Autumn (I call it “fall”) is my favorite time of year. It always has been. Seeing all of the leaves change into a beautiful array of colors. The temperature starting to drop so we can put on our cute sweaters and boots. Pumpkin spiced anything. Chili. Hayrides. Hearing the leaves crinkle under our feet. Even at 40, when I see a really dried up leaf, I have to jump on it just to hear it crunch. The fall decorations are simply breathtaking in all their oranges, yellows, and reds. There is even a smell that goes with fall. Crisp and clean.
But this month, I got a special treat. I got to see what it’s like to experience fall for the first time. Through a baby’s eyes. It’s the first autumn for this baby. We photographed her a few times already (you can read the first and second here). The wonderment of those crinkly leaves. The feel of a pumpkin. So new! What are these amazing things? And why can’t I bite them?
Hard as we tried, jumping, singing, playing music…I’m sure those driving up the street thought we were crazy…we just could not get baby Evie to look up often. What do you expect for her first autumn? Those pumpkins were just so fascinating! She would sneak in a smile now and then and thankfully the camera was ready…gotta be quick with these little ones sometimes! Especially when they are so focused on one thing.
Sometimes when she looked up, we could tell she would rather be looking at ANYTHING but us.
First Autumn Portrait Faces
But those faces! They just begged to be photographed. And maybe they will wind up in a “caption this” contest. This is a girl after my own heart. I can not hide my emotions, no matter how hard I try. I would LOVE to have a poker face. But if I’m thinking something, I usually don’t have to tell you. The eyes say it all. Most babies, we adults sit and wonder what they are thinking. But Evie has body language and facial expressions down. We don’t have to wonder. And we love every. single. face!!!
This face says it all! “I know you want me to look at you and smile, but that’s not what I want at this moment. I want to try to eat this pumpkin and you keep taking me away from the task at hand!” Those eyes! And don’t you just want to pinch those not-so-little cheeks! She’s growing up so fast, and these tiny hands are exploring everything they can. And look at these little piggies!
We laid her on her belly and then the grass became the new object of fascination. Oh to be young again! For everything to be new and exciting! We get so wrapped up in our lives, sometimes we forget to stop and appreciate all the wonders of creation. Yes, we may remember the saying “stop and smell the roses”, but when was the last time you stopped and just sat down in the grass and ran your fingers through it? Babies are learning all the intricacies of this world and we can learn so much from their curiosity. Nothing is too mundane for them to enjoy.
At this point, we decided it was time to take the pumpkins away. Maybe give her less to focus on. She had already given us some pretty adorable faces. Now we just wanted to focus on her. No props. No distractions. Just beautiful Evie. And that’s when the real faces came out. This girl can entertain us like no other infant I have ever seen. And with 10 years at Olan Mills, let me tell you, I have seen my share of infants. But these faces are gold. Pure gold. At one point (the second photo below), her mom said “What is that face? I’ve never seen that face before and I have no clue what it means.” Neither do I. But it sure brought joy to my life.
She did give us a few more smiles. But again, she is way ahead of her time. Every time we tricked her into smiling, she would realize it and a cry would immediately follow. I was like that when I was fourteen, but I’ve never seen a six month old so intuitive. Cracks. Me. Up!!!
How sweet is that little smile?! Definitely worth the wait! The two photos that follow are the progression of her realizing we had gotten her to smile. Still adorable but on her way to a cry. We had had enough of the outside for one day.
So we went inside, took a little break, said goodbye to daddy as he headed back to work. I could tell he didn’t want to leave his precious daughter. Seeing their bond together is so beautiful. Now time for just a few more photos. So sweet with her pink ruffly top and the cutest baby pants I think I have ever seen! The bow in the back…just perfect!
She was so excited as she lay on the floor, her little feet were going about a mile a minute! She was back inside where everything was familiar again. Back to calm and peaceful. Nothing new to explore. Just free to sit and smile.
She is getting to be an old pro at this photography thing. Whether she gives us smiles or grumpy faces, we love it. Parents need to remember all the little faces their children make. They try to memorize their face. And they usually succeed. But how much better to also have photographs to remember these different stages in their life. They grow up so fast, this is one way to keep them young, even if just in our memories. Thank you, Evie, for doing such an amazing job on your first autumn portraits!
Until next time…..
With love, Kevin and Reneé
