First birthday photo and cake smash with Amaira

It feels like just three months or so ago that I first met the lovely Davina and Sanj for their maternity photoshoot and then their newborn photography session.

But somehow it’s been a whole year (and what a crazy year!), and their beautiful little daughter Amaira has recently celebrated her first birthday.

Celebrations were a little more low key compared to Davina and Sanj’s epic wedding celebrations (read about those here), with just grandparents visiting to help the family celebrate this time around.

While there are many, many family members back home who wish they could be here, sadly it’s just not possible right now. They did, however, take part as much as possible with video calls and sharing lots and lot of pictures (including these ones!).

There will also be a very special gift ready for Amaira to unwrap: a brand new balance bike. Judging how much she’s enjoying being mobile, I think the bike is something she’ll get a lot of use out of in the next year or two. 🙂

Amaira’s first year has flown by incredibly quickly for Davina and Sanj, who come across calm, confident and capable in their roles as mum and dad.

They can’t imagine life without her, and have so many favourite moments already.

For Davina, it’s how Amaira looks at her with eyes full of love, how she tips her head when she’s been told ‘no’ in an irresistibly cute way and how she’s quickly learning how important mum and dad are in her life.

For Sanj, it’s waking up to Amaira’s joyful face. At 6am (on the dot!) Amaira wants nothing more but to fill her mum and dad’s mornings with kisses, cuddles and giggles.

Amaira loves helping clean up, even using baby wipes during her first birthday photoshoot and cake smash to tidy away any crumbs.

She’s also a big fan of daddy’s phone (especially when it’s playing videos of her favourite nursery rhymes) and the Sky TV remote control (all those fun buttons to press!).

So while COVID-19 has brought some huge challenges, including distance from family and some very tough moments for the family businesses, there has been one benefit. Days that would normally be full of admin work and phone calls were freed up for precious family time.

That has meant that both Amaira’s parents have been able to witness and enjoy so many of her milestone moments. From first teeth and solid foods, to first words and crawls, mum and dad have been at Amaira’s side every time, cheering her progress and showing her how much they love her.

I’m sure that it will only feel like a few more months have passed, and suddenly Amaira will be a teen, then an adult. And she’ll have these beautiful images from her first birthday to look back on, and see just how proud she made her mum and dad, right from the start 🙂

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If you’d like to book your child’s first birthday cake smash photoshoot, or if you have any questions about family photography with me, please get in contact.

Sarah Plater LMPA is an award-winning, qualified, professional family portrait photographer based in Bicester, Oxfordshire. She is the Master Photographers Association Newborn Photographer of the Year 2019 for the Central Region (covering Oxfordshire, Northamptonshire, Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire).