My Furry Friends

October 11, 2019

At this point I’m sure everyone can see that I am absolutely obsessed with my son, Grayson. How can I not be?! He is perfectly snuggly, absolutely adorable and undeniably sweet. He is also the only baby I know that will smile and pose at the sight of a camera, so of course I have to take advantage of that while it lasts.

I have been documenting Gray’s milestones every month since he was born because I do not want to miss a single thing he does even if I have captured him smiling a hundred times before. Every month has been a different theme or set up, but I had something planned, something special for his seven-month milestone.

I had been waiting for this shoot since before he was born. I had it all planned in my head. I had his furry, stuffed friends all ready to go. I found the bear onesie at Target along with the ear hat. All I needed was for Gray to not wobble too much or get fussy. I couldn’t contain my excitement as my husband, Kyle, who is also my web developer, second shooter, and light technician set up the studio lights and background. It was all happening; my dream was finally coming true.

You see, every single one of those stuffed animals has a story and a special meaning to my husband and me. The purple hippo has been with me since I was 10 years old and when Kyle and I were dating back in 2009 I introduced him to hippo. When Kyle and I re-united, he was more than shocked to find out I still had hippo. We instantly knew our children had to meet hippo as well. The blue hippo was the first anything we bought when we found out I was pregnant. I could go on about the others but you get the idea. The meaning behind each of these stuffed animals is what made this shoot so magical and important for us.

The end result was exactly how I had envisioned it. The soft, creamy colors, the warmth of the twinkle lights, his precious innocent smile and that adorable butt made my heart melt with joy. I know he will probably hate me on prom night when I show these to his date and friends, or when he brings home “The One” and I brag about his little tushy. But I am sure as he becomes a parent himself, he will understand the value in these and for that he will thank me and his father.