A year ago this week, I met baby Willow. She is the younger sister of Sophia, who I have already photographed several times over the past couple of years. I had the great opportunity of doing Willow's newborn session, which was right after I was returning to photographing sessions after having my own baby. 

She was a well behaved newborn, sleeping most of the session and just waking up for the usual reasons. When she was awake she just wanted to be held by her mommy, so we used that to our advantage for poses like the one below. 

Fast forward to a year later, she is now celebrating her first birthday! Of course I had to get her scheduled in for her very special birthday session with cake smash and splash. These sessions I usually schedule for the week following their birthday party since the cake can usually be saved until then, as well as being able to sometimes incorporate party decorations into their session. 

Since Willow is an October baby, her party was autumn/halloween themed, so our autumn themed studio was perfect for her session. We started by letting her warm up to the new surroundings by throwing leaves in the air which she thought was great!

Willow is a very happy baby, smiling easily at everything, and with a very pleasant demeanor. She also is beginning to walk around which made for some very different portraits than her sister, who was just starting to stand for her birthday session. (Sophia at her session below)

A fun little tidbit, both girls wore the same outfit for their birthday session!

Now it was time to bring in the cake, her mommy baked cupcakes then decorated the tops with a jack-o-lantern shaped icing. Willow immediately knew what it was, and was eager to dive in for a bite. 

Once she realized that her sister and cousins were watching her from the other room (they were baby gated in the adjacent playroom so they wouldn't run through the studio) she got more into eating her cake, almost like a "haha I have cake and you don't" look on her face as she grinned at them and shoved it into her mouth. 

After the cake smash part of the session we moved on to the splash. I brought in the tub full of warm water and lots of bubbles. The studio instantly smelled pleasantly like lavender bubble bath, and mixed with the warmth of the nearby heater, it made me want to jump in myself. 

Willow had no problem with sticking her hands in the water and playing with the bubbles, but absolutely did not want to be in the tub. So after a couple of unsuccessful attempts, we settled on having a cute baby butt portrait instead. 

So there you have it, baby Willow turned a year old, and joined us to capture this special milestone in her life. I hope to have her back again soon, as she was an absolute delight to work and play with.