Pleasantly Serious

We have a serious kid. It's not that he doesn't smile, he does - a lot, even - but he does take a while to warm up to most people and he concentrates with all his energy on his playing/learning/observing. He always seems to be deep in thought and analyzing everything around him. People often comment on his serious expression (usually after trying to make him smile only to get a face that clearly says, "You do realize you are making a fool of yourself?" from him). He often has a furrowed brow and flashes you looks that make you wonder if he's much more aware than we could imagine. At the same time, though, he has this amazing sense of humor. It's hard to explain.

Anyway, we recently had family pictures taken and we had a really nice photographer who has lots of experience with young kids. She tried and tried to make Leo smile - but he wouldn't crack. She pulled out all the stops: toys, funny sounds, balloons, singing - but the kid refused to smile. She kept apologizing and saying, "I'm usually really good at this!" We assured her that we know Leo is a serious guy - and we like him that way - so capturing his seriousness is a successful session in our opinion. Still, she tried her hardest right up until the very end. We once again promised her we would be happy with smile-less pictures as we were gathering our things and putting our coats on. As we walked to the door and said our good-byes, Leo turned to her and flashed her the biggest, widest smile ever. The kid is a jokester!

Anyway, here are some highlights from the shoot. Starting with the cheesy awkward family shots (because jb and I reluctantly admitted that we should have family pictures):







Then some of Leo solo:







And finally - Chef Leo. This series of shots slays me. They seem to be just begging for funny captions or thought bubbles.