“In a child's eyes, a mother is a goddess. She can be glorious or terrible, benevolent or filled with wrath, but she commands love either way. I am convinced that this is the greatest power in the universe.”
― N.K. Jemisin, The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms
Mothering is hard; it's relentless, it's endless, it's 24/7 for basically ever. It's hard to do it, much less alone. This mama is a rockstar, she's raising her daughter with fire and power and strength all by herself and taking the time to really be present in her daughter's life.
I met this mama on Instagram ( can you believe it?!) and as soon as we met, I knew we were going to make something amazing together. Gabi is the kind of mom who just follows her daughter around with her eyes, loving her. Her little girl is the sun in her sky. When they met me at the B&B we picked, little Brooke was cranky and tired and Gabi fretted they wouldn't have a good session.
THIS is so important; our real life is full of crabby, crying children, why would a lifestyle session about your parenting look any different?? It was beautiful to watch the way she cuddled and comforted her child through those moments of strife.
They still fit inside the circle of your arms for so very long; somehow, even though they are growing out of clothes and socks and eating everything in the world.....they still fit into you.
Soon, it was time to take a tub; how much of our motherhood is spent washing our children? An activity so route that we hardly think of it and yet when we stop to make it's image, it becomes beautifully precious.
After tubs, we ran upstairs to grab the sunset on a balcony and just take some time for extra cuddles. Brooke was getting so tired she just wanted to rub her eyes and lay her head on her mama. It's hard being 2 and she had had about enough of us. and still, the moments are true and beautiful and complex, like real life.
I was struck as I worked by the strength in each, the shared sense of 'us against the world'. A perfect pair.
Right as I was packing up, Gabi ran to the bathroom and Brooke followed to climb up on her mama while she peed. As a mother, I knew immediately that this was a moment we all share, never peeing alone is a hallmark of motherhood. I asked to grab a frame or two and the result was a classic representation of all of us, sharing every inch of space and time with our littles.
