::seven weeks::

Dear Nugget,

You are seven weeks old today.  You're still being pretty good, but your kicking up the dizziness.  I tend to have low blood pressure when prego.  I have been taking my blood pressure at work lately (I use a little tiny preemie cuff on my finger) and you have been keeping it all pretty low.  Which is how your brother used to try to make me faint.  But - I would rather feeling slightly drunk/dizzy then have pressures too high.  You did make me drive somewhere with my head in a bag the other day.  But that is a price worth paying. 

Right now your name is Gwyneth (or Gwenith) Isabelle or Samuel Thomas.  (But that Samuel might change - or we just will not tell Daddy's urologist that you have the same name as him). 

My good friend Emily gave me a Belly Book the other day.  It made me cry.  Of course.  But - that actual celebration of you seems like such an extra big deal to me.  Work has not been a very good environment for baby celebration right now.  (It's a long story, but it comes down to the fact that I just can't be as honestly joyful about you as I feel in my heart.)  Plus you're a third baby - it would be greedy to expect the same celebrations as the others.  But sometimes someone sneaks up on me with their joy about you and it just breaks me down to a big cry baby. 

Love,

Your Mommy

::halloween::

Halloween was crazy this year.  

We were broke as a joke.

So we let the kids dig through our box of costumes and just pick something out.

Max was "baby Jaguar" from Diego.  

Lily decided to kick it up to Sleeping Beauty attacked by monsters.

::not pretty::

It has not really hit me yet that there is an actual bun in my oven.  I have carefully picked flattering pregnancy pictures of myself to post previously but here is some truth -


1.  I never had maternity pictures done with the other two.  My belly is really very pretty when stretched.  It is round and even and no stretch marks - but it is gigantic.  I have a very short torso and I carry like a whale.  


2.  I feel SO pretty when I am super prego.  In my mind I really am stunning.  Then I see a picture of me with no neck and I wonder how I figured that out.  But I just want to skip and jump with joy at the prettiness of me when I am pregnant - not jump high, but still.  How do I get into that state of disillusionment?


3.  Because I am already starting to show.  Which is not funny for a six week prego.  20 weeks = cute.  6 weeks = kind of gross.  But I seriously have done nothing different so far.  I am staying away from Qdoba and trying to be good.  But my belly is already bumping into things.  


ps - I am really excited to feel nugget move.  That makes him real and then we can really get all bonded up.  

WITH OUT FURTHER ado HERE IS ME LOOKING LIKE CRAP!

But seriously happy as a clam

And about 33 weeks pregnant with Lily.

(I look so bad in the 41 week one that I chickened out about posting it)

::starting to learn photoshop::

I have come to an important conclusion.  I am not the only person that that finds the thought of starting to learn photoshop overwhelming and easy to avoid.  But beginning to learn some of the tricks is not as hard as I thought.  Most people don't get it either, so if you go on google and type "photoshop brightening eyes" you will get about 15 different tutorials.  I think my goal is to start small and work my way up.  So - so I have two things I want to learn how to do.  Lighten the bags under eyes (Lily has allergies that can make her eyes have bags) and to place a subtile vingette around the images.  I got the answer to vingettes via this link and I went to Kristen Duke (a photographer that I adore) to figure out how to lighten raccoon eyes.  


Here is my before -

Here is after - 

So the important question - does it look better?  Is it still natural?  I like it.  So I will do my images like this, but what do you think?

::my working dogs::

Feel sorry for the cow.  My dogs think he needs herded.  He doesn't really want herded.  But if a barking freaking out dog is trying to chase you what are you supposed to do?

 While Max and I were outside trying to get some decent pictures of him - the dogs felt it was showoff time. 

Now I get Bruno.  He is half Basset and half Border Collie.  Its in his blood.  

But seriously - does the shitzu/maltese have to get involved?  

  Bad Lizzie!

::family photo shoot - the Black's::

Man do I love my friend Amy.

She is the bravest person I know.

And a fabulous nurse.

I got the chance to do a mini session with her last week.  

Couldn't help shooting some candid's of Ty.  He is just so flipping cute!

::6 weeks::

Dear Nugget,

Everyone is excited to meet you.  Daddy doctor sent me a letter that he can't wait for a picture of you.  I can't wait either!  Are you a little boy or girl?  My early vote is boy.  

Your still being pretty peaceful, but I expect to start barfing my brains out soon.  Lily and Max loved making me barf.  I can't wait for you to meet them.  They such amazing people, I hope you are just like them, but if you could skip the barfing stuff I would appreciate it.  But if you can't I already forgive you.

Is it bad that I am already planning your newborn photoshoot?  I have big ideas!  I hope you are pretty willing.

Love you,

Mommy  

::this week in preschool::

 

We did some good stuff in preschool this week.

I cut out a tracing of Ma's little hand and we glued it to some white paper.  

Then he had a great time finger stamping on the leaves.   

I found this craft of sb creativly. 

She always has great toddler crafts.  

We also worked on sorting these puff balls with a tweezer.

Then we counted them and talked about the colors.   

Max cleaned it all up with a dust pan.  

