My Youngest Child | Artifact Motherhood | Family Photographer Bath

To my littlest one. You are growing so fast yet your personality seems to remain the same. You have always been feisty and known your own mind. Keeping watch on your older brother and admiring your older sister. You like to tell your brother how to do things, you don’t let a little thing like a 21 month age gap phase you. You are protective and caring towards your sister when she has difficult times. At the same time, you are the shyest of the three of you. I do wonder if this is an affect of being kept home for months during your formative baby years, living through the time when the world shut down.  Perhaps this is how you would have been anyway but there is a subtle difference between you and your siblings who would go up to anyone and say hello.

I can’t believe it is nearly 3 years since I took these lockdown birthday photos when you were two. You look the same and yet you don’t. The same gorgeous baby squishiness, your limbs are just a little longer now. The same look of strength in your eyes, yet a vulnerability. You are my youngest, my baby and I love you so much. You are going to be a wonderful mother yourself one day. Your maternal instincts are strong and I have lost count of the number of dolls in our house (despite my efforts to not stereotype toys, it has fallen that way with you girls through your own choices). I couldn’t be happier that we have the three of you, after many years struggling to get the family of three that we craved.

We have tough times and wonderful times, as all families do. But you, my love, complete the circle of love in our home and fit wonderfully into the family dynamic, taking it all in your stride and clinging, quite rightly so, onto the babyhood that you are swiftly leaving behind. Please try not to grow too fast. Mummy loves you all forever and beyond.   

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Welcome to Artifact Motherhood. This is a collaboration of artists from around the world who have come together to share our stories of the joys and struggles of our journey. Through our writings and visual records we want to create memories that are more than photographs with dates written on the back. These are the artifacts we are leaving behind for our children and for generations to come.

Go next to the wonderful artist, Hollie Stokes to read her post in our blog circle.