Wonderful Wila Turns Two!

If you've known me for longer than five minutes, you've probably realized that I was born in the wrong decade. Although an 80's baby, I am a mix between a hippie, grunge rocker, and punk. I love all things tie-dye, flower inspired, and Volkswagen. In fact, my first love was a Volkswagen bus that was abandoned on the side of the road for years in route to my grandma's house. I cried when it was finally removed--much to my dismay, it occurred before I had my learner's permit.

But enough about me. Let's chat about Wonderful Wila and her totally groovy 2-year-old session. Wila is the youngest bookend of a trio of blonde hair and blue-eyed girls.

I love the set up that Wila's mom and I created. It was based off from the birthday party invitations that they had already mailed to their guests to help Wila celebrate her second birthday in late April. Suns and lots of daisies decorated the invite. I used my yellow Savage seamless paper for the backdrop of the session and the family brought the hand-crafted wooden sign made by Wild Turkey Woodworks.

Although I have known the family for a decade, I am a stranger to Wila, thanks to Covid. It took her quite awhile to get used to me in order to feel comfortable being on the set without Mom. We played a few games and tricks to try and get her comfortable. At just under two years old, Wila still uses a a pacifier for comfort. So her mom had the idea to hid the paci in the set and Wila had to search for it.I was able to catch some silly facial expressions during this game, like the second image above.

Wila still wasn't having it though and I knew we could get better photos. We tried playing with the pink Volkswagen van that her mom had brought, and that provided some entertainment, but Wila was still very apprehensive. So, I brought out the brownie. Wila has a host of allergies, like my boys, so I offered the Lara bar brownie, which is free of most allergens, and also surprisingly tasty. This did the trick. Wila was able to chow down on a tasty treat and explore the set without the fear. I also not so secretly love the messy face shots.

I love this last collection of photos. Wila has a full belly and I was able to capture some genuine smiles and silly faces. She had fun trying on her white sunglasses and posed with her hand on her hip all by herself. It did take a bit of coaxing to get her to sit on the wooden box. Although it took a bit more time, I think it's necessary to spend a few more minutes giving children the space they need in order to feel comfortable during the session. I love the outcome of the session and I like how much of Wila's personality shines through. Happy birthday, Wonderful Wila.