I have a confession: I ALWAYS look for and/or stage photo opportunities for my child.
Whew — I’m glad that’s out of the way!
I’m not sure from where this need stems — this drive to take a picture representing every holiday, every season, every milestone, and every emotion. Surely, I can’t be alone in this. Is it just a “mama thing?” Or, is it just a “mama of a 1st child thing?” I’ve been told that the 1st child always has more photos than any other siblings. In an effort to avoid a family war, I won’t confirm if this was the case among me and my sisters.
Ultimately, all I know is that I am absolutely fascinated by my daughter — and I have been since the very first moment I saw her swollen, purplish-red face. I marvel over her eyes, ever expressive and ever changing. I’m in love with her soft, pudgy cheeks, the profile of which reminds me of those Hostess Snoballs — pink, round, and scrumptious.
Her 1st twelve months of life revolved around the camera; I continually annoyed my poor husband, dragging him to wildflower plots, the zoo, and (of course) the local pumpkin patch. All in the name of “preserving the 1st year.”
The need to take pictures of my Little Lady hasn’t waned, and I doubt it will. I can’t imagine a time where the camera stays shut in a drawer — a time where I’m too busy or disinterested to snap quick (or staged) memories of my child.
With that said, I suppose I shouldn’t consider this topic a “confession.” It’s an admission: I love to look at my child, and I will never stop taking pictures of her beautiful little face.
