Could you take my picture, 'cause I won't remember...

Combined with my last post y'all are going to think I hate technology and I so do not.  Also, I gave up cursing for Lent.  Let's see how that goes...

After shelling out a sizable portion of money for The Incredible Hulk's six month pictures, I made this goal for myself to buy a nice camera and learn how to use it well enough that I can take our family pictures from there on out.  The camera we have now was my wedding present to my husband and it has been fabulous.  But there are still things I don't understand or like about it.  And while sometimes we get BEAUTIFUL pictures, other times you'd think we were using some cheap point and shoot.

Like, on Sunday morning, TIH woke up in a fabulous mood and was ready to play.  I put him in the bouncer for a little while and noticed that the sun was streaming through the window and shining on him in such a beautiful way.  I tried with every setting to capture that moment on my camera.  I just never wanted to forget it.  The um, normal (?) setting made him show up blurry.  So, I tried the action setting.  Held the shutter button down for 5 seconds?  75 pictures.  You're welcome.

It was so frustrating.  And then, I looked up and TIH was smiling the sweetest smile at me.  One of those "Mommy, just how are you so wonderful?" kind of looks.  And that was when I put the camera down.

You know, my friends joke around with me and call us the paparazzi because we have so many photos of TIH and I delight in sharing them through Facebook and e-mail and the digital picture frame in my office.  But, honestly.  I need to come out from behind the camera sometimes.  Instead of wondering why I suddenly had a mini flip book of TIH jumping up and down in his bouncer - I just needed to sit there and stare at that beautiful baby smiling at me while he played.

And so, I did.

My husband and I were walking out of a restaurant the other day with the baby.  As we passed a group of people we got the requisite chorus of "Awww"s and then one voice called out after us - Don't blink.

I'm afraid I already have.  He's eight months old.  He's closer to his first birthday than he is to the actual date of his birth.  It's going so fast.

I want and need photographs to document these special days.  They're all we're going to have to back up all of our "When you were a baby..." stories.  But, on the days where I can't figure out which setting to use or we can't get his monthly bathtub shot because he's splashing around - I need to just set the dang camera down and splash around with him.  The pictures can wait.

I can't promise I won't blink.  But, I can promise that I won't take this short first year for granted.
I'm putting the camera down for now.  It's time to play.