Father-Daughter & Couple Session on Sugarloaf Mountain

One does not simply walk into Sugarloaf Mountain. So, we drove. Our little family with a couple friends visiting DC for the summer. In the humid heat of the summer, we aim to do all events between 8-10am. The small window after arriving and before the treacherous heat sets in. This sometimes means getting up bleary-eyed between 4 and 6 in the morning. Dressing for the weather, of course, involves redirecting my daughter’s attention away from the long-sleeved dresses and towards something sleeveless. On this particular trip, she picked a dress that had seen much love. The lace fabric had torn in multiple places. If you squint hard enough, you may even see her gripping a stray piece of pink fabric. If it strayed too far, the dress was somehow incomplete. I eventually snuck the piece away when it was dropped and momentarily forgotten.

As my little girl walked up the path with an internal mantra chanting “just keep walking” like Dory in Finding Nemo, many people would look quizzically at her choice of clothing. Internally I was screaming, “She picks her own clothes!” However, most people looked amused, smiled and commented to her “I really like your choice of clothing” or “That’s a lovely dress.” My daughter would then smile sheepishly, do a half twirl and then run to me to hide. I love this age - although I think I’ve loved all her ages and most importantly her as a person. I can’t help but wonder what kind of person she’ll grow up to be or what she’ll do. I just want to tell her you is kind, you is smart, you is important. I want her to be happy doing whatever she’ll do. I do have some aspirations that she’ll have a job that at least pays the bills… until I look her in the eyes and hear her voice and then I don’t care - I just want to stroke her hair and tell her I love her and cherish these small moments with her. Maybe less so the ones where she kicks me in the face while we’re co-sleeping. 

All in all, love is blind. So when my daughter turns to her dad and says “Daddy, can you please carry the camera so Mommy can carry me?” I said “Aww, that’s so considerate of you.” I do, in retrospect, realize she was being utilitarian and being inconsiderate of her dad - she could have easily asked her dad to carry her instead. But shall I say I bask in the glory of being the favorite parent? So, what’s a little pain in my back if I can get free cuddles and hugs? And I can’t help but be proud of that little brain. I knew she was getting tired of walking up the trail from the parking lot but I didn’t quite expect her to be so on-point - a planner in the making. Rose glasses indeed.

The friends that joined us definitely got a kick out of watching my toddler tumble up the mountain. They too joined in with ego-boosting comments to her about how great she was doing. First impressions are everything and they became an instant favorite in her book. 4 adults + 1 child = 4x the attention. My daughter was practically glowing with self-esteem and confidence by the time we got to the top of the mountain. She was princess of the mountain. I had actually asked her if she preferred being queen or princess of the mountain. She said princess. I further gave her the explanation of the power dynamics between the two and how they both get to wear lovely dresses. She stuck with princess. I bow my head to her.

I wish I could capture every moment with my daughter. Every time she has an epiphany. Every expression. Every fascination. Her love for the world. I don’t take pictures every time we go out, but I do travel around with her on weekends so she can grow to love the world around her. The swaying trees, the way the light and shadows dance to paint a magical scene around us, the way rock formations/soil/mountains take eons to form and the fascinating shapes they make, how the insects and animals flourish in a healthy habitat, and oh so much more. I want her to love nature and respect it so she will grow to value it. When we watch documentaries about space or read books, it dawns on me how amazing Earth is in our solar system and how it’s our planet to love and live on.