I noticed few years ago that in the photo albums that my nieces and nephews have there isn't even one single photo that would include me. I decided not to be bitter about it but instead do something about it :)
I told the kids a while ago that every kid will get for her/his 12th birthday a photo album from me.
The oldest niece has just turned 12 so I was working on the project for few weeks. The album turned out to be awesome (even the kid loved it!). It is full of photos of her - when she was with me. I am only on three photos (one is when I am holding her in my arm for the very first time). On all the other photos she is alone or with other kids when we had fun days together. I am not on the photo, but I was always on the other part of the camera. It feels special - that very moment the child was looking at me and I captured this moment.
Instead of ordering a photo book I preferred to buy a real good quality photo album (I found a pretty light pink one) and have the photos developed. With each photo I wrote a date and a line or two.
I hope that she keeps the photo album forever. This way she will be able to see that I was an important person of her childhood.
The next photo album project: will be done in two years. I am looking forward to it already now.
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Part of the photo of me, holding her for the very first time. I can still remember how heartbroken I was when she arrived (I was just after another failed IVF). How glad am I that those hard years of infertility are over!
This album is also a memory of the time when I was cool aunt. Now she is almost a teenager so whenever I invite her somewhere, it is always the same reply "No, thank you."
