I need your help!

I'm making Lizzy her own ABC book. The goal is to have simple words, and everyday items--preferably things she'll see around the house. Also, that I'm able to take pictures of. The last one is key, so things like "A is for Aardvark" are out. But here's the problem--I'm stuck with a few of the letters. And I'd love suggestions!

Here's what I have so far:

A- Maybe Ark, NOT Apple
B- Bear
C- Cat
D- Dad
E- Elizabeth
F- Feet
G- Giraffe
H- House
I-
J- Jacket
K- Kiwi
L- Lizard
M- Mom
N- Nose
O- NOT Orange
P- Pants or Popcorn
Q- Maybe Quilt
R-
S- Socks and Shoes
T- Tree
U-
V-
W- Whale
X-
Y- Yawn
Z- Zebra

Any suggestions for the ones were missing? Any better ideas for a letter we already have?

12 Weeks to Better Photography- Week Five

I like to joke that the first rule in photography is to always keep your composure. This little play on words is true on several levels--when you're doing a photo shoot, you always have to be able to roll with the unexpected. But it's also important to make sure that your photos are composed well...because that's one thing that's much harder to fix than a lot of other aspects of photography.

I think that I usually have a pretty good eye for composure. This week, I decided to go back through some of my favorite photos, and see if I used any of the suggestions for composition from this week's lesson. I was happy to find that I did!

The Rule of Thirds: 

I tend to approach the rule of thirds a little differently than some people--rather than say that the face/focal point should be located at a point of intersection, I like to go with the approach that the bulk of the focal point should lie within three adjacent squares. For me, those adjacent squares ideally span two columns. Also, I'll never forget something that I heard over and over in DECA--that the eye is naturally drawn down and to the right, so it's best to place the important stuff in the lower right hand corner. I find that when I use the rule of thirds, I often place my focal point in that area.

Try A New Perspective:

Under this category, the lesson suggested using footprints or other lines to draw the eye to the photo. I think that the roads and linear graphics of the book do a nice job of drawing the eye up to Logan in this one.

Fill the Frame:

Last week in my "Photo of the Day" post, I pictured one of my favorite photos from a mini-session. Here's what I didn't say--the version that I posted wasn't the original. This was:

I still like the original, but there was something yellow in the original that kept catching my eye and drawing it away from this sweet girl. Also, her mom really wanted some portrait-like shots. So, a simple crop "filled the frame", and I ended up with this:

Keep it Simple--Eliminate Distractions: 

Since getting the nifty fifty lens, I find that I mostly do this with bokeh. In other words, I tend to shoot with an aperture setting that will give me a shallow depth of field, or a small point of focus. This blurs out the background (in this case, a very busy restaurant), and allows the attention to be drawn to the subject of your choosing. I guarantee that if I had shot this with a wider depth of field, it would have seemed really busy, and the focus would easily be drawn away from Lizzy.

As far as rules of composure that I break, I broke one that actually wasn't discussed in this lesson, but it's called "limb chopping". Basically, the idea is that when you're taking pictures, someone's limb should never be "chopped" out of a photo. If the head is in the picture, the whole head must be in the picture. If the arm is in the picture, the hand must be as well. And so on. I break this rule a lot. I admit that sometimes, this can make someone look like an amputee. But sometimes, I like how it looks. For example, the picture above of Logan (Try a New Perspective) would be considered "limb chopping" because the top of his head isn't in the picture. I guess now that I've pointed it out, it would probably be better if his whole head were in the picture, but did you really notice before I said anything?  The same is true of just about all of the shots in my post "The Counter Sessions", two posts ago--elbows are cut off, tops of heads are cut off, and so on. But to me, that doesn't matter, because it's the face and eyes that are the focus of the picture, not the elbows!

