Catching Up With Miss Maddy P: A Girl On the GO!

I’ve known Maddy since she was six days old, but I had not seen my little friend since last spring when I joined her and all of her pals for a play group shoot. Her mama Karin is pregnant with Maddy’s little sister so she wanted to document her family-of-three one more time before the new baby girl arrives at the end of May. Before we met this time, Karin sent me an email explaining that Maddy can be a bit timid around people she doesn’t see regularly. I thought this sounded like the perfect occasion to pull out a trick that I call “The Rory Approach” … where I arrive early, leave the camera in the car and spend half an hour or so playing and being silly with the child I’ll be photographing. This was my second attempt at this approach with a toddler and it worked like a charm! Maddy quickly decided for herself that I was on the “approved list” and ran for her shoes as soon as we asked her if she was ready to go play at the park. Success!

Once we arrived at the Park at Bothell Landing, Maddy was off and running, eagerly showing off the mad skills she’d developed during the long winter indoors. It was so great watching her toddle about in the warm spring sun, free at last! This park has so many great locations for photos that I was a very happy camper- just like Maddy!

Her feet are in motion even when she is sitting down!

If I had a dollar for every time I’ve seen a kid holding onto Dad’s ears while riding his shoulders I’d have… well, about four bucks: )Regardless, this seems like a pretty common safety tactic for the toddler set!

Maddy is 100% Daddy’s Girl : )

I really love shooting at this park as it features several historical buildings that offer lovely color and texture. We explored every single one of them while searching for doors to be opened and blooming daffodils to be sniffed!

While Mike was busy chasing down Maddy, Karin and I managed to sneak in a few solo photos of her and her burgeoning belly… can’t wait to meet the new little girl next month!

And just so Maddy won’t forget me between visits, I handed over the camera for a minute so she has something to remember me by : )

See you next month, Miss Maddy P!