Good Lord, what do I ask my clients to do!?!? I asked myself this countless times before we even stepped in front of Austin’s camera. Just the choosing of what we would wear was gut-wrenching. Who knows why, but for whatever reason, the outfits this time around were not simply falling together like they have in the past. Laidy ended up wearing a 3month sized dress as a top with jeggings, I wore a blue dress that needed to be taken in (with a safety pin, no less) and Gerard found something that worked in the interim. And why, for the love of all things holy, will my hair not hold curl!?! Since when did that become an issue?!?
Additionally, the day of our shoot, there was a lock-down throughout our community for all daycares and schools because two inmates from a neighboring city broke out (they’d since been caught). No, people, I can’t make this stuff up! So, Laidy had been cooped up all day. All that to say, when we finally got to the time of the shoot, Laidy was excited to get out and run and play. She was also quite smitten with Austin, thankfully. While we drove to our session location, Austin fed her goldfish which just upped his Fun-o-Meter even more.
This was one of the first photos out of the can and the most cooperative she was the whole time-the first 2 minutes. Notice my claw of a hand vice-gripping her thigh to tickle and get the smile? 😉 Then, we just had to let her go, otherwise, she’d scream. And we didn’t want the bikers zooming by us to think we were abusing her…just me and my claw of a hand….
So, after getting the gorgeous candids of her exploring, I knew we at least needed to get some updated photos of Gerard and me as we’ve had our photos taken every year of marriage. This is specifically so I remember what it’s like to be in front of the camera and to document another yearly milestone of marriage. Can you spy the safety pin in the back of my dress? Neither can I.
The next photo below was literally ONE NANOSECOND that Laidy decided to do what we asked her and SIT on Daddy’s bench that he’d had as a child. We bribed her with animal crackers. Doesn’t she look peaceful and docile? Um, yes, she was mid swallow on that cracker.
So, we decided to call it and headed home. Friends, everything we did that usually creates a laugh with her, made her shriek or outright scream. For those of you that have been around us, you know her lung capacity rivals the operatic. We changed her into pj’s and asked Austin to get some candids of Night-Night routine. Her calmest state of the day: reading and snuggles. In addition to the bench we incorporated earlier, the rocker rocked Gerard to sleep as a baby, the books were read to me as a child, and the teddy bear in her hands in the last image was given to Laidy at her baby shower from Oma & Papapa from a trip to Germany.
I don’t write this post to tattle-tale on my child or make her look terrible. By no means! She has hit the so-called Terrible Two’s and even on a bad day, we still find her loads of fun, hilarious and smart. I write this post to let my clients and friends know that even we, too, have a difficult photo session here and there. She’s been a rockstar for all the sessions up to this point, so I can’t fault her.
In short, I feel you, Boo. I feel you. And when your child or children have a meltdown at your next session with me, please don’t apologize. We’ll just give them a break and then hop back on the band wagon when they’re ready. It’s normal and you’re not alone. 🙂
Blessings in the Parenting,
Carrie