Snippets

-This is a pretty crazy week for us--it's Holy Week. I did a post last year about Holy Week, which you can find here if you're interested. This week also marks the return of my favorite TV show ever, Bones! Also the week when I'll be able to drink Cherry Coke again :)

-Lizzy and I are both getting over colds. I want to start exercising (more than the walking that I've been doing), but my supply tanked when I had the cold. I'm still able to feed and satisfy Lizzy, but I'm yielding very little when pumping. I tried Mother's Milk tea, but I just couldn't handle it. It was gross. I'm worried about adding exercise on top right now since I don't have a freezer stash if my supply tanks, but it's too cold to walk. Maybe I'll do yoga or something like that. I *WANT* to be doing serious cardio though.

-I'm trying to decide whether or not to do an Easter basket for Lizzy. It's a fun tradition, and there are a couple little things that I'd love to get for her, but she doesn't honestly NEED them. Plus, she isn't old enough to really realize what's going on anyway...

-On Friday, Justin and I watched "Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution." Have you heard about it? Basically, Jamie Oliver (a chef known for cooking with raw ingredients) goes to the unhealthiest city in America, intending to start a food revolution. Much like he did in Britain, he starts in the school cafeterias. Let me tell you...there were a few scenes that were appalling--like when the cafeteria ladies told Jamie that the cafeteria didn't have cutlery because everything the kids ate could be eaten with their hands. Or when he showed how chicken nuggets are made (barf). Another mind-blowing scene was when Jamie went into a classroom, held up basic produce (potato, carrot, lettuce, tomato), and the elementary kids couldn't identify any of them. This show really reaffirmed my desire to move to eating more whole foods and less processed junk. You can watch it online here. It was incredible.

So, Justin and I planned out our garden last night, which we will be doing in three raised beds. We will be doing companion planting, and plan to plant corn, cucumbers, green beans, carrots, radishes, two kinds of tomatoes, kaleidoscope peppers, green peppers, jalapenos, peas, watermelon, cantaloupe, and strawberries. We'll also plant a variety of herbs along the edges of the beds, which are great for repelling all sorts of bugs and insects. We might be in a little over our heads, but I think that the automatic sprayers will help immensely! This is sort of a trial year, and we'll see where to go from here next year.

Go-to Recipe--Green Smoothie

Kaitlin's mom, Bev, taught me how to make an *awesome* smoothie that is so stinking healthy! I really like it in the winter, when I'm not eating fresh fruit as often as I'd like. And guess what? This smoothie also contains spinach. I know, I thought 'ewwww' at first too, but I promise--you don't even taste it.

Here's how I make the smoothie: a handful or two of baby spinach, 4 or 5 whole fresh strawberries (stem and all) or a handful of frozen strawberries, and another fruit. I often use a banana, this time I used frozen blackberries. Add a cup or so of ice and water (I use less ice if I'm using frozen veggies), and blend away!

This is a fantastic recipe to trick kids into eating their veggies because you don't see the green at all: 

This smoothie isn't particularly sweet, so sometimes I will add in a splash of orange juice or a couple spoonfuls of vanilla yogurt, but I do know that Bev's doctor said that it's BEST to just do the fruit, spinach, and water. Something about that combination is really good for your body, and not a bad way to enjoy a taste of summer!

The Counter Sessions

 One of Lizzy's new favorite things is for me to put a towel on the kitchen counter. She just lays on it and looks around, and I take the opportunity to snap a few pictures, while watching like a hawk that she doesn't roll off!

I wonder....

We hear all this talk lately about how dire the US's financial situation is. Everybody's broke. Everybody's sacrificing "in this economy". America is in debt up to our ears.

So, I found it curious when a few weeks ago, Justin and I both received letters in the mail that it was our civic duty to fill out the census, and that not doing so would be punishable by jail time (in big bold letters).

Aside from making me really NOT want to fill out the census, because I don't like doing things when I'm threatened, I had to stop and wonder--how much did it cost to send these letters out to the majority of US citizens? I mean, between paper, envelopes, printer ink, and paying someone to stuff the envelopes (or supervise the machine that stuffs the envelopes), that's probably a pretty hefty bill.

