Our Week in Professional Pictures

"Mom, we've talked about this - get the gray box out of my face already..... please..... ma'am."

Christa's first Darlington football game - after sleeping through the first quarter, she decided to wake up and enjoy the action. She looks distressed because Darlington lost to Bremen :( We're still very proud of Uncle Cleve who plays on the team, and the Tigers totally redeemed themselves last night against Temple!
Uncle CR (Cline's brother) came all the way from Washington DC to see us the Georgia Bulldogs last weekend!
Christa is 3 months old (yesterday)! And we didn't go to the doctor, so mommy has no reason to panic over all the things she is supposed to be doing, so this is a great birthday!

Still Portraitless... And Now Sick

Well, ya'll are no fun with your reasonable thoughts and your sensible advice. (For those of you who only check this site on Thursdays, read the previous post to catch up). Where is the commenter that will tell me it's OK to indulge this want that I have? Where is the irresponsible, instant-gratification-supporting comrade that will validate this desire I have to spend Cline's hard-earned money making a hefty donation to the right portrait studio? Where are you, my debtful friend?? Better yet, where is the wealthy, picture-loving friend or family member who would like to fund this project for me? (I'll frame you a pretty photo...)

So the saga continues. Yesterday, agreeing with your wisdom before you had a chance to post it, I gave Olan Mills a second try, even calling them first to make sure it was a good time. Long story short... no pictures and more mommy-tears. You guys suggested some great ideas. Thanks! Surprisingly, Olan Mills seems to be the only cheap option here besides Wal-mart, which I've been told not to waste my time at. We have no Sears, no JC Penny, no Master Portrait, and no friend with a nice camera. But, I think I have found a studio that is the best of both worlds. If I join their little baby club, I get free proofs for the album I want, and I'll actually save money on the 6 and 12 month photos. I admit, I am a bit of a picture snob. I can do cheap diapers and discount clothes. And family snapshots are great, but my favorite pictures of Cline and I are our expensive, professional wedding shots (although that's partly because I'm at my thinnest and wearing makeup)!

In other news, Christa seems to be battling her first little virus. She had a runny nose yesterday and didn't eat as well. She is handling it fairly well - still smiling and pleasant, but I'm sure being dragged all over town trying to get pictures hasn't helped. We're going to take a break from that today so she can nap in her own bed whenever she wants to.


I do have some pictures to post, but it will likely be Saturday before I get a chance. We'll be gone all day tomorrow to a football game, unless Christa gets worse before then. Thanks for your comments - I had fun reading them!

To Photo or Not to Photo???

What do I do when I have a fairly minor dilemma that stresses me out?? I blog about it! Yes, there's a riveting and fascinating story here. So, Christa will be 3 months old in a few days. Time for professional pictures. We tried to take her to Olan Mills today, thinking we'd get some cheaper pictures for the 3 and 9 month photos and splurge for the 6 and 12 month photos. Things were going perfectly. I checked the website to confirm that they accept walk-ins and reviewed the store hours. I had her clean, dressed, fed, awake, and smiling as we pulled into the parking lot. We walk in ready to create the most amazing photographic artistry ever known, and the lady at the ghetto store we had to go to tells me that they can't squeeze her in. Some woman ON HER CELL PHONE, with BRIGHT PINK HAIR is getting her toddler's picture made and they have too many appointments. Perfect. So, we leave, crushed that our child will spend another day portraitless. I'm in tears. (Why, I'm not exactly sure - it's not that big of a deal. I can get her dressed another day, but I am upset, nonetheless). Cline tries to make me feel better by assuring me that we will get her pictures made, and if we have to go to an expensive place to do it, then that's what we'll do. Being the calm and patient neurotic, "must have things done right this second" person that I am, I start calling the expensive studios, including my wedding photographer, who happens to be photographing my sister's wedding in a couple of weeks. I ask him if he thinks he could squeeze in a few shots of my beautiful daughter when we see him, and he says something about it being my sister's day and her being the priority, yadda yadda yadda. However, I'm welcome to schedule a session, which would of course include a session fee, and for a reasonably small totally out of our range price, we can have beautiful 3 month, 6 month, 9 month, 12 month, mommy and me, daddy and me, and family portraits in a nice album. As a bonus, I can happily spend seriously dent our savings by forking over even more money for prints to frame and put on our minimal wall space. This doesn't even touch photos to give to grandparents, family, etc. So, do I give the affordable K-mart studio another shot and hope for the best?? Or do I spend a lot of money we don't have for priceless treasures that I will look back on for years to come?? I'm never ever going to get this time back, and I love a good professional picture of a beautiful baby. 2 or 3 years from now, will I look back and wish I had the money?? No. Will I wish I had a quality baby album for Christa when I'm having them done for my other kids? Yes. Is it the financially smart thing to do? No. Can I have the guilty pleasure of paying too much money for once-in-a-lifetime pictures since we don't borrow money for cars, do not carry a credit card balance, and are so boringly responsible with our money in every other area of life? Hmmmm...

