Fifteen and Sixteen.

fifteen
 *
Day 15 was a day I decided to nap instead of shoot.... The baby is really good at being sleepy and moldable in the afternoon, and it's the time my toddler naps, too... so it's often the time I shoot these pics. But some days.... the thought of trying to SHOOT, when all I want to do is SLEEP... makes me almost cry. So I give up on a "staged shot" and just let us both sleep....


This was one of those days.


So it was 5:30 pm and time and light had run out... The baby girl was in a purple swaddle for the sake of napping, and I figured I'd just keep her in it, grab something fast, and so I quickly assembled this pic:

Cute enough. Never mind the pink nightgown poking out... the similarity to day 5's photos ...It would serve its purpose.

But then I had a last-minute idea. And I tried it, and she woke up screaming... and it was gonna be a failure... But this last minute idea was so AWESOME that I had a new passion in me to GET THIS SHOT. So against all odds (time of day, baby is DONE napping, she HATES this new idea), I quickly nursed her back to a semi-sleepy state... And somehow, I got the shot. So THIS is my final Day 15 Shot, complete with a tiny smile: 

Yes, she is outside, on a patch of fur on a real flower bed. And yes, I even took her nightgown off and reswaddled her, since succeeding at this second attempt was a long shot anyway. The smile was just a bonus. I am so glad I stuck with it. I LOVE love love love this final shot. ♥

sixteen

*

 

I had more time and energy this day, so there are more photos to show for my efforts. The one above was a quick snap while I was working on getting her sleepy and posed. When getting everything set up, you only have this brief window of opportunity to pose the baby just right, and everything you do to get the pose perfect runs the risk of waking the baby and ending the session. So you take some "insurance shots"-- ones like the one above, quick snaps as they are asleep, pre-pose, just in case everything falls apart and you don't get any other shots... 

Lucky for me, Lucy was a great sleeper on Day 16, and I got what I wanted for the day. This set features another hat by Heather Bauers of WoolyWishes, and a singed silk flower by me.

And one more set, since she was still sleeping. This darling headband was made by a photographer on 2Peas in a headband swap we did last year... But I don't remember who. (Anyone want to claim credit? I LOVE it!)

*

It's a new week, and I admit I feel a bit overwhelmed as Lucy reaches 6 weeks old. In most ways, I still feel like this is the first few days of having her.... So I feel nervous to do basic errands still-- like tackle the grocery store with both of the kiddos... I feel like we are still hunkering down in the house in our pajamas, just learning how to survive the New Normal.... But then this small part of me is like, IT'S BEEN SIX WEEKS. Shouldn't I have some of this down by now? Shouldn't we be diving into LIFE again? The weather is lovely, so maybe I should be scheduling playdates by now... Going to the park daily... Cooking dinner for my family again... Normal stuff, ya know? 

But. I really get skittish imagining any of those things. Lucy might scream in the car. Or scream through the grocery store. I might end up crabby from the stress and let my moodiness come out on innocent bystanders. I might snap at Noah for something he didn't even mean to do... hurt his feelings in public and therefore make him harder to handle... 

So.

A new week... But very little planned. For now. 

Work is going to start up again this week, though. I have client meetings and at least one session this week (Hi, Molly! Can't wait!)... So maybe that alone is enough to claim this week as a step in the right direction. Right? Okay. Good. 

Happy Monday, all!