for a fun weekend art project in January 🙂
Dear Pumpkin,
I hardly know where to begin. I’ve thought a lot about what I want to write to you this month. We’ve all had a lot of changes lately. You went from being an only-child to being the BIG sister of not one, but TWO babies just a few weeks before your 3rd birthday. Oh, how I worried so much about how this change to our family would affect you. I worried about you for months. Would you hate me for a little while? Would you despise your baby brother and sister for a while? I was so worried about you that I cried in the car after the doctor told me it was time to be induced; the babies would be born soon and your world would be turned upside down.
But you know what? You surprised me. You are in LOVE with your babies. You are so sweet with them, always hugging & kissing them, playing with them when they are having tummy time, and comforting them when they cry. And you still love me! In fact, you are even sweeter and snugglier than before. Maybe it’s because now I can actually sit on the floor to play with you and pick you up. I’m so relieved you did not go through an “I hate you” phase that I was gearing up for. I guess I really underestimated you, but know that it so warms my heart to see you loving on your baby brother and sister.
I’ve been pretty tired from the babies, so I know haven’t been as attentive to you as I should. And I’m not as patient as I should be either. Please know that I’m doing the best I can. I try not to spend too much time dwelling on whether I’m doing things “right” or making the “best” decisions for you. One could easily get swept down a mommy guilt spiral that you’ll only understand when you become a mom yourself one day. Trust me.
So until then, just know that I love you more than you will ever understand; that is, until you have a daughter of your own.
Always,
Mama
Now please head over to the talented Jessica Thomason’s blog to read her sweet letter to her daughter and enjoy her breathtaking photography. If you feel so inclined, follow all 15 blogs in a circle until you make it back here, and as always, leave us some blog love in the form of a comment! 🙂
Letters to our Children blog circle: Dana Lauder | Danielle Mazur | Heather Nordell | Allie Shellaway | Davina Gruenstein | Aimee Ford | Kelly Smith | Geneva Fonda | Kristy Dooley | Bobbi-Jo | Ashley | Jessica Thomason | Alisha Brown | Allyson Snowden
I wracked my brain all week trying to come up with a suitable photo for this week’s theme. Even after this note came home from school with my 2 year old on Friday, it didn’t hit me until tonight at bedtime. This fit the theme “imperfection” perfectly. I knew I wanted to write about this “bad report” from school on my personal family blog; it’s just so hilarious. What’s even more funny is when I asked her if she’s been pushing her friends at school, she answers emphatically, “No mama!” And so it begins…heh heh!
I’m joining in a tad late on a Project 52, where we post and share a photo a week based on a particular theme. The Project 52 is just for me; no client photos. The idea is to be more disciplined about taking and sharing family photos regularly (and maybe being in a few of them too). The weekly theme is to keep the creative juices flowing. I love the idea of having a photo of my family from every single week of the year, all in one spot, at the end of the year. I also just attended a great seminar on photo book making, so this project would make a great book theme at the end of the year. Many of my Project 52 photos will likely feature my daughter a.k.a. Pumpkin. Because I’m playing catch-up, this post features 3 photos, but my goal is to stay current and feature a single photo along with the theme. This week’s theme (week 4) is “imperfection”. Oh, that’s EASY.
Did you miss the window to get newborn photos done of your baby? I so get it. A new baby can turn your life upside down. Maybe you had an unexpected C-section and having professional photos done during the first 2 weeks of baby’s life was unthinkable. Maybe you had breastfeeding difficulties like me and were living at the lactation consultant’s office. Maybe baby was jaundiced (like mine too) and she spent several days on her own “tanning” bed getting phototherapy. Maybe you just did not feel “pretty” right after birth and the thought of inviting a stranger (e.g. a photographer!) into your home was the last thing on earth you were ready to do.