And I got a little irritated--sure, the census is important, but wouldn't it make more sense to wait and send the letters only to people who haven't returned the census by the deadline? Don't we have more important things that we could be spending that money on?

Even though I was quite perturbed by this letter, we went ahead and filled out the census, and mailed it back.

And can you guess what arrived in our mail box just the other day? A postcard. Saying 'By now, you should have received your census. Don't forget to fill out the 10 questions in 10 minutes, and mail it back. Failure to do so is punishable by jail time!!!!!'

Seriously? Was this really necessary? It seems like a huge waste of time and money to me....

Good Day.

I took some of your advice, and wrote to the anesthesiologist's office about our $1200 bill. I let them know that we fully intended to pay in full, but that we would need to make monthly payments. I got a statement back from them saying that they had cut our bill in half, and would accept monthly payments of whatever we can afford until it is paid off.

I also had previously sent off paperwork to the hospital to see if we qualified for making a smaller monthly payment than the hospital required (which was an absurdly high amount). I got the paperwork back that said that we qualify for 100% bill forgiveness, and that our balance is zero. Heck, I wasn't even trying to have my bill erased--I just wanted more manageable monthly payments, but I will take it if you are offering!

I guess this means that we are money poor, but I am really okay with that, because my life is more rich than it's ever been.

Photo of the Day

 I did a mini photo shoot yesterday. The weather was gorgeous, sunny, and spring-like! Take a look at this sweet girl--don't you love her amazing eyes?

Things I Like A Lot: Baby Edition

When I was pregnant, I read a ton of posts where moms talked about baby stuff that they found worthwhile--what they use and what they don't. And I found those posts to be really helpful, because they talked about things that I hadn't thought of. So I thought that I'd do a post about what has been great for us, and maybe it will help someone else out :)  Let me tell you about a couple of things that have become crucial in my day-to-day life in terms of baby stuff. Seriously, I use all of these things just about every day.

1. Angel Care Monitor: This thing is far and away the best baby purchase that we made, in my opinion. Basically, it's a baby monitor, but it also has a sensor that goes under the crib mattress that alarms if it detects no movement for 15 seconds--in other words, if the baby stops breathing. We don't use the monitor part--just the sensor part in the Pack N Play. It is literally the only way I sleep at night.Obviously, this isn't a necessity. But I have some serious anxiety about SIDS, and this really helps me keep that under control.

photo from Amazon

Some people complain that the monitor gives off a lot of false alarms. Personally, I think that actually taking the time to adjust the sensitivity and putting a board between the springs and the mattress really helps. We have had one false alarm, but that was when Lizzy somehow escaped the "escape-proof swaddle", AND her sleep positioner, and had wiggled herself to the edge of the Pack N Play, where she was trying to chew on the mesh sides. I picked our monitor up off Craigslist for about $40, and I am so happy that I did. Now, I see them at second-hand kids stores all the time, so be sure to check out those options if you're interested, but don't want to pay full price for a new one!

2. Cloth diapers to use as burp rags: Seriously, do yourself a favor and pick up a pack or two of plain white unfolded cloth diapers to use as burp rags. They are so much more absorbent, and much wider than the ones they sell in stores. I also like these much better than the little flannel ones. My awesome sister in law Renee gave me these for a shower present:

She just took the white cloth diapers and sewed strips of cute fabric to them. Isn't she crafty and awesome? I love them to pieces. The only time I use anything else is if all of these are in the wash!

3.Seahorse/Gloworm/Noise Machine: We've had the Seahorse for some time, and would play it at night as Lizzy was going to sleep. But it's only been recently that she's really started to become fascinated by it. Now, she'll stare at it. And stare at it. And stare at it, until she falls asleep. And for that reason, it is glorious.

 And no, obviously I don't let her sleep while burrowing her face and nose into a pillow. 

That said, she likes to fall asleep like this on the Boppy. 

So I let her fall asleep like this, and then I move her later.

