First birthday cake smash with one-year-old Zaylia

I first met this gorgeous family just over a year ago for Arlo’s first birthday cake smash (see the photos here).

At the time, his mum Tyisha and dad Oliver shared some exciting news: they were expecting their second child later in the year, and would be back to update their family photos when she turned one!

All of a sudden, a year has passed and they returned to my Bicester photography studio – this time as a very happy family of four with their newest arrival, Zaylia!

Tyisha told me that Zaylia looks like butter wouldn’t melt… but she’s already a tiny diva. She knows what she wants and is sure to make a fuss if she doesn’t get it!

Of course, Zaylia definitely hasn’t inherited these traits from her lovely mum… maybe she got them from her aunties, perhaps?!

She’s a huge animal lover, giving lots of big cuddles to the very patient family dog, Otis. Oliver’s parents also have two dogs – Fenton and Socks – and Zaylia loves to hug them too, even though they are twice her height!

When the family last went to the zoo, Zaylia was particularly taken by the monkeys, giggling as they walked around in their enclosure as though they were performing slapstick comedy.

She’s also the world’s biggest fan of her brother, Arlo, following him around and watching his every move.

Tyisha tells me that Arlo wasn’t too interested in his new sister at the beginning.

When she started to crawl and interact, however, that changed, and now the pair of them are as thick as thieves.

While Arlo was a little hesitant during his cake smash, Zaylia was the opposite. As soon as she sat down near the cake she dived straight in, gripping the cake on both sides and leaning in to take bites directly from it. ?

With Zaylia’s birthday the day before Tyisha’s birthday, the family have a fun weekend planned, including an afternoon tea party with family.

And Zaylia will be happy to know there’s going to be lots of cake to enjoy there, too! 🙂

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If you’re interested in a first birthday cake smash photography session in Bicester, Oxfordshire, please get in contact.

Sarah Plater AMPA is an award-winning qualified, certified professional newborn and family portrait photographer based in Bicester, Oxfordshire.

She is the Master Photographers Association Young Families Portrait Photographer of the Year 2022 and Newborn Photographer of the Year 2019 for the Central Region (covering Oxfordshire, Northamptonshire, Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire).