LIGHT ON HIS FACE — 9 MONTH CHECK-Up

LIGHT ON HIS FACE — 9 MONTH CHECK-UP

May 12, 2025

We were at his 9-month check-up.
Twenty pounds, thirteen ounces.
Twenty-nine inches tall.
The doctor said he’s doing great.

She was about to check his ears.
Clicked on the otoscope —and the light caught him first.

He didn’t flinch.
Didn’t blink.
Just sat there, present and calm,
like he already knew what came next.

I’d wanted to take this photo since the beginning —
since the newborn visits,
since those first tiny weigh-ins,
since he couldn’t hold up his own head.

But today, he could sit up on his own.
Today, he was awake for it.
Curious.
Grounded.
Glowing.

And this time —
I already had the camera up.
I wasn’t scrambling or hoping or fumbling with settings.
I was ready.
Because I’d been waiting for this moment since our first visit.

The doctor clicked on the otoscope.
The light turned on.
And before it even reached his ear,
it caught his face —and everything lined up.

The moment was ready.
He was ready.
And for once,
so was I.

This is the photo I had been waiting to take.
And of course —
he made it perfect.
Because he is.