Last week, Michelle and I met up for a “Mother’s Day Photo Shoot.” I have to give Michelle 100% credit to the concept of this shoot. We always try to get together at least once a month for photos, and when I contacted her a month or two ago about Mother’s Day, she told me she had these mom tattoos that might be fun to try. When we started talking outfits to build around these tattoos, we both seemed to like the idea of the girls wearing white shirts and blue jeans to create a bit of a vintage vibe. I’m the nerd that took it a step further with a monogrammed tank top. Michelle was also the one to suggest our location – downtown Durham, NC at her husband’s office. Between the office and the urban vibe of downtown, it was the perfect backdrop. Of course, Felicity stayed relatively close to me which was somewhat challenging from a photography perspective (hard to photograph a child who doesn’t want to let go of you). Luckily, Michelle was able to get several shots of us together (check out the banner for a few of my favorites). I only wish I had been able to capture more of Miss Maddie. Madeline is much more of an adventure seeker so she stayed in constant motion the entire time we were trying to shoot. I remember thinking that I wish Felicity was interested in exploring a little more…then Felicity took off towards the road. Nope…I think I’ll appreciate my cautious child. Some of my favorite moments were the times where Maddie tried to hold Felicity’s hand or sit close. Felicity and Maddie are definitely besties, and Felicity regularly asks to see “Mad-e” on Facebook (she loves Michelle’s videos of Maddie). But when it comes to hugs and hand holding, Felicity draws the line. That and she takes a while to warm up. Unfortunately, this usually means that just as she’s “warmed up,” the activity is over. For example, at this photo shoot, Felicity was happy to explore just as Michelle’s family needed to leave to go to dinner. We could have stayed I suppose, but being by myself in downtown Durham seemed like a really bad idea. She does the same thing at Jammin’ Baby, the library, play dates, etc. I’ve learned to show up to events early to try to allow warm up time, but it doesn’t always help. I guess she’s just a mama’s girl (and daddy’s girl too). I’m okay with her staying close. I don’t mind her sitting in my lap most of the day. Or wanting to touch me while she sleeps. One day, I’ll wish for these moments. One day, I’ll wake up and she’ll be a teenager. One day too soon, she’ll be all grown up. She won’t need me like she does now. But I digress. We had a wonderful time last week with Michelle and Maddie. As always, I am so thankful to have a photography buddy to capture Felicity and me together on a regular basis. If you’re a mom with a camera, I hope you have a friend like Michelle that you can count on to do the same for you. If not, find one! Until next time,