Picture Perfect

I took little O today to have her eighteen-month photos taken... I had been looking forward to it...she has quite the little personality and I was sure that these photos were going to be great. We had the outfit, her hair was sweetly curly with her bangs clipped back, the timing was perfect (not too early or close to nap or snack time). Unfortunately, little O did not see the beauty in my precision planning. She cried...not just a little, a lot...essentially the entire shoot. All of the antics the two of us could come up with did not change her attitude. And, at one point (while I was lying on the floor and she was sitting on my stomach and I was questioning what the h*&l I was doing going along with this) I started to ask myself "why are we doing this?".

What is picture perfect? The photographer was doing nothing more than trying to get little O to give me the perfect picture...a vision of my eighteen-month old's sweet smile. But the truth is that what I am really after is some way to freeze this point in time, to capture her personality at this age so that I won't forget all the nuances that make eighteen-months so great. The photographer seemed to think he may have caught some great shots (probably of me looking like an idiot trying to get little O to smile). Part of me hopes he captured those frowns and pouts, because they are a part of her. But I do long for a great snap of that beautiful, silly, sweet smile, too. Of course, as I buckled her into the car seat and asked for kisses, she leaned right into me and gave me a big smack on the lips, smiled sweetly and asked for a cookie and Elmo (yes, the photographer hands out cookies, too). Next time I might have to try the bribery first...you know we'll be going back (soon) to try and capture that grin...