Let me just try to describe to you how precious are rare this photo is. Amity Lynn NEVER cuddles. Never ever, never ever. Sometimes we try to force her by gently pushing her head to rest on our shoulder but we are only met with great resistance. If she falls asleep in the car and I try to delicatly extract her from her carseat she does not rest her head as I carry her in. When she is tired and we are out and about, when she first wakes up in the morning or in the evening when she is exhausted the girl is alwasy alert and at the ready. She simply does not cuddle.
This morning she woke up at 7:08 and I went in and did our “dramatic wake-up” turning on the lights and saying “goodmorning!” in my best 7:08 sing-song voice. As she usually does she excitedly rolled around in her crib and clutched her blankie to make sure it would come out with her too. I brought her to the couch where Greg and I were drinking coffee, eating toast, and watching the news. We sat down and then she did something just plain crazy. She laid her head down on me. At first I though it was a fluke. But then she stayed like that. After 15 min I knew something was wrong. She must be sick!? I thought at any moment for sure she is going to hurl. We took her temperature (I’m not kidding!) but it was normal. She did this for 35 min (I counted and relished every minute) before I, yes I, had to break up the party because we had to get out the door on time. We decided to put her back to bed after a diaper change (which she did not fight) and a bottle that she inhaled and she happily snuggled back into her crib?!
I was kind of freaking out because of course she does this on a day that I am going to take her to my friends house to be watched while I went and did a photo shoot. Thankfully, she woke back up about a 1/2 later and was totally herself again! Ready to play and squirming out of our arms.
Maybe she just knew I needed that down time with her, I needed her loves and cuddles. I’m not sure, but those 35 min might have to tide me over for another 11 months…I’ll take what I can get.
Katie is a newborn photographer based in Salem, Oregon, serving families since 2009. She specializes in capturing natural, timeless images of newborns and baby milestones throughout the first year. Her Salem studio offers a comfortable and welcoming space for every session. With a warm, client-centered approach, Katie loves working with parents to preserve their family’s story.