Babies Don't Keep
Right after we had our daughter, my father-in-law gave us a framed copy of the poem, "Babies Don't Keep" by Ruth Hulburt Hamilton. Yes, it is about cherishing the time when our babies are little because they grow up fast- cue my hormonal water works! The poem is now displayed in my daughter's nursery and I think of it often. I remind myself of it when she wakes up when I would really rather sleep in! Or when she is crying and nothing seems to soothe her. Or when I turn around from making dinner and realize she is giggling because she is splashing in the dog's water bowl.
Babies don't keep,
babies don't keep,
babies don't keep.
It is my mantra. It keeps me appreciating the good and letting the bad slip away.
When I photograph newborns, I try to capture that emotion and awe of the first few days at home. It is such a tender transition and it goes by so fast. Their little features grow in the blink of an eye and you are suddenly aware of how fast time is going. It seems as though all of my clients already know:
Babies don't keep, but pictures last a life time.