Axel's 6 Month Shoot

Here is your fair warning. This is a photography post. It's actually Pip's 6 month photos. SO that means there are a lot of photos in this post. More than there have ever been in any other post on this blog. I totally understand if you don't look at them all. bug asked if I was going to do the photos outside. I hadn't planned on it, but as the snow had finally gone away and it was actually relatively sunny out, I decided to go with it.

Bad idea. Very bad idea.

Perhaps you don't know this about Wisconsin, but there is a significant amount of time when the sun is purely ornamental. It looks kind of pretty up there, all bright and yellowy, but it doesn't do a whole lot.

Which means, you can easily be fooled into thinking it's warmish. When it is NOT warmish at all.

Fortunately, I was able to placate somewhat chilly children by making weird noises and sticking my tongue a lot. I'm glad we have a fence, the neighbors likely already think I'm insane, what with all the late night spray painting, the photo taking of seemingly insignificant objects like old headboards, and the nearly steady stream of fake obscenities coming from the garage when I work on projects. But I digress.

In many of these first shots, they actually kind of fool you, don't they?

And then it all falls apart.

Apparently by this point they were turning into icicles (though I don't buy it. It wasn't THAT cold.)

So I got out the secret weapon. The FUN props. I always keep a few handy these days to help with compliance. I've learned you need more than just a few fruit snack bribes with the oldest of my darling children.

But it really didn't take me long to realize that Axel's poor hands and feet were turning red with cold. So, although I swear it wasn't that cold out, it was definitely too cold for pictures of a baby in short sleeves with no socks - especially with the horrendous wind (which was also not helping photos at all).

So I called it. I packed stuff up and went inside with the intention of quickly finishing up. But that didn't happen. Pip had HAD it. He was hungry, he was tired, and doggone it, he was DONE. And I really wanted to capture his awesome smile, not his screaming. I decided I could finish the next day, and that was honestly the best decision ever.

I made sure to pick up AFTER his nap the next day, so he was well fed and well rested. Plus bug was at school which cut down a bit on distractions. Or a lot. Whatever.

My favorite part of taking his photo this time was really trying to capture his little personality.

For a tiny baby, he really has a big personality. This little guy tells you like it is. He lets you know when he's happy and when he is VERY upset. If he wants something, you know exactly what it is, thanks to his absolute stubborn persistence.

He's a mover and a shaker, with his legs and arms always flailing and having discovered his feet not too long before this photos were taken, he is very interested in them. Along with those flailing arms, he's got the grabbiest hands I've ever experienced - which I both love and hate. He grabs and clutches at EVERYTHING - which is super cute. But also not cool at all (i.e. hair. magazines. important bills. food he should not have. dirty diapers. etc.)

Ok, now that I think about it, I'm pretty sure these photos with him in gray against the turquoise background are my favorite of the bunch. Yes. I definitely think so. The colors are perfect for him and I love his little hunched over sit.

He is curious and attentive. He wants to figure things out. He wants to be engaged. He must be DOING something at all times. Which may be why, to this day, he still fights sleep like crazy. Every single nap and bedtime is pretty much a wrestling match and it's sad for me to admit how often he very nearly wins. Not because I give in. Because he's ALMOST stronger than me. He had two new chompers come in and he loved them. He still does. Oh, he's always loved to put things in his mouth, sure, but it's about a hundred fold MORE important to him now.

But he IS quick and generous with his smiles. How I love his generous smiles.

I love that these photos capture his inquisitiveness.

His love of play.

And just how much he's grown in 6 months.

My favorites might be these in the frame. It's the same frame I used in his newborn shoot. I just can't get over the change.

He's sitting! He's looking! He's responding to his name! He's babbling! He's being adorable and wiggling and grabbing and playing and giggling and smiling and he's got TEETH!

I snuck in some shots with some very adorable hand made gifts I wanted to make sure we remember. My mom made this cute elf hat that he wore pretty much all winter.

And the star blanket, too. The same blanket from the aforementioned newborn shoot.

She also crocheted this monkey hat, which I knew I needed to use to contrast with the bear hat Googiemomma made him which he wore in, yep, you guessed it, the newborn shoot.