::photo business::

I have had the great chance of shooting pictures of lots of friends and family for the past year.  Sometimes I trade my pictures for things like a copy of photoshop and sometimes I have actual been charging.  Not much.  But I did that on purpose.  If there is not much expense then not much is expected.  So if I screwed it up, it would be ok.  Now I feel like I have figured it out enough to make my side project more legit.  To do that I think I need a separate professional blog.  I need to figure out a price sheet.  And I really need a name.  I am going to go with ::purple lily photography::


Come check out my new blog -
    ::purple lily photography::




Now for pricing stuff.  If I was shooting your pictures would you rather have prints or the digital images?  How would you like to handle proofs?  I am thinking about a $100 sitting fee that must be paid in advance, with a one time rescheduling allowed.  All the photo blogs say that is the way to go, to make sure people don't stand you up and that they are respectful of your time.  Then we meet, I shoot your pictures and send you a link to a site I found that host's the watermarked proofs and charges you directly for prints.  Does that all sound reasonable?  What am I missing?


Go to the new blog and check it out.  Give me brutal input.  Rip me apart.  I can take it.  Are the prices reasonable?  Is the set up ok?  Be straight with me.        


  

::bat invites for the not happening party::

I spent a good chunk of time cutting out these bats.

And I talked several people into helping me.

I made 23.  With love.

And shipped them off to school.

Some how Lily managed to loose them.

At first I was ticked.

Now I decided that it doesn't matter.

So - no Halloween party.

But the invites were really cute. 

 This was the first draft.  

Smart Shelly came up with  poem.  She is amazing at that.  

But it really wanted some sparkle.

So I added purple glitter around the circle.

Then folded in the wings.

I really like how they turned out.  Even if they never get used.  

::baby nap time=paint fun time::

Lily, "Max is asleep.  I think we should paint"

I throw some water colors at her and continue on.

Lily, "These are not going to do it.  I need something thicker and darker.  What else you got for me, Mom?"

She seriously talks like that.  

And the worst part is I find it so cute that I fall for it every time.

So I STOP (which is hard for me) my other stuff and get out my jar of acryllic paint, two palettes, and all the brushes.

(I rarely use this paint anyway.  What am I saving it for?)

We discuss that fact that these are not washable paint and then I turn her loose.  

No direction besides "Paint something you like"

These are my two favorites.

I asked her if this picture was a rainy day.

"No, its a flower growing."

Love her point of view.

Two mice on patrol

::annual NICU campfire campout::

Some of my dearest NICU girls and families came over last weekend for a bonfire.

But there is a burn ban in my county.

So we had a little fire instead.

And it was FREEZING!  So camping wasn't really a great option either.  

But a good time was still had by one and all.  

Cutie Blyth brought this great cookie.

::5 weeks::

Dear Baby Nugget,


I am going to try to keep a weekly blog journal to you to let you know what is going on in your little prenatal world.  Let me start by saying that you were two years of crying begging pleading planning borrowing and hoping in the making.  But once we actually got the ball rolling (PUN INTENDED!!!!) you showed up so fast.  Daddy's surgery was July 30th, we missed the August round but we got you in September!  I was so scared that Daddy's surgery didn't work, but it did, and I am so relieved.  


I took my test to see if you were in there on October 6th.  I had to take two, because I was freaked out that the first one might be wrong.  I text Daddy the picture of the best. He text back "Call me right now."  When I called him he said, "Are you messing with me?"  Then he was so excited!  I was at work when I found out and my girlfriends went crazy with the news!  Every one at work was really rooting for you to show up.  One of the first people I called was Daddy's doctor, who was about the most excited of every one.


 Your going to grow up with two cousins because Mommy's dear friends Alex and Shelly are pregnant too.  You will be the youngest by one month and by two weeks!  What a crazy 30 days of fabulous birthday parties that will be!  I want to start planning now.  


Your name?  You were Anna or Finn, but on the cruise we brought you home from I got his crazy feeling that your name was Gwen if you were a girl.  Your sister Lily is not loving this name so we will see.   Your boy name might be Samuel and your middle name wants to be Thomas.  


One last thing - when we told you sisters they went crazy!  They can't wait to meet you.  Your brother followed their lead by going crazy too, but he has no idea why.  He just loved to celebrate.


Love,
Your Mom

::blurry in a good way::

A photographer that I have a great deal of respect for, Kristen Duke, does a weekly series on TheIdeaRoom and she just did a write up about dragging your shutter.  (LINGO!!  I KNOW A LINGO WORD!)  She took an amazing picture of her dear friend/husband standing together while their kids ran circles around them.  The kids are blurry and the grownups are focused.  It shows the crazy movement of an active family.  That picture greatly appealed to me.  

It is a really cool technique and I must figure it out. 

So, on our camping trip I began.

There was a perfect little spot to set my camera on, because you need a tripod or stable surface.

This picture was my first try.

Not blurry enough.

Then I slowed the shutter down even more.

But see how the slide got at least a little blurry?
A real tripod would have fixed that.  And she is not well placed in the frame.  
Maybe I should shoot this with a large frame and then just crop it down in editing.

And even slower gets more blur.
Still not well placed in the frame, but I think I am starting to get the idea of it.  

I can't wait to get the chance to try this is a kiddo family shoot.  Or maybe I could use it in a family with dog shot.    Who's up for being my test subject?

::some more camping pictures::

The raccoon tried to play corn hole.

Smokey popcorn is gross.

I am pregnant with his baby.

A respectful deer picture.  He will feed us for months.  

My sister in-law.  Isn't she pretty?

Max loved his PEZ.

My other sister in-law, Nikki, after a play date with Lily.

Jacob and Nikki.  So cute.  

This is not a good sign at a campground bathroom.

Opposite reactions to the deer.

Lily and her friend.

Three brothers.