In looking back through this session, it was truly like three sessions in one. When I first arrived, our session was very lifestyle, very casual, just the three of them hanging out. I really enjoyed that little peek into their normal lives even though we could tell early on that baby girl was really, really tired. Like most babies, her normal schedule was off that day and we finally decided to let her grandmother rock her to sleep to see if a nap would help her get back to her happy little self. It did afford us a great opportunity to get some shots of just mom + dad, but...

...it didn't work.

Grandmother tried and tried to get her to sleep and as tired as she was, she fought and fought. Finally, she just gave up and fell asleep in mom's arms outside. I loved those moments:

And then out of the blue, about 5 minutes into her nap, she just woke up...bright-eyed, happy as can be, totally refreshed. I don't know how she did it, but that girl mastered the art of cat-napping right then and there.

Now that I think about it, this is really the biggest benefit of hiring an experience professional photographer to come to your home to take pictures. You truly never know how your kiddos are going to feel that day (actually, I tell parents to expect the worst ;-). It's got to be nice to get to take breaks as often as needed in your own environment. And what a relief to know you've got someone that's going to be there through the long haul to make sure your session is a success. I am SOOOOOOO glad we all stuck it out for these last few frames! Loved the sparkle of her eyes and the rosy glow of those "fresh from a nap" cheeks. She looks so doll-like here!