Photo session at the park

I didn't get that much fun playtime with Jesse yesterday, since he was mostly asleep (or ready to fall asleep and complaining about it) while I was holding him, but we did find time to take this series of photos at the park:

Jesse and his aunt smile for the camera

We used the self-portrait feature of my iPhone's camera and he seemed to enjoy looking at himself on the screen.  Maybe his parents use it too?

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It reminded me of how much I enjoyed taking pictures of my kids when they were babies.  There's something about taking photographs that helps me get perspective on a situation, providing a kind of distance and mindfulness that was helpful when I was feeling overwhelmed by early parenthood.  On the other side of the lens I could step back from the intense and sometimes unpleasant feelings children can cause (irritation, worry, and boredom among them!) and simply appreciate my children for what they were: absolutely adorable. 

That feeling of stepping back can be a disadvantage of photography, too; one doesn't want to remain at a distance, or only experience important events from behind the camera.