Photo Shoot - 18 Month

On Tuesday, May 6th, I awoke with great intentions to get Annabelle's 18 month photo shoot done at 18 months, 2 weeks and 4 days. I even bathed her the night before when she wasn't due for another bath until Tuesday night. I bathe her every other night, and I had just bathed her on Sunday night.

We went through our normal routine, and as usual, it took 30-45 minutes to get her dressed. It took a little longer this morning because I spent more time trying to get her pigtails "perfect." She cooperated pretty good for an 18 month old, but being the Type A personality that I am, I would have preferred her to cooperate more like a 30 year old! I entertained her by letting her play with play-doh in her booster chair in the dining room.

So, we finally left the house at 10:00 a.m. for our photo shoot at J.C. Penney's. I had a coupon for $7.99 for their package deal. I decided that Portrait Innovations ended up costing me way too much money because I couldn't make up my mind, so I bought more photos than I ever needed. And, now that my work (for pay) is dwindling, we are really having to watch what we spend.

Are photo shoots stressful for anyone else? They drive me crazy, and I swear I'm on the verge of an anxiety attack (not that I would really know one if I had one) every time we go for a photo shoot. I just want everything to be perfect, and it drives me crazy when it isn't. I have my mother to thank for this constant striving for perfectionism. Thanks Mother! Has anyone attained being perfect yet? I swear, it really does exist! I'm just not quite there yet. Maybe tomorrow.

So, we make it to J.C. Penney's at Northlake Mall twenty to thirty minutes later. I have twirled and chewed on my hair all the way there and barely carried on any conversation with my daughter. By the way, I rarely twirl and chew on my hair. I think I used to do that as a teenager or pre-teenager, but this nervous habit has started again since Annabelle was born. Thank you Annabelle!

So, we walk in to the photo studio, and my anxiety decreases dramatically. The lady seemed nice...that is always a plus! And, Annabelle wasn't scared of her at all. I thought, "Okay, this is going to go alright." Of course, she introduces me to their crazy package deals for the low, low price of $150 plus! I told her I had a coupon.

So, we start this photo shoot with Annabelle sitting on a chair on a table. What? You want a toddler to sit still on a table with me nearby to spot her? And the lady taking the pictures is seriously supposed to get her to smile? She wasn't very good at her job!

Annabelle would smile and laugh at me, but every time she did, she'd bend her little body down so that the camera only showed half of her, and the half it showed did not show her smile, just her eyes, if that.

The lady tried working with her for 30 minutes, and then she just told me that she didn't think it was going to work...that I needed to come back another day. She said that by the end of the month they would have a completely different studio where the children did not have to sit on tables, and they could take the pictures with the children moving around. It's about time! Portrait Innovations and The Picture People must be taking all of their business!

Now, keep in mind, Annabelle was actually in a very good mood. She (being the lady at J.C. Penney's) just couldn't get her to smile at the right time! She didn't take one shot! I thought, "Lady, just take one shot. That is all I want! I just want your $7.99 package deal." But, nope, nothing!

At one point, we even took a little rocking horse off the floor that she really liked to play and rock on, and we put it on the table for her to rock on it on the table, but she naturally, wouldn't smile while she was on the table. She's a stinker! By the way, that was my idea! Not that it worked, but that lady had no ideas for getting her to smile besides holding up an Elmo stuffed animal and tickling her feet with a pink duster and calling her "Belle Belle." What is that? "Belle Belle." My daughter's name is "Annabelle."

Annabelle's Daddy called during the photo shoot, and I even decided to try to get the photo shoot lady to hold my phone and have Annabelle's Daddy talk to her and laugh at her and growl at her through the phone to get her to smile. At that point, she just wanted to get down off of that silly table and play.

So, I stressed myself out for nothing, and I still have no 18 month old pictures to show for it.

And, I had really hoped to get Annabelle's hair cut in the next few weeks, but I wanted one last shot with all of that beautiful hair. I guess Annabelle's Daddy is due for another photo shoot!

So, we left! Annabelle was happy! And, Mommy was bummed! As I drove away though, I did realize (a little) that I was being very silly! I'm always so worried about having the best pictures of my precious little girl that I fail to truly understand the best gift that God has given me. Some people aren't able to have children at all, and I am worried about pictures! I have this beautiful little girl to love and watch grow...at least I have the memories (if I don't have the perfect picture), and I should be very thankful for all that God has given me.

Sorry...off on my own soapbox. I am trying to make myself feel better.

So, since we are really budget strained now, I try to really watch my trips to and from the store (for obvious reasons since gas is $3.59 or more a gallon). I had bought some decorations for Annabelle's Daddy's 30th birthday party that I didn't use from Party City that I needed to take back ($5.96 worth). As you can see, it wasn't worth making a separate trip (probably 5 miles each way) to Party City for $5.96! The nearest Party City is right by the J.C. Penney's I went to, so we made a trip over to Party City as well. The lady at the counter gave Annabelle a pink balloon to match her outfit. Annabelle loves balloons! She calls them "Boons."

So, we took that balloon home, and I decided to pull up a few chairs and drape my white cloth over the chairs in front of the living room window with the blinds open. I took these shots myself, as I am sure you can tell. They truly showed her excitement for the moment. Since she's always on the go though, I wasn't able to get very many. But, they will do for now.

My favorite shot is the last one...look at all of that hair! I captured that shot when she decided to lay down on the white fabric. She didn't stay there long though!

Photo Shoot (12 months, 3 weeks and 3 days old)

So, the "12 month" photo shoot took place on Sunday, November 11th and Monday, November 12th. I never dreamed it would be so much work, but it really was a lot of fun!

On Saturday, my husband rented some equipment from a nearby photo supply store while Annabelle and I visited Jo Ann's to try and find a white "back drop" we could use for the photo shoot. My husband found out it would cost $25 to rent a back drop, and I figured we could buy one for under $25. Grandmama and Granddaddy met us at the Jo Ann's (since we went to the one nearest to their house which is also the one nearest to us). We found a white cloth to use that was just thick enough and wide enough. It was 60 inches wide, and we purchased 5 yards (15 feet).

Annabelle and I made it home long before her Daddy did though as the process to actually rent the equipment was somewhat cumbersome for him. He had to complete an application, and then they needed an hour to approve the application. And, then, they had to set the equipment up to make sure that everything was working properly before they sent it out the door with him. So, we all had gone our different directions at 2:30 p.m., and Annabelle and I made it home around 3:45 p.m., and I don't believe that her Daddy made it home until closer to 4:30 p.m. So, that left no time to even set up the equipment as we had a wedding to attend at 6:00 p.m. on Saturday evening.

It costs us only $54 ($50 plus tax) to rent the equipment, and believe me, that was a good deal considering we took close to 2,500 pictures! Crazy, I know, but with digital cameras, you can just snap away, and you are bound to get a good shot. Not to mention, my husband is a really good photographer, so he gets much better shots (with less pictures). My photo shoot on Monday probably resulted in the majority of the 2,500 pictures.

Well, my husband calls me on the way home after renting the equipment, and he says, "You'll never guess how much the deposit was on the equipment?" I said, "$400." And, keep in mind, I was shooting way high with my guess of $400. "No" he said as he laughed at me. I thought, "Thank goodness it wasn't $400!" Then, he says, "It was $2,900." You've got to be kidding, right? Nope! He wasn't. We put a $2,900 deposit down on this photo equipment that we rented for a measly $54! And, instead of making the deposit with a credit card as I would ALWAYS prefer to do when messing with deposits and companies I've never dealt with, they apparently required a check, so he gave them a $2,900 deposit using a check from a bank account that had no where near the $2,900 in it. Keep in mind, I handle ALL of the financing. He assured me that they told him that the check would only be cashed if we failed to return the equipment. So, no worries! And, he was correct, so no crazy story on this $2,900 deposit, thank goodness! But, I just had to write about it because I'm still blown away by the deposit amount. The equipment doesn't even cost that new! Fortunately, when I took the equipment back to the photo supply store on Monday, I received the actual check back from them. Grandmama wasn't aware of this, and when Granddaddy and I left to go to the photo supply store to return the equipment I told him, "Please remind me to make sure I get my check back." I said, "I didn't want to mention this earlier as I knew that Grandmama would have a conniption (am I using the right spelling for this word here?) if she knew I left a $2,900 deposit by check." Not to mention, my husband was told the equipment was due back no later than 5:00 p.m. on Monday, but the paperwork actually stated 9:00 a.m. Once again, he assured me that the guy told him 5:00 p.m. We didn't have any problems returning the equipment though, and I didn't have to listen to Grandmama nag me. Thank goodness!

