Rasa Bea age 3

Rasa and I hung out for an hour while Adia napped today. I love getting one on one time with the girls probably because it hardly ever happens but it's good for us. It's good for me to separate the two of them and appreciate each of their qualities without comparison to each other and without thinking of each of them as a set. I'm sure it's a common dilemma for parents of multiples. You notice their differences all the time and similarities too but you don't have much of an opportunity to zone in on each of their own little beings. I'm making a conscious effort to do this a lot more often.

Rasa is a different kind of kid. She was a different kind of newborn, a different kind of baby and a different kind of toddler too. The more I work with other children the more I see that about her. I sometimes call her my Karma kid. She's detailed, obsessive, articulate and she knows what she wants, doesn't care if it's different than what we want for her and is EXPRESSIVE with her feelings....ALL OF THEM.

She's mature, extremely so. A true grown-up in training. When she isn't by my side watching my every move, she's off practicing it because she's learning when I'm not teaching. Learning from watching my hands, my arms and legs, my facial expressions. She knows how to operate my laptop, click, open and enlarge pictures she wants to view, only from watching me edit. One of these days I'm going to come down and she's going to have edited a session in my que (SWEET free labor!). She's got a little silly in her but catches herself quickly and is guarded about it. She is untrusting of new people but appreciates adult subtle humor. She seems to find goofy child humor obnoxious. She is so cool. So cool. I've worked with a lot of two and three year olds and none of them take direction well when it comes to me attempting to photograph them. It's all about me running in circles around them trying to guess their next move and shoot quickly before they get bored. Rasa's never been like that.

I used to try to get her to "lighten up" and be a kid......but then I realized she is a kid. She doesn't want to "lighten up". She wants to observe, to take notice, to comment, to take it all in and analyze it. That's who she is and I'm in awe of it.

I'm excited to see her grow. To see her discover and learn as she starts school. To find out what excites her, motivates her and where her passions will blossom. I know she will always be different and different is wonderful to me. It's what makes us exceptional.

I love you Rasa Bea. You have this extremely special place in my heart that belongs only to you.