Oh, baby: Three-month portraits

At a wedding last week, a friend told me I must have the "perfect life" with my little family. At that moment, I couldn't have agreed more. This week, I had to laugh—to avoid crying—when I remembered her comment; both girls were fussing and skipping naps and pooping and spitting up all over me while Jeff was on the other end of the country. Boy does that "perfect life" of raising kids feel tough sometimes. Or a lot of times. But then Jeff comes home, the girls are all smiles, Cricket explodes with a handful of new phrases and I know I'm in exactly the right place. I'm glad I've taken so many photos to remind me of the perfection sprinkled between those difficult moments.

That said, Nora's 3-month portraits almost passed me by. We were traveling (sans DSLR, mon dieu!) on her 3-month birthday and then so busy trying to get the kids readjusted and Jeff out the door for a business trip that I didn't think they were going to happen at all. But I snagged five minutes with her on Saturday and another five on Sunday. I can't encourage you enough to spend just a few moments here and there documenting your family. Who knows? Maybe when you look back over your photos, those happy scenes will actually wash away your memories of the rocky ones. (I hope.)

I can't get enough of this chica's goofy, contagious smile.

And here's a shot of my photo assistant. As you can see, she is quite helpful...