My children are very accustomed to the idea that on weekends, they go to Oma's or Grandma's house while I get to snuggle tiny little newborns for hours on end. It's a routine that they've come to embrace excitedly, knowing that when they come home I will have new pictures of a brand new little baby for them to look at.

"What's this baby's name, Mommy?" My middle child, Sydney, is always the first to ask.
"This one is Sahara!" I always love to hear her reactions to all of my little clients' names.
"Oh, that is so pretty..." And she gently repeats the name while her gaze falls across my computer screen. "Oh, I can tell that one is a girl, look at that pretty headband! Oh, her cheeks! So cute!"

Cute cheeks is right! I just HAD to do a froggy pose with this smiley, chunky little girl! She had the perfect balance of baby squish, but still being small enough to pose into curly, precious poses. But the majority of her squish was in those adorable, perfect little cheeks. If she were my little lady, you could be certain I'd be addicted to squishing her mouth into that adorable little newborn-fish-face (you know exactly what I'm talking about!)

I had a conversation with a client earlier this week while she came to pick up some prints from her session, and we got onto that exact topic: The Art of Squishing Baby Cheeks. One can not simply JUST squish baby cheeks. It is done gently, but enough that their little lips push into that fish-like form. And it MUST be done with a "beep!" or "boop boop!" sound while you do it.

If you don't have babies yet, you will discover this.
If you do or have had babies, you are doing or have done this.
It's the best.

Bunny trailing aside, I could have snuggled this baby girl all day. And pushing all impulses to squish those cheeks deep down inside myself and trying to keep all baby-fever induced squealing to a minimum, little Sahara was certainly an absolute joy to meet. And her parents are just as wonderful.

In a city full of photographers stuffed full of talent, I am SO honoured, thankful and appreciative of the amazing parents who trust their babies with me for a couple of hours. It's a privilege I don't take lightly, and I genuinely am just so in love with the fact that I get to do this every week. And while I do see so many babies on a regular basis, they are each so very different and unique. I remember each session as it's own, and all of my teeny tiny little newborn clients always hold a special little place in the Hocus Focus Photography family.

Here is little Sahara, as precious and pretty as can be!