Shannon Holden Photography

I was sitting here at this same desk two years and two days ago, in this same chair, looking at a client’s session images on my computer screen. Another contraction, after weeks and weeks of them, barely caught my attention. When another came stronger just a couple minutes later, I suggested to my husband that we take the boys for a walk, hoping this might actually be real labor and maybe we could help it progress.

They rode in the double stroller as my husband pushed them along on the street, and I waddled along side, rubbing my aching enormous belly every few steps. One of our neighbors waved from his front porch with a smile. “You’re gonna need a bigger boat!” he called out with a snicker. An hour later, we were at the hospital. A few hours after that, our daughter let out her first cry.

And now, here I sit, looking again at my computer screen, at images of my daughter this afternoon, at her smile, her curls, her sapphire blue eyes, her long dark lashes, her pink painted toenails … how these years have gone by in a blink!

She just toddled in with strawberry scented hair wet from her bath, with yellow footy pj’s with a princess on the front, with those gigantic eyes sparkling at me. She squeezed my neck and kissed my cheek and said, “Nigh’nigh’ Mommy! I Yuv You!” In a blink, my baby girl is two.

These are not her official Two Year Portraits. I’ll get to those in a few weeks. Today just offered that irresistible combination of beautiful outdoor light, a playful, joyful toddler mood, and an afternoon without commitments. When I asked her if she’d like me to take some pictures of her, she giggled and said, “Yeah! Pictures! Erica pictures!” So how could I ever pass up that opportunity?

Let me say, we are going to have our hands full with this one. The supermodel posing is already an instinct for her. Oh boy!

As we headed inside from our portrait mini-session, Erica and her daddy passed through this amazing pool of light in our driveway. I had to make them stop for more photographs. I’m exhilarated when I find light like this, sparkling backlight with just the right reflection to illuminate the faces. Love it!!!!