Mila's Rose Photo Shoot, Volume 1

I've mentioned a time or ten that Mila and Alexis are very opposite children. There is no time that is more evident than it was during Mila's rose photo shoot.

Alexis at 6/7 months was very interested in figuring out how to communicate. She babbled and she babbled and she babbled, even taking things so far as to say a couple of words in context. In fact, she said "hi" to her pediatrician at her 6-month appointment, a fact which I argued with the doctor about because IMPOSSIBLE. Then she went and did the same thing to a guy in the mall, the lady at the grocery store, and a teacher at daycare. In other words, that kid has always lived to prove me wrong.

At 6/7 months, Alexis had octopus hands and was all about grabbing things, but she did so from a prone position. She really wasn't interested in mobility since she had servants who would take her where she wanted to go. In fact, she didn't crawl until 11 months.

Mila, who is currently 7 months old, couldn't care less if she has words. She can scream when she needs something or, better yet, she can just go get it herself. She's still inefficient in her maneuvering all over the house, but she can get to things that are on the other side of the room in a reasonable amount of time.

The child is going to be climbing walls and swinging from the curtains by 11 months.

The focus on mobility shows in the girls' photos. First, Alexis. She's the one who stayed where you put her.

Mila ... well, she has places to go. The closest we came to mimicking that pose is this one.

It took everything Alexis and I had to get her attention for that millisecond. EVERYTHING. If any of our neighbors happened to peer through our windows while the chaos was happening, they now know that I'm completely insane.

Whoops.

The other major difference between the girls is one that confounds me, despite the fact that I know it's true. Mila is bigger than Alexis was. She's a full clothing size ahead if you adjust for age and HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE? Alexis was suuuuper chunky. She had rolls for miles and cheeks for days and chub. Delightful baby chub.

(There would be a photo very similar to the one below here, but I can't find it. Apparently I didn't post it online anywhere where I can find it.)

Mila is no scrawny thing, but she's definitely thinner. Yet, bigger. It's so weird.

Mila is tall and relatively skinny, with legs for miles. All of her jeans are quickly becoming flood pants, while Alexis at that age would wear capris as pants because they were the right length.

They are completely different kids, but they're both pretty fantastic. And, they both look good when the hang out with flowers.

Between Eye Contact and Smiles

While it wasn't originally intended to become an annual event, Alexis' daisy photo shoot has evolved into a tradition that can't be missed. Each summer, we wander into the garden and pick a few dozen daisies. They are the same daisies that I've had since we lived in Ohio during college -- I have divided them and moved them every time we have relocated.

So, you know, they're kind of special and stuff.

Once the daisies are gathered, we grab the white dress that was selected for the occasion and get all fancied up for a few photos. For years, those photos were taken at the place in the mall because it's super easy to walk in, get a couple of photos, and walk out with some prints.

In theory, that is. In theory it's easy.

In reality it was a freakin' nightmare every single year because that place in the mall is where happiness goes to die. Between long waits, a lack of attention to detail, and a OMG THE WAITING, there came a point where I had to admit that I own a good camera and am completely capable of using it well.

That's how it came to be that I take the daisy photos every summer.

Now that Mila is a real live person who is full of awesome, I knew I wanted to do the daisy photos with her. The photos with Alexis are always taken in the middle of the summer, or around her half-birthday. I figured I should do the same for Mila. The only problem is that Mila's half birthday comes in December and my garden looks like Mother Nature crapped all over it every December. So, I had to figure out something else to use in the photos with her.

It turns out that Alexis has opinions about these things, by the way. When I went to buy some daisies to use with Mila, Alexis got all sorts of huffy and hurt because daisies are her thing. I asked her what "Mila's thing" might be and she said roses.

So.

Roses it is. Every winter Mila will don a white dress and get a photo or ten with some roses. Alexis declared it so.

This weekend the stars aligned and FINALLY it was time to take the Mila's rose photos. HOORAY! They turned out fantastic and I will post them, but first let me just tell you about this thing that happens when I grab my camera and point it at Mila.

Alexis appears.

Alexis. The child who politely requested that I stop sharing photos of her here because she was over it. Alexis. The child who said she didn't want her picture taken anymore. Alexis. THE KID WHO VIRTUALLY DISAPPEARED FROM PHOTOS.

She shows up and she parks herself in the photo. Sometimes she crashes the party and then takes off, but other times she goes digging in her closet and then makes herself at home in my studio, as if she was supposed to be there all along.

That's the dress that was acquired for her 2015 daisy photos. I usually buy them well in advance because clearance sales make me very happy. Not desperately searching for the perfect dress when I need it right that second makes me happy as well.

So, Alexis went digging in her closet and crashed Mila's photo shoot in spectacular fashion. Not only did she wiggle herself in front of the camera, she acted as creative director then told me which photos I should post here.

::eyeroll::

But, honestly, the best part of the whole thing is that since I'm the one taking the photos, I happen to have the outtakes. The place in the mall doesn't let you see what happens between eye contact and smiles.

It's a shame, really. All the fun happens between eye contact and smiles.

Babyzilla