Okay, so enough on that, Annabelle's 12 months, 3 weeks and 3 days old photo shoot went very well, and we really got some awesome pictures! I had great intentions on Sunday night (after the first photo shoot) to make her another birthday cake to match the original 1st birthday cake just for the photo shoot on Monday, but I promptly realized at about 10:00 p.m. on Sunday that I was crazy! I was going to make another pound cake (by scratch) and decorate the cake for this special photo session. It wasn't until I realized that we did not have ANY milk or much butter that I decided that I was crazy! Thank goodness for small miracles!

So, the highlight of the photo session was this little white chair in great need of a paint job. Of course, we love antiqued furniture, and my husband actually antiqued our daughter's shift robe in her bedroom himself, so it doesn't bother us that the little white chair has paint chipping off of it everywhere. "It adds character," as my Mother (Grandmama) would say.

Well, Annabelle apparently loves this little chair as well. As soon as we set it down on the white back drop, she immediately walked over to it and she proceeded to climb right into that little chair, and then she turned herself around in it, and she sat down! Wow! I knew she was started to become interested in climbing, but where on earth did she learn to climb into that chair and turn around and sit down? Grandmama!!! I later learned that Annabelle had apparently done the same thing the night before when Grandmama and Granddaddy babysat for her while my husband and I attended the wedding.

Well, that is not the worst part! Please keep in mind, I have not left my daughter's side, and my hands are right there in front of her and behind her to catch her if (maybe I should say when) she falls. So, the next chance she gets, she decides to stand up in the chair! Wonderful! My husband is busy snapping shots of our "Little Climber." And, our "Little Climber" is then busy tumbling forward over the back of the chair. I grabbed her with both hands though as she seemed to jump forward off of the back of the chair. We continued to use the chair for our photo shoot, but she was no longer allowed to stand in the chair...not that I allowed her to stand in the chair in the first place. She just wanted to show her Mommy and Daddy her new found talent.

Nonnie came to visit for the evening photo shoot, and she saw how interested Annabelle was in the little chair that she said, "She needs her Daddy's little rocking chair." I thought, "No, she really doesn't." After the photo shoot on Monday, I asked Grandmama to take the little white chair home with her. We don't need to worry with another bump on the 'noggin like the other day in the bathroom! Especially if we can prevent it.

Another Knock to the Head

Okay, how did that just happen? It was about 10:45 a.m. or so this a.m., and I am in the bathroom brushing my teeth trying to finish getting ready to head out the door. My husband just got home for a quick 20 minute break to see his precious daughter before leaving for a business luncheon at 11:00 a.m.

Well, I am brushing my teeth, and my sweet, little Annabelle comes trotting into the bathroom to find me. I'm watching her, trying to prevent her from opening the toilet lid to splash in the toilet bowl and trying to prevent her from falling head first into the shower while at the same time trying to brush my teeth, and next thing I know, she takes a stumble to the ground.

No big deal, right? She stumbles ALL of the time. And, it looked like she caught herself with her hands as she always does. She apparently had tripped over the rug in the bathroom.

Well, she cries a little bit, and I am so used to her stumbling and crying for sympathy when she is tired. And, she is getting tired because nap time is around 11:00 a.m. So, I say, "Annabelle, you're alright, aren't you?" I pick her up and prop her on her feet and send her on her merry way, and she's fine again...no more whimpering. She did not cry long or very hard.

About that time, her Daddy walks in to rescue her, and he picks her up to hold her. I look at her, and there it is...another knock to the head! This time it was to her forehead. The goose egg and bruise quickly begin to form, and my heart aches for my little girl.