4. Boppy Pillow: To be honest, I didn't get the fascination with this at first. Lizzy was so little, that the pillow didn't reach high enough to be of much use. Now that she's about 10 pounds, I use it every time I nurse. I didn't get a cover for our Boppy though--I would definitely recommend buying one. So far, it's avoided a spit-up explosion, but I'm sure that can only happen for so long.

Image from Costco.com

5. Nursing Cover: I bought a simple cotton nursing cover at Target. I think it was on sale for about $8, which I figured was probably cheaper than I could make it for. Plus, I had a newborn then, and had no desire to sew. I wanted a nursing cover then. The cover I have is similar to this one: 

It does NOT have wire around the neck, and after using it for awhile, I'm glad that it doesn't. I often find myself nursing in restaurants, and if there were wire around the neck, if I were nursing while sitting down, everyone walking by could see...well....everything. I like the soft neck, and can just pull it out away from me if I need or want to look at Lizzy. 

6. Activity Mat/ Play Gym: We didn't own one of these until recently. But Lizzy was getting to the point where she needed some independent/ self-driven play time. After keeping an eye out at the second hand stores and not seeing anything, I broke down and bought a new one. When Lizzy is in the mood to laugh and play, this is great: 

This next picture is blurry, but I still think it's cute. And you can see how much she loves this:

7. Legwarmers: I know, I know. It's very 80's. And before I had a baby, I thought they were totally ugly and didn't understand why all these moms were gaga over them. But now? I totally get it. See, if you have a baby that doesn't like having their toes covered (which is especially true when they're getting to the scooting/crawling stage), these are wonderful--better than pants, because you don't have to take them off when changing a diaper. I just bought the store brand from Target, rather than the name brand.

8. A travel system: I wasn't going to buy a travel system, because I figured that by the time Lizzy was old enough to use the stroller, we'd just get one of the cheap-o ones. Boy, was I wrong. It might be partially due to the unseasonably warm weather we've had this year, but we go for walks in the stroller almost every day. And I actually really like the stroller that came with our system--I can open it one handed, which is a huge plus. It also turns really easily, which is awesome. We have this one from Graco:

9. A swing: We didn't have a swing at first. But it quickly became apparent that Lizzy wants to be moving 24/7, so we thought that a swing would be a good solution. Justin's mom found one for us at a second hand store. And for about a week, it was a God-send. However, Lizzy has now figured out that the swing puts her to sleep, and screams hysterically any time we put her in it. So it's out of rotation for awhile, but still really helpful when it works!

***Because I believe in the disclosure of this stuff, let me say that nothing I discuss in this post was a gift from a manufacturer in exchange for review, nor is anything a paid advertisement. Everything in this post is something that I either purchased, or was given to me as a gift by friends and family.

12 Weeks to Better Photography- Week Five

I like to joke that the first rule in photography is to always keep your composure. This little play on words is true on several levels--when you're doing a photo shoot, you always have to be able to roll with the unexpected. But it's also important to make sure that your photos are composed well...because that's one thing that's much harder to fix than a lot of other aspects of photography.

I think that I usually have a pretty good eye for composure. This week, I decided to go back through some of my favorite photos, and see if I used any of the suggestions for composition from this week's lesson. I was happy to find that I did!

The Rule of Thirds: 

I tend to approach the rule of thirds a little differently than some people--rather than say that the face/focal point should be located at a point of intersection, I like to go with the approach that the bulk of the focal point should lie within three adjacent squares. For me, those adjacent squares ideally span two columns. Also, I'll never forget something that I heard over and over in DECA--that the eye is naturally drawn down and to the right, so it's best to place the important stuff in the lower right hand corner. I find that when I use the rule of thirds, I often place my focal point in that area.

Try A New Perspective:

Under this category, the lesson suggested using footprints or other lines to draw the eye to the photo. I think that the roads and linear graphics of the book do a nice job of drawing the eye up to Logan in this one.

