one year

Our amazing photographer friends were supposed to take 12 month photos of Cora (and a family session) (have I mentioned how awesome my photographer friends are?), but our session ended up getting rescheduled twice!  By the time we made it happen, she was 15 months.  In the end, I was really happy with how everything turned out and was glad we got her at 15 months instead.  However, when I knew we were going to miss the 12 month mark, I asked if I could borrow their studio space to try my own hand at capturing some of her one year essence.  They so generously agreed.

MAN!  It was hard!  It was this experience that made me decide that I was uncapable of being photographer and mommy at the same time.  I got so stressed, angry and frustrated.  Trying to get the shots I wanted (and in focus, by golly) while simultaneously making sure she didn't fall off the couch, or he had his goldfish and drink, or she wasn't pulling lamps off tables, and trying to get happy expressions.  The whole thing was one big crash and burn.  I was so very disappointed and discouraged.  Before we left, she somehow covered herself in a purple substance and smelled of grape.  I later learned she's gotten in the Scentsy warmer and the purple was wax!  I have no clue how she did it without me seeing it!  Thank goodness Scentsy is child safe!  I vowed after this that I wasn't going to try again without Shawn's help.  It just didn't work and I got way more upset about it than I should have.

Then I got home.  And I browsed through the images and my heart just sank.  Disappointed doesn't cover it.  Devastated, perhaps?  Not only was I upset in my photography abilities, but I had failed at preserving her 12 month essence.    I thought I got two images from the whole thing.   The closer up face shot and the one image of the two of them together (which by the way is STILL the ONLY good image I have of both of them together, six months later).  I thought the rest were trash.  They weren't in focus, I thought.  I didn't delete them, but I left that folder, and took a break.  A long break.

Fast forward nearly 6 months.  It was time to design our annual book that we give family as Christmas gifts.  I decided to open that folder one more time and see if I could salvage anything else to include in the book design.  I honestly don't know what I saw, or neglected to see, when I first browsed the shots.  They may not be award winning, but I'm still pleased!  The following are ALL of the shots that I got that  I was happy with.  The rest failed for some tangible reason or another.  Nevertheless, I did get some of her 12 month essence, myself, even if just a handful.  It's really hard to believe its been almost 7 months since these were taken!



















And this last one? This is what I have spent way, way, way too much of the last 1.5 years of my life viewing and hearing!