Ham

Today we went in for Penny's nine-month photos. For those who don't know, we signed up for a "Watch Me Grow" package at the photographers. Technically, you get a newborn session and then a 3 month, a 6 month, a 9 month, and a 1 year session - so five total. But we didn't start until the 3 month one so this was just our third. We didn't do a lot because we did a big outdoor family shoot for the 6 month pictures. This one was just her again in the studio.

Penny was a little bit shy when we first walked in, but in under a minute she wanted to get down and play on the couch and then she wanted to play with Ms. Linda (the photographer). Linda was incredulous that I had said P was a bit shy. She said, "this is NOT shy." And it's true - she really wasn't shy in the least. In fact, she was quite the ham for the camera, as usual.

She's such a goober though. For those who I haven't told this to, when she first started crawling she wouldn't use her left leg at all. She'd take a "step" with her right leg and then drag her left one up to meet it. She did this for about a month until the weekend we were at Tray's parent's house just before she turned nine months old when she started crawling normally. So, I had planned to mention it to the doctor, but she'd started crawling normally by her visit. I did mention it, but he said it was no big deal especially since she started crawling regularly. Well, yesterday she started doing the wonky crawl again and did it the whole time we were at the photographers this afternoon such that all her "crawling" pictures show her doing the one legged crawl. But then when we got home (of course) she started crawling regularly again. Goob!

The other thing that was funny to me is thinking about how much you influence your children and how much is them - the old nature vs. nurture debate. I remember at our first visit Linda asked me about Penny liking the sock monkey so much. She asked if I tried to "make" Penny like monkeys - as in did I have her nursery decorated in monkeys or something. I said no, if anything I was trying to "make" her like dinosaurs. The monkey obsession at that age was all on her own. Well, as most of you know, Tray and I don't like dressing Penny like a girly-girl. As one of my friends put it in reference to her own daughter, I've got nothing against pink, but I refuse to dress her like a cupcake. Right on! We don't like it, sure, but there is also the factor that she just doesn't "seem" like a girly-girl to us, as though that just isn't part of her personality. Well, Linda quite often puts her little girl clients in prop pink ballerina tutus and pearls for some "girly-girl" pictures. Penny did look cute, I'll admit, and I'm sure the pictures will come out great, but you could tell she didn't like it. She took the hat off, examined the pearls and then pulled them off over her head (which I was amazed she was able to do) and seemed uncomfortable in the tutu. Pretty sure that, for now at least, she's a tomboy at heart. Nature? Nurture? Both?

***Update*** Just saw the pics tagged on facebook. Um, so the tutu pictures - absolute perfection. She might not like being a girly-girl, but you'd never know it to look at her. She's gorgeous!

***Update - Photos Posted*** Ok, now they are up on http://longsphotographyblog.com/ That was super fast Linda! Check them out.