Fill the Frame:

Last week in my "Photo of the Day" post, I pictured one of my favorite photos from a mini-session. Here's what I didn't say--the version that I posted wasn't the original. This was:

I still like the original, but there was something yellow in the original that kept catching my eye and drawing it away from this sweet girl. Also, her mom really wanted some portrait-like shots. So, a simple crop "filled the frame", and I ended up with this:

Keep it Simple--Eliminate Distractions: 

Since getting the nifty fifty lens, I find that I mostly do this with bokeh. In other words, I tend to shoot with an aperture setting that will give me a shallow depth of field, or a small point of focus. This blurs out the background (in this case, a very busy restaurant), and allows the attention to be drawn to the subject of your choosing. I guarantee that if I had shot this with a wider depth of field, it would have seemed really busy, and the focus would easily be drawn away from Lizzy.

As far as rules of composure that I break, I broke one that actually wasn't discussed in this lesson, but it's called "limb chopping". Basically, the idea is that when you're taking pictures, someone's limb should never be "chopped" out of a photo. If the head is in the picture, the whole head must be in the picture. If the arm is in the picture, the hand must be as well. And so on. I break this rule a lot. I admit that sometimes, this can make someone look like an amputee. But sometimes, I like how it looks. For example, the picture above of Logan (Try a New Perspective) would be considered "limb chopping" because the top of his head isn't in the picture. I guess now that I've pointed it out, it would probably be better if his whole head were in the picture, but did you really notice before I said anything?  The same is true of just about all of the shots in my post "The Counter Sessions", two posts ago--elbows are cut off, tops of heads are cut off, and so on. But to me, that doesn't matter, because it's the face and eyes that are the focus of the picture, not the elbows!

12 Weeks to Better Photography- Week Four

Can I be honest for a second? If I were not hosting this 12 Weeks to better Photography extravaganza, I probably would have skipped this week's lesson. Why? It is about the flash, and I *hate* the flash. I just don't use it very often at all. And if I do use it, I often implore little tricks to make the flash look less harsh. For example, did you know that you can put your finger just above the pop-up flash to prevent it from popping up all the way, thus giving you a less harsh flash effect? Justin figured that one out. Granted, Canon would probably say that doing this would break my internal flash. But I don't care if it breaks, because I hate it.

Anyway, if you really need to use a flash and can't afford an external one (lord knows that I can't!), I would recommend checking out the Lightscoop. No, this is not a paid advertisement, and no, I didn't receive one for writing about it. It's just a product that I've used on my own accord, and think is a high quality solution.

Now, on to the pictures. For this week, I chose option two, which was to use the fill flash to eliminate shadows on the face on a bright day.

First up, no flash:

Have I mentioned that my child hates the sun? She certainly didn't inherit that trait from me!

Now, with a flash:

Honestly, I like picture one much better. Even if there are shadows on her face...because, um, shadows exist in real life. I don't like the second picture at all, and it was far and away the best of the "flash" shots. Maybe I need to try one of the other suggestions for using flash...

How did you all do this week?

Snippets

* My back is still absolutely killing me. I have no idea what I did, or why I can hardly stand up straight. What I do know is that it's now almost impossible to do the 30 Day Shred, which is making me very frustrated/anxious/irritated/nervous. I am really hoping to see some major post-baby progress by this summer. So instead of the Shred, Lizzy and I have been going for walks almost every day this week...by the time I'm done, my back is pretty sore, but I have to do something to get out of the house, or I go bonkers.

*Yesterday, we went to try on bridesmaid's dresses for Kelsey's wedding this summer. I knew going in that I'd have to order a much larger size than normal and then (hopefully) have it altered down to fit wherever I am in July. I was expecting to have a major melt-down once I saw what size I was. I still didn't like how my body looked *at all*, but it wasn't as bad as I had thought size wise. My dress was only 3 sizes bigger than the dress that I wore for Kaitlin's wedding 3 years ago...and that was right after OUR wedding when I was the smallest that I've ever been.

