Family Portraits

Well, that was an education.  It's been years since I've participated in a family portrait, and growing up we always did it at Walmart or somewhere similar.  I thought I had found a good deal at Sears, so we went there on Saturday.

It was a zoo.  There were kids everywhere, and the two photographers kept pushing us along, asking if we were done with the poses.  It was hot in that room, and Nathan was uncomfortable, so we eventually stripped him.  He was also sleepy, and then when we did get him to smile, he started chewing his tongue, which is a new thing.  So some of his grins looked quite goofy to me.

Choosing pictures was a painfully long process with another lady who was in a hurry.  Then the deal I thought I had found had a major catch to it, and we spent far more than I expected!  The main thing I wanted the rights to the pictures, and thought it was $9.99 or maybe a bit more.  Umm, no.  Try 199.99 if that was all we were going to buy.  The coupon said that we could get the CD for that amound in addition to buying a collection.  So, anyway, we didn't took the deal so that I could own the pictures.  And since we paid pretty pennies for them, you better believe we're going to share them.  Oh, wait, but then you will have already seen the pictures before you get them in the mail!  Hmm, what to do.

Well, here's a teaser.

Criticism and Vacation

I think of myself as a fairly easy-going person, but being a new mommy has exposed a decidedly uptight side of me.  At a Mom's group, I tried to explain how I've gone through trying to teach Nathan to take a bottle, but have given up, I distinctly picked up disapproval from the person I was talking to.  Her kids are all older now, so maybe she has forgotten the neurotic new mom sensitivities, but she when on to say how all her kids drank from the bottle.

The other day when I picked up a SCREAMING Nathan early from the nursery, the nursery worker said, "You have spoiled him."  Her tone was light, but she meant it at the same time.  I took him to nurse him, and fought back tears.  Am I doing something wrong?  I'm reading books, and asking questions, but it all seems to come down to what I feel is best, which might be very well what someone else may feel is not best. I know these things in my head, and yet when told I'm spoiling my son, it touches a very deep and sensitive part of me.  Even now I feel like I could cry about it, and the aching feeling that I'm all wrong.

Fast forward to me sitting by him as he lays in the bassinette hollering hysterically.  Up until now, I have taught him to fall asleep without nursing, but still being held. I have a book in one hand, which tells me that attachment parenting (which we've been doing) will make him feel the most secure.  A book in the other walks parents through the varied approaches of letting him cry it out.  I put my hand firmly on his chest, I talk to him, I let him see me and know he's not alone.  Other times I've walked away, and hated myself, so I figure this will be better.  After an hour, I pick him up and he shakes as he cries less and less in my arms, and then falls asleep.

Even writing that previous paragraph, I feel a sense of dread that I have exposed my parenting technique, and that that judgement will follow.  At the same time, I wish I had some advice.  Sigh.  So then there are choices about vaccinations, working, going to school, how he should be dressed, how he should sleep, how much he should be carried, sling or no sling, and how to get things done during the day.

There is at least one move that for now I don't have to make - limiting Nathan's exposure to TV.  Our TV broke awhile ago, so we've been watching shows online.  However, now that it is considerably less convenient, I've been "getting behind" as pathetic as that sounds.  I realized today that I haven't seen the last two episodes of "Flash Forward," one of "House" and one of "V."  I must be getting so much more done, although the house doesn't look it.  I do think I'm reading more, even though that is more difficult to do while nursing.

We just came back from the beach on Wednesday.  What a wonderful vacation.  (Although there was a TV, and we relapsed.)  Someone let us stay at their beach house at Myrtle Beach! Being the off season, it was not crowded at all, and we had some nice days.  Jon really needed the time away from work, and it was nice to have our first family vacation!  So the following are some recent pictures.

Vacation

You know how the last blog was about my scatterbrained thinking?  Well that is still going on.  I realized this as I just made about 8 loops around the house going from room to room to get something only to see something that reminds me to get something else, etc.  This time, it's vacation.  Jon needs it, and so do I.  But of course that means while he's at work, I'm preparing for it.  It is a big undertaking!  We are going to the beach for 5 days, defying the hurricane wind and rains that have been falling for the last few days.  (Will it ever stop?)  We are assured that it will be warm and sunny by Saturday, so that should work out.  We plan to leave tonight.

It's been on my mind to blog, but you know...

We went to Mt Airy last weekend.  This was the town on which the Andy Griffith show was based.

Nathan's sitting up abilities are limited byt allow for us to put him in the high chair while we eat.

"Yeah!  It's yime to eat!!!"

The boy has found his feet.

And he finds them and finds them again.  He does it in his sleep!

He is showing signs of teething, so we gave him a cold carrot.  Thanks for the suggestion, Mom!

Nathan finds shopping either boring or upsetting.  I prefer the former. 

His royal cuteness.