The Tell-Tale Picture Wall

A few months ago, I put up a picture wall of the boys in the upstairs hallway. The top row is John's and the bottom row is Sam's.

 

As you can see, Sam's row has been just a little bit neglected! And it's not just because John has over four years on him. I attribute it to what I call "second-child syndrome." John was the first child and so I was really good about getting his pictures done every few months when he was a baby and then once or twice a year as he got older. Sam is my second child and I love him and cherish him every bit as much as I did John, but I haven't been as good about getting his pictures done regularly and displaying them promptly because I'm more busy with two kids than I was with one, and for me the second time around has felt a little like "been there, done that!"

I haven't been totally neglectful of Sam and his photos, however. He had some nice newborn pictures taken, along with a photo shoot when he was about three months old, eight months old, and one year, although I haven't yet taken the time to order the prints, frame them, and hang them up (as you can see above...they're not there!). But I've resolved to catch up on that, at the very least so that Sam doesn't grow up with an inferiority complex. And last week I took him to a photo studio and got his pictures done, which I meant to do three months ago when he turned 18 months. Better late than never! I think the photos turned out really cute, despite the bug bite on his forehead and the lock of hair in the back that wouldn't stay down. Eventually, in the hopefully not-too-distant future, some of these will make it up onto the wall!

At the beach! (The photo studio beach, that is!)