Turf war

So, true to my word, yesterday was a very good day. The very good days really do outweigh the bad ones (I need to stop losing sight of that when in the midst of a bad one!) Liam was a joy all day. Social time in the morning, then chores (I did them and he enjoyed watching), then a walk and a trip to the grocery store, then we baked a cake and made a big dinner. And we also had an appointment with Canadian Baby Photographers.

Now, I don't plan on having many portraits of Liam done. Frankly, I think I can do a better job, and do them in a style that's more to my taste. We will not be heading for the Sears Portrait Studio all that often. But, Canadian Baby Photographers bring this portable studio to your house. There's no sitting fee and you get one free 8x10, even if you don't buy anything. And the quality is at least a little better than the Sears or Wal Mart specials. (I expect the prices will reflect that, too. You'll notice they don't list prices anywhere on their website or in any of their promotional material. The photographer comes to do the sitting and then ten days later, a sales rep makes an appointment to come back with the proofs and the sales pitch.) So I put aside my photography snobbery and make an appointment for today.

I just want to get my one 8x10, thinking, I'm not going to like it, but it's free and I have time (and thankfully, Liam was cooperative) so why not? And then the guy comes, and sets up the backdrop and lights and tripod, and I'm still thinking, I can do better than this myself. He does the standard baby-leaning-on-his-elbows pose. OK, boring, but kind of cute. Then he starts pulling the costumes out of his bag. First there's a baseball cap. And although neither Chad nor I are really baseball fans, and although it's probably the most over-used boy prop in the world, he puts that cap on Liam's head and suddenly it is JUST the cutest thing I have ever seen. Next comes one of those floppy fishing hats with lures dangling from it. Then there's a nerdy pair of glasses. And then, I kid you not, a Scottish tam. Each outfit is cuter than the last - when it's my kid who's wearing it. It progressed in this manner to the grand finale. The second-to-last outfit was a little Tarzan getup, complete with a stuffed monkey, foliage backdrop and leopard print outfit. And the very last outfit - there's Liam sitting in a basket full of vegetables, with carrots and asparagus and eggplants all around, and he's wearing this cabbage leaf hat on his head. You know where this is going, right? I am *totally* sold. I am the sucker who is going to wind up buying the biggest, most expensive package they have... all because of my free 8x10.

In other news. Entries for the "Gee You Look Like Your Dad" photo contest close today. I tried, really I did. But this is the closest pose I could get. Pardon the drool... that's a new thing this week.

Chad:


Liam: