Documenting a baby is both easy and hard. It's easy because there are always plenty of photos. It's hard because there are so many photos. It's easy because she's always learning and doing something new. It's hard because there is always something to document. I don't plan ahead when I order photos. I simply order all the photos I want and worry about how I'm going to put it all together later. The result of this? My baby girl is 4 months old, and we're on the second album of documenting life since she's been born. The pregnancy book is totally separate. That's a lot of photos. That's a lot of documenting.
So... why don't I restrain myself when I order photos? The way I see it, she is only going to be little this once. She'll never make these adorable toothless smiles again. Once she learns to crawl, she'll never teeter on her belly with her hands and legs in the air ever again. When she understands the idea of smiling on command, I won't be able to capture her bright eyed, serious faces that I can right now. Some day, I'll wish I printed more photos. Not restricting my photo order, is my way of accepting her growth and change, but comforting myself in knowing that I'll have the memory of her being this tiny forever.
Enough of the sappy stuff. I have some tips for the person trying to document a baby.
- Don't forget to take notes. You might think you'll remember, but with trying to remember to buy more diapers, pay that one bill, remind your husband to get an oil change, let the dog out, and make dinner all at once - you may not remember. Just jot it down some where. If you remember later, then recycle your note!
- I'll say this a million times: get your camera out of the bag. While it's not convenient most of the time, I keep my camera on or around the kitchen table. Sometimes it's in the way, but when I need it, it's in the most easily accessible spot in my house and I can grab it in seconds, which, with a baby, is sometimes all the time I have. BUT, don't be caught up in not being able to get to your nice camera that you don't take a photo at all. For some of my most favorite moments, my camera is on the kitchen table, but I'm home alone with B and she's on my lap. If I move to get the camera, the moment is ruined. The camera on your phone will capture the moment just fine if it's near you! It's better to have a lower quality photo, than no photo at all.
- Photograph your baby often. B doesn't seem like she's changed that much to me. Other than being able to hold her head up, she still seems like a newborn to me, but when I look back on some of her newborn photos I can see that she's changed so much! It might be a bit much, but since B was born on a Friday, I photograph her every Friday. Pick a consistent time frame (once a week, once a month) and stick with it.
4. Take a ton of consecutive photos. I sure hope your camera is digital! It's so hard to catch a smiling photo of B, but I just snap photos in rapid succession and I get lucky sometimes. You'll be surprised at the gems you can get by just taking photos. Take this photo for example:
I was trying to get a photo of B playing with her giraffe because she just started grabbing onto objects and explore them. Instead, I got a photo where it looks like B is giving me a bit of a lecture. It's like she's saying, "Look, you work for me now." It's a real gem and we love this photo. (This photo was taken with my iPhone, because, as you can see, B is sitting on me and I couldn't get up and grab the DSLR without messing everything up. And yes, I basically live in those pajama pants!)
I know I have already forgotten things that I wanted to write down and remember forever, but I have written down a lot and I just have to remember to focus on what I have saved. It's so fun and so tiring to document our baby girl, but it is undeniably worth it.
currently listening to: Something Unusual by Wolf Gang
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