159 - Caption Contest

Newborns amaze me. If you're around me when I'm around a newborn, chances are I'll be doing the following three things:

1. Holding the baby (for hours, if you let me)
2. Staring at the child with my mouth half open, smiling, my eyes happily lit up
3. Saying something along the lines of, "I just can't believe it! He's such a real little person!"

I've done more than my fair share of babysitting in life (I started at age 10), yet I just don't think I'll ever get over the awe of a newborn. It really is incredible to me to witness those new little people. From their tiny little fingers and toes, to the first time you see them open their eyes, to the way they identify Mom so easily, to how they find a way communicate when they need something... it's simply breathtaking to watch the smallest people you know live their lives.

One thing I especially love are the variety of faces these little people can make. Jack made my day with some of his expressions, and I thought I'd share a few outtakes with you. (And tell me if you can't already imagine him as the "grumpy" old grampa everyone loves!)

However, I'm gonna shake things up a bit: YOU get to write the captions! Over the next week, leave your caption(s) for the photos in the comments section (at the end of this post), then I'll update this post with the ones I find most entertaining. I know, not the most amazing prize, but hey, nobody can argue about the cuteness of the subject. =)

UPDATE: The caption winners are listed below! 

"Did I look like I wanted to be woken up? No, I didn't."  (from Jacob)

"Mmm, let me give that one some thought..." (from Barb)

"Ommmm, Ommmm... I'm practicing yoga... Ommmm, Omm...zzz zzz zzz..." (from Jacob)

"How many times do I have to tell you? I'm a Michigan State fan, not a U of Michigan fan! Please don't insult me again!" (from... myself... because it's so true in this family!)

158 - Roscoe

Even though Jack is Kristin and Dave's first son.... he already has a big brother. Meet Roscoe:

While Roscoe wasn't around for too many of the photos, we did catch him a little at the beginning. He's a pretty darn protective big brother, after all, and had to make sure everything was okay with Jack. Cute family, huh?

157 - Love's Hands

Little Jack does a fantastic job of being just plain adorable all by himself. However, I think when you witness the total love and adoration that Kristin and Dave have for him, and the incredible tenderness with which they care for him, what you see crosses the line from adorable into absolutely precious. There's just nothing like being in the hands of Mom & Dad...

156 - Little Jack

Oooooh! I'm so excited to share these photos with you! 

I know I'm super behind on posting things -- I tried to take photos to Seattle with me to edit, and let's just say, I had some issues. So, no work got done in the month of August. However! I'm back now, and I'm so delighted (truly) to share these images of sweet baby Jack. 

Jack is the son (and firstborn) of my dear friend, Kristin. In her previous (maiden) life, Kristin was known as Ms. Cain and taught down the hall from me during our Teach For America years. She taught 3rd, I taught 2nd, and we shared many laughs, tears, frustrations, and joys during those first years of teaching. I'm not sure I would have survived without her! 

Needless to say, she and her husband, Dave, got married a couple years ago, and have now welcomed little Jack into the family. We'd talked about doing newborn photos in mid July, but Jack was pretty anxious to get started on life, and made his entrance about 3 weeks early. While we didn't get newborn newborn photos, he was still pretty tiny 3 weeks in (as you can see), and so adorable, incredible, and beyond wonderful. Am I gushing yet? =)

Kristin: I love you, I think! Thanks for letting me hang out with you and your boys. Congrats again, you two!

148 - Moments with Roman

Ok, I just can't get enough of this kid. Here's the last post with little Roman, starting off with some of his infamous sleepy time... and then a wide awake shot! I love the look on his face!

Next, some loving by beautiful mom, Shin. And in case you're wondering, Shin & Matt (aka Mom & Dad) really are the fun, wonderful, happy people they look like in all these photos. Seriously, this is a great family to grow up in. Not to mention big sister, Reina, is pretty much the coolest little 3-year-old girl ever.

I absolutely love little baby fingers and hands... it's unbelievable how tiny they are!

And finally, to end, the angelic Roman! Heh, admission from the photographer: this shot was overexposed, but I loved the look/composition of it. It was one right at the end of our time, and I adjusted my settings right after it... but this was the one I liked. So, I played around a little with the editing on it... what are your thoughts? (Besides that he's adorable.)

146 - Sleepy Baby

I'm back with more of baby Roman. I couldn't leave you with just that short teaser, could I? ;-)

Besides being ridiculously cute, Roman is a champion sleeper. He definitely got an A+ on keeping those eyes closed. Matt and Shin were trying so hard to get him to wake up -- but he wasn't having any of it. Their efforts finally paid off at the end, but I have to admit, I think he's pretty darn adorable even when he's sleeping, too!

Like I said, Roman knows how sleeping's done. But here's a peek at this little guy awake. This is probably my favorite photo of him... I just love that look! It reminds me of how -- incredibly -- this really is a whole new little person, even when he's just 10 days old. Such a blessing, huh?

145 - Baby Roman

Right now I seem to be in a place in life where all of my friends are having babies. At one point, I tried to count the number of friends who have had/will have babies between March-September. Want to guess how many? I stopped counting at 18.

While Josh and I are not planning on having kids anytime soon (when we got married, I told him we were on the 5 year plan... 2 years later, we're still on the 5 year plan - 5 years from now, that is), I absolutely love loving on all my friends' babies. Because yes, I love kids... but, let's be honest, at this point, I love giving them back, too. =)

Anyway, I've got a few family and newborn sessions for you in these next few weeks, and I'm so excited to share them.

To start things off, we're going to visit little baby Roman. I know, right? Roman! You haven't even seen him yet and you know he's awesome. His parents, Matt & Shin, are absolutely wonderful, and SO MUCH FUN. Totally willing to go with anything. And they also make really adorable kids. So, without further ado, meet 10-day-old Roman!