Pillow Fight

Is there anything sweeter than watching a baby drift off to sleep...sucking a thumb...nuzzling a blankie...arms and legs scrunched...fluffy bum in the air??  I tried to sneak in to catch a few shots through the bars of her crib.  Damn those squeaky floorboards.  I heard her stir.  I hit the floor and held my breath.  And then I looked up --through my lens-- and saw this little face.

Game On.  She hurled her pillow and blanket at me from behind bars.  I tossed them back in, she swatted them out.  She acquired new ammo, yanking off one sock at a time.  Our very own game of Drop Side Crib Volleyball. 

(when shooting "wide open", or at a low aperture, you're supposed to focus on the eyes when aiming at a face.... 
but rules were meant to be broken, and I love that I accidentally grabbed her goofy, toothy grin here instead :)

Mama won the match.  That last blanket return must have hit the sweet spot as she grasped it with those chubby fingers; she slowly retreated back to her original position...thumb in mouth...bum in air.  I didn't dare push my luck -- I replaced my lens cap and tiptoed out, smiling at the shots I hadn't planned for but was lucky enough to capture.  They're even sweeter to me than those of a sleeping baby.