i wanted to take photos of my kid when he was 18 months.
{he is now days from 20 months…so mom-fail to begin with}

and being that i am a photographer, i figured that should be no big deal, right?

and since i had a little nook in which to take great fall photos, no prob.

well, after many weekends with no time to allot to pictures of my own
{and with help from my lovely assistant}

i grabbed the camera on a whim this week and attempted the futile:
shooting my own kid. alone.

i don’t recommend this unless you would like all of your pictures to show up like unto these following….

i was frustrated, i was sweating, and i could feel the tears rising.
the only thing to get him to stay in one place longer than 3 seconds was to let him eat.

so, as you can see… he did that.

and i grabbed a few i liked between bites, but not enough.

when daddy came home, i expressed my frustration, and he re-quoifed the hair and went out for round 2 of bossy’s 18-month photos….

he had similar results,
but between the two of us, we grabbed a few that i think really show the side of boss at this age that i love best… though only 1 i would be likely to blow up to put on a wall…

the more i look at that little face,
the one with the puffy cheeks, and the toothy grin…

the more i notice the dirt and chocolate smeared across his lips….
in almost every one of these photos…

that i wouldn’t dare photoshop away….

the more i think…
i love this age.
it’s so painful to watch them grow,
and to know that this little guy with manners, a sweet voice,
and so much curiosity, will eventually get too big to notice the leaves on every single tree he passes.

…one day he will stop saying “i yuv you”, before i close his door at night,
and maybe that will stop making me well up every time….

or signing “peeze” and “chanch you” to strangers at the store…

soon he will learn the right way to fold his arms instead of the chicken arms he uses when he reminds us for “prarer”…
and one day he’ll even think it’s gross to give “kishes” 40 times square on his mom’s mouth.
someday he’ll eat his veggies again…[sigh]…. and stop asking for a “ba…[th]” every time we get home from some place….

i shudder to think of the day he stops asking for “emmo” [elmo] in the mornings…
my one hour of no work, no moving, just cuddling with my soon-to-no-longer-be baby.

some day, he won’t have chocolate on his mouth and dirt on his face in every picture of him…

but today he does.
and i love today.