Anika Turns Eleven Months

Anika turned eleven months today, and Lovely took full control of the photos. She spread a deep magenta bedsheet on the floor and arranged the number eleven using colorful blocks. The whole setup looked bright and playful, just like Anika these days. No heavy decoration, only toys and colours that already belong to her world.

Anika wore a yellow dungaree set, and the moment we placed her on the sheet, she grabbed the ball like it was part of some grand plan. She kept shifting between the small red ball and the big multicolored one, as if she was testing which one made her look more serious for the camera. Lovely clicked away while Anika did her own thing, completely unaware that this was supposed to be a photo moment.

The funny part is that the best photos came when she was not trying at all. Her wide smile, the way she held the ball close, the tiny headband slightly tilted to the side, everything looked natural. She kept turning back, picking toys, and then looking at us as if she was asking whether she was doing it right.

Watching Lovely capture these moments felt nice. She was fully in the zone, fixing angles, adjusting Anika’s position, and making sure the blocks forming the number eleven stayed in place. Anika kept kicking them off, which made us laugh more than it annoyed us. That is how most of these monthly photos go. A plan, a little chaos, and then one frame that makes the whole effort worth it.

Eleven months. Almost a full year. She is changing fast, and every new photo somehow looks different from the last one. I used to think these monthly shoots were just cute memories, but now they feel like small checkpoints of her journey. A way to pause and look at how much she has grown without making it a big moment.

Today felt light. Just toys, colour, Lovely behind the camera, and Anika giving us those smiles that stay with you longer than you expect.