A dark horse winner. I hadn’t even considered this one until I really thought about what the goal of this project was. I was focused on the “good pictures” instead of the pictures that really showcase what I came to believe the goal of the project was. This picture, from a birthday party, sums it all up.

You, happy in your skin, and surrounded by those who love you, and those you love. I cannot ever ask for more than that – your happiness, tied with ours.

From day 168 – Happy.

Yesterday was the first day in a year that I didn’t take a picture. I made a conscious decision to not take a picture, and it was difficult to abide by that decision. You were playing on the coffee table with your horses, and your round belly was sticking out, full from dinner. We had taken your shirt off because we had curry and I didn’t want your shirt getting stained. You made clip-clop noises and your horse stopped to have a snack and then kept galloping across the table, guided by your hands and voiced by your voice.
Instead, I captured the image with my mind, and honestly, I feel kind of regretful. There’s a duality to that moment – I enjoyed it, wasn’t scrambling for my camera, was enjoying watching you play without having to watch you through the lens of my camera. I struggled with that all last year – the camera. But these moments are so fleeting, and how long will my memory of you beginning to imagine and play independently really last?
With this in mind, I’m committing to a smaller project this year. I’m going to post on the weekends. I’m not setting a number of photos per day, or per week, or month. I’m going to capture the things about you that I find delightful. If that means we end up with another 300+ pictures this year, that’s okay. If it means I post a lame picture at the end of the day on Sunday and call it a week, that’s fine too. If I post only sleeping photos, or photos only in the bathtub, that’s okay too.
Last year’s project was a challenge for me. It was a time commitment unlike what I thought I was getting into when I started. As I learned to use my camera and got a few “really good” shots by accident, I was determined to have more good pictures. Lenses and cameras broke. Hard drives failed. There were some really hard weeks where I had to work late and spent almost no time at home. I relied on people to help me (mostly Daddy) to help me finish, to take pictures I couldn’t take because I couldn’t set them up, was working, or was busy cuddling.
It was hard. It was not an easy project to finish. I’m glad I did. I looked back at those pictures, the digital stack ever-growing through the year, and watched you grow. Looked at your happiness, OUR happiness, and smiled. Looked at you exploring the world with wonder and growing excitement and awareness. And I get to see it again, whenever I want to. And it makes me smile. I’m proud of myself for finishing. It is a gift to you.
You are a delight to me. Thank you for being my daughter.
January 2, 2013

A breakdown of our photos throughout the year…

2 posts with no pictures
2 videos (here and here)
2 dog pictures
4 days with multiple pictures
7 cat pictures
18 eating pictures
19 bathtub pictures
21 sleeping pictures (I thought there would be more!)
22 pictures with Daddy
25 pictures BY Daddy
29 pictures with Mommy
32 pictures in the family bed (including most of my favorites from the year, like this, this, this, this and this)
33 naked pictures
101 pictures not at home
125 pictures outside