She Found Her Thumbs...

Hello all! We have had an exciting week. Christa has really changed a lot. She is officially a thumb-sucker! I have mixed feelings about this. On one hand, a thumb is quite a difficult thing to take away when the time comes. On the other, it makes for a great self-soother right now. And this lazy mama has no interest in getting up at night to stick a pacifier back in her mouth! I sucked my thumb when I was a baby, so like mother, like daughter, I guess.

She is smiling and cooing so much more. She's really getting some personality, and it is a treat to play with her. Daddy's no longer getting the bulk of the smiles. Mommy is finally enjoying her fair share and so are the animal friends on her bouncer (shown above).

Christa also rolled over for the first time this week. I went into get her after her nap, and there she was - on her back. Yes, we let her sleep on her stomach - please don't judge us! (We did try the whole "back to sleep" thing, but it just didn't work out.)

Cline and I have not learned any new tricks this week. We do have the weekend off, so we're headed to Rome. Don't forget to eat at Chili's on Monday if you can!

September is...

In addition to being the month of my birth, September is Childhood Cancer Awareness month. I began my nursing career on the brain tumor floor at Egleston, so this topic is near and dear to my heart. I have met and heard of way too many kids and families affected by this terrible disease. So, I'd like to spread some awareness. There is a You-Tube video that is circulating some cancer patient websites, and the link is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGS4yE5v9rM. I'll warn you, it's a tear-jerking video, but it puts a picture on this horrible disease, and I simply do not have words to describe the things these kids and families go through.
In honor of Childhood Cancer Awareness month, Chili's is donating all of their profits to St. Jude Research Hospital on September 24, if you'd like to treat your family to a meal out and help this cause. Having been to St. Jude with a very special little girl, I can tell you first-hand that it is an amazing place that gives hope to families when hope is hard to come by. They also ease the financial burdens by providing all of their treatments, housing, travel expenses, etc. free of charge to the families that go there.
Any mom of a cancer patient will tell you that research is the answer. There is a cure out there somewhere. Christopher Ross, please tell your boss that this future constituent would like to see the Conquer Childhood Cancer Act revived and passed. (Chris, or "uncle CR" as he is also known, is Cline's brother and also the press secretary for Congressman Phil Gingrey).
Please take a minute today and say a prayer for all the kids and families who are fighting or have fought cancer and the researchers and health care workers on the battlefield with them. They need all the prayers they can get.


Links:
www.curesearch.org
www.victoryforvictoria.org
www.annasangels.org

Happy Birthday To Me

My 27th birthday was yesterday. I wasn't expecting a ton of celebration this week, since we sort of already celebrated with my family over Labor Day weekend. But it turns out I have some great friends here in Augusta. Ruth, Kelly, and Rosie treated me to a DELICIOUS Italian dinner at Taste of Italy on Tuesday. I'd never been there before, but I'll definitely go back - it was excellent! Thank you guys; I had a blast! Yesterday, my actual birthday, Cline treated me like a queen all day and cooked a tasty shrimp scampi dinner for us, complete with candles and a cake. Tonight, he is taking me on our first "date" since the baby was born. We'll be leaving Christa with a non-family member for the first time. Not because we wouldn't enjoy a meal with her, but because at the mention of the word "date" she feels an irresistible urge to cry all through dinner, requiring separate meals for mom and dad. It kind of kills the romantic ambiance. I'm not worried about leaving her one bit - I know she'll be in good hands (thank you, Ruth). I have also received some very sweet cards in the mail, and when we go to Rome next weekend, we'll celebrate with Cline's family. So basically, the entire month of September is a celebration of me this year!