I still cannot comprehend how she got a goose egg out of that fall, but she did. I guess the tile floors should explain it. The dangers lurk everywhere! It doesn't matter how cautious you are, there is ALWAYS something that can really hurt them...even when you are right there watching them 24/7. I guess the rest remains in God's hands. He is there to catch them when they fall when we cannot catch them.

Maybe this was a learning experience for me too. I've been putting off getting those corner things to put on the end tables to prevent babies and toddlers from cracking their heads open on the corners because the ones I've found stick to the furniture, and being the selfish one I sometimes am, I didn't want to mess up my precious furniture! I am not a big fan of babyproofing anyway as I think you should let your child explore and just watch them, but I now think the corners are a GREAT idea. I thank God that she hasn't tumbled into one of those corners yet. Now that would be devastating! I just didn't realize how dangerous the corners can be until she took this little stumble on the bathroom tile floor.

So, she seems fine. I tried to apply a "Rapid Relief" cold compress to her little forehead, but she wanted nothing to do with that at all. I was able to apply it for a little while, but not very long. It is supposed to help with the goose egg swelling.

I just put her down for a nap, and she went down fine. Probably because the stumble made her sleepy, but I am not too worried as she wasn't knocked unconscious, and apparently, according to the doctor, you need not worry about them sleeping if they weren't knocked unconscious.

My husband said that the goose eggs are actually common when you bump your head on something. He asked me, "Have you never knocked your head on something and then got a goose egg as a result?" Well, no, I really don't think I have. He is the accident prone one, and I think Annabelle is following in his footsteps. I think she gets her "high tolerance for pain" from her Mommy though. Otherwise, you would have thought the child would have cried for longer than she did this morning? Right now, if my husband is reading this blog, he is laughing at the "high tolerance for pain" part. That is exactly why I quoted it, just for him! He thinks I toot my own horn for having a "high tolerance for pain." I remind him all of the time that I gave birth to his 7 lbs, 9 oz daughter without ANY meds...almost 24 hours of labor, with 12 hours being hard labor! Hard labor defined (by me) as contractions 5 minutes or less apart.

And, on another side note...my plans for this weekend were to have my husband take her 12 month pictures (at almost 13 months). I am already mad at myself for not getting these done sooner, but every week since her birthday, she's done something to her face, and I didn't want it to show up in the pictures. Of course, those were all minimal blemishes with just a little scratch here and a little scratch there from those sharp finger nails of hers that I don't even bother to cut any more because it is too much of a struggle, and I eventually will just tear them off when they get long and flimsy enough.

And, to top it off, I just learned earlier this week that the photographer that I have been using at Portrait Innovations and loved is no longer working there! Big bummer! Grandmama, Granddaddy and I took Annabelle and her Cousin James back at Annabelle's 6 month birthday for a photo shoot, and we didn't make an appointment with the photographer I like, and the pictures were not impressive at all. So, I've decided to get my husband to try and rent one of those big flashes, and I am going to buy a white cloth, and we are going to do our own photo shoot at home. It is stressful enough taking a baby (now toddler) for a photo shoot. It stresses me out even more having a photographer that I cannot stand or who is not good with her or patient with my indecisiveness, for that matter.

The subject for the pictures is awesome, and she smiles a lot, so how on earth did this guy's pictures show the worst smiles of my daughter when she has a beautiful smile 99% of the time! And, I really am not exaggerating too much, she does have a beautiful smile most of the time.

So, I guess this just goes to show you that you shouldn't procrastinate. Maybe I was procrastinating because I really didn't want to deal with the stress of the photo shoot, and it had nothing to do with the blemishes. It was probably a little bit of both. Oh well!

I have faith that my husband will take magnificent pictures of her for her 12 month photo shoot at 13 months, and we'll still dress her in her birthday dress, and maybe I'll make another cake just for the occasion.

It will be cheaper in the long run to buy our own flash (or even rent it), then pay the prices I've been paying for these photo shoots just to get the CD with all of the pictures on it.