* Lizzy has been extremely fussy lately. She doesn't sleep for more than an hour or so during the day (but she usually sleeps through the night), and sometimes she just cries hysterically, even when she's just been fed/burped/changed/played with/held/etc. Sometimes she just cries, and is inconsolable. And I am praying that this isn't the case, but I am wondering if she's beginning teething. She drools constantly, and tries to chew on everything. She's approaching the three month mark, and while a lot of babies teeth at 5 or 6 months, the moms at Mom's Group were telling me that most of them had at least one who started teething at 3-4 months. Joy!

* We have NOTHING planned for this weekend, and I could not be more thrilled!

Overheard

One of my favorite things about the Mom's Group that I'm apart of is that there is a huge range of moms. Some have newborns, some have several kids ranging from toddlers to pre-teens. And then there is also a group of "mentor moms", whose kids are grown and out of the house. Every so often, one of the "mentor moms" will present to the group about a topic of their choice. They'll offer advice, encouragement, and anecdotes on everything from faith to parenting to super quick meals. Today's speaker was great, and she said something that I had to share:

I don't know about you, but I forget that sometimes. A LOT of times. I'm often quick to speak, when I should think BEFORE I speak. I often feel like I just shoved my foot so far down my throat that I may never be able to pull it back out. And I need to make a better effort at thinking before I speak, because the things that I say {and the tone with which I say them} DO matter. Period.

Wedded Wednesday- The Bathroom

Wedded Wednesday is a collaboration

of married bloggers sharing their inspirations,

anecdotes, struggles and thoughts regarding

the amazing union of two separate people, as one.

Head over to Marital-Bless to see more Wedded Wednesday bloggers.

Having to clean the bathroom is pretty much the bane of my existence. I HATE cleaning bathrooms, even more than I hate wearing shoes, which as I discussed in the previous post, is a lot. Early on in our marriage, Justin agreed to take over the bathroom cleaning, because he said that he didn't mind it all that much. Looking back, he probably agreed to this task because he figured that it was something that he'd only have to do every six months {I am only marginally joking about this}. When he discovered that the bathroom cleaning duties would come up every week to two weeks if we're pushing it, I think he quickly began to hate bathroom cleaning too.

And the bathrooms quickly started to not be cleaned. And when Justin did "clean" it, it wasn't ever all clean at the same time. He'd clean the sink and the toilet. Then two weeks later, he'd clean the floor and the mirror. I'd ask about the sink and the toilet, and he'd sigh and say, "But I JUST cleaned those!" I'd try to explain that the whole bathroom, top to bottom, generally needs to be cleaned every two weeks. But I honestly don't think that the whole bathroom was clean at once in the first year that we were married.

So one day,  I was thinking that Justin was busy, and maybe I could bless him by taking over this task for him this time, and that maybe he'd grumble less when it was his turn to do it the next time. Yeah, that didn't work at all. What happened instead, was that I ended up cleaning the bathroom 89% of the time. And I was pretty darn angry and resentful about it. Because Justin had made that commitment to me, and he hadn't followed through with it. And if I couldn't count on him to follow through with the little stuff, how could I count on him to follow through with the really big stuff?!

Next, I figured that maybe ignoring the situation entirely would solve the problem. Maybe if I didn't bug him about it, he would just do it. That didn't work either. After that, I asked him if there was a different household chore that he would rather do, and he assured me that no, he was happy to do the bathrooms. But they STILL DID NOT GET DONE.

We had a few heart to hearts about Acts of Service being my love language {and yada, yada}, and eventually Justin agreed to take over the bathroom cleaning again. For the most part, he's done an okay job about it, though still, they bathrooms are almost always clean in segments, rather than all at once. But let me tell you...our bathrooms are WAY overdue for a good cleaning. Way, WAY overdue. Justin has been promising me for WEEKS that he will clean them. Without fail, every Friday we'll discuss our plans for the weekend, and Justin will want to go visit all of our relatives and be running all over the place, and I'll always say, "We can go anywhere you want, as long as you promise me that this weekend you will actually