Also this week, we mourned the loss of the South Carolina game on Saturday. I hate losing games so close to the beginning of the season, especially to teams with a chicken as a mascot. I mean come on! A chicken? Seriously? What's so intimidating about that? Or is it supposed to remind us of all the redneck, illegal cockfighting that goes on in SC? (Cline actually wrote that part - we're obviously handling this loss with class and maturity:) We just hate to lose because we like to hold on to that National Championship hope as long as possible. Oh well - maybe next year.

Cline and Christa are doing well. Christa slept 11 hours the other night! She's trying hard to find her thumbs, and will sometimes soothe herself back to sleep if she wakes up. She's like her mom - knows when it's time to wake up, but HATES actually getting out of bed. She'll go from a soft whimper to an all-out scream when I pick her up, until I get her settled again in my arms. It's pretty funny.

Have a great day!

Calling All Bloggers and Fashion Experts

Good morning all! Let me just say I am thorougly enjoying this whole blogging thing. Thank you for participating with me by reading it and leaving comments. I love having something besides e-mail to check 20 times a day (I know, I have entirely too much time on my hands). By the way, I have adjusted the settings so that anyone can leave a comment - you don't have to have a google account. Just click "anonymous" and share your wisdom!

Nothing new to share since Monday, but I do need some advice on a couple of things. First of all, I've heard some rumors over the last couple of years that the old "no white after Labor Day rule" no longer applies. I'm assuming this is because September is now nearly as hot if not hotter than the rest of the summer. Since Christa has several white outfits that I don't feel like we've gotten a sufficient amount of wear from, would I be breaking a major fashion rule if she continues to wear them?? And better yet, can I continue to wear white? If so, when is the new cut-off date? Any insight anyone has on this matter would be greatly appreciated!

Secondly, for all of you techno-savvy people, I have, on some other blogs, seen a nifty writing technique I'd like to use. These bloggers will write words with a line drawn straight through them, as if they were marking the words out. I can not figure out how to do this amazing thing - I have hit "ctrl" plus every letter in the alphabet, to no avail. Can anyone out there tell me how to do this?

Well, that wraps up this weeks postings. See you next Thursday, unless something interesting happens before then!

Goodbye Summer

Mommy making silly faces... Impressive
Mimi's hand.... VERY Impressive
Miles and miles of nature's most serene and beautiful merging of land and sea.... Pretty Boring!

Hello all! The first two pictures were taken at the beach... indoors... where we were forced to spend the entire first three days due to relentless rain. The third picture was taken on Sunday when our patience was rewarded with... more rain.... and 20 minutes of a light mist that we took advantage of to get said photo. I wanted to post a couple of pictures of the smiles for two reasons. 1. They're the most beautiful smiles I've ever seen, and I'm sure you all agree :) 2. I'm quite relieved my child is able to smile while awake. Let me explain. I didn't realize that babies are supposed to be "awake smiling" in response to entertaining stimuli by 2 months of age. When I took her to the doctor last week, he asked me if she was smiling, and I truthfully answered, "no, not consistently." His response was, "we'll keep an eye on that; I don't think she has autism." My paranoid, first-time-mom ears heard, "I'm trying to think of a polite way to say that your child is autistic. We'll re-address this at a future visit," and I proceeded to have multiple panic-attacks. Thankfully, she started smiling at daddy (do you think she's making a statement on who is entertaining in our house?) the very next day, and I was able to catch a couple of them on camera during our abundant indoor time at the beach. Despite the rain, we had an excellent time. I got to spend a whole afternoon doing one of my favorite things - shopping for clothes at the outlet mall with money my sweet husband gave me for my upcoming birthday. Since my parents were with us, I got to pick out a few things "from them" as well! As a result, Christa will be well-dressed in the fall, and I have a new wardrobe more appropriate for my motherhood-enhanced body (that I'm still trying to embrace.)
My patient husband is waiting on me to watch a movie with him, so I must go. Talk to you on Thursday!