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Wow, I've been away for a long time! For ten years I blogged frequently, and now I'm writing for the first time in six months. Of course it has been one of the biggest years of my life, and I have tons of photos and stories that I could have written about. Instead I've spent lots of time with Daniel, who grows more adorable and fascinating every day. He is now eleven months old, and active, bright, curious, and affectionate.

I'm on extended maternity leave, but I did do a few client shoots this year. I did some family portraits, maternity sessions, and one wedding. But with a baby who rarely slept and a husband with long work hours, I ended up overwhelmed and exhausted. After Labor Day, I stopped doing any photo shoots, and worked only on albums and print orders for existing clients. Nowadays Danny is sleeping through the night and napping regularly, and I feel much better. I finally have a chance to blog once in a while. Hi!

I haven't decided yet when I'd like to return to work, and what kind of work I'll want to do when that time comes. I plan to make some changes to my business structure, because my new life won't accommodate the long hours and frequent travel anymore. I do miss the adventures and creativity of my photography business, though. We'll see what happens. For now, I'm loving my new adventures.

Photos from our last six months

Jack and Nancy, celebrating their 50th anniversary with their family
Arlington, Virginia
July 22, 2011

In the ten years that I've been blogging, I've never been so far behind! My sweet little Daniel is an adorable bundle of pure attention hog. He's totally worth it, of course, but I do miss blogging. Hello, everyone!

I wanted to make sure that I took the time to blog these photos of Nancy and Jack and their family. Their daughter, Susan, has been reading my blog for a while, and now it's her family's time to be featured here. They traveled in to the DC area to celebrate her parents' 50th anniversary with a weekend of activities. The day of our photo shoot was officially the hottest I'd ever experienced, with a high of 106 degrees and plenty of humidity. They were such a happy, fun family that they grinned through the heat. People with a sense of humor are my favorite kind.

Happy anniversary, Jack and Nancy! I enjoyed getting to know you and learning about the adventures and love that have filled your last 50 years.

More of their family portraits

Happy Father's Day to Mike and my dad! Danny and I are so lucky to have such wonderful men in our lives.
I wish a happy Father's Day to all the other great dads out there. Thank you for all that you do.

Daniel, four months old
Reston, VA
May, 2011

May has been a big month for Danny, because his grandparents came from England to visit him! Mike's parents came for three weeks to spend time with their first grandchild, and I loved seeing Danny cuddling and giggling with them.

Danny gets more fun all the time, and four months is a cute age. He's still tiny (only 13 pounds), so he's still small and sweet in my arms. Little toes! Squishy cheeks! Light as a feather! But now he's at a stage where he still feels like a cuddly newborn, with much more of a personality. He is cheerful and fascinated with everything around him, so I take him out everyday to see the trees, geese, flowers, and people. He loves colorful picture books and sitting at the dinner table. The best part is the giggling. Those open-mouthed, toothless giggles.

Sleeping is still a struggle. It's easy to get him to bed at night nowadays - he goes down contentedly, and sleeps for about five hours before needing to eat. The hardest part these days is the napping. He refuses to nap, and when he does, it's only for half an hour. I can spend an hour or two trying to get him to nap for just 26 minutes. It's amazing how much of my day is devoted to nap efforts - I thought naps were supposed to give me free time, but it's quite the opposite.

I love cuddling with him during his last feeding before bedtime. He gets sleepy and snuggly in my arms. We expect that someday Daniel will have a little sibling, and I won't have as many moments like that where it is just him and me. So I appreciate those evening cuddles, because like everything else, they won't last forever.

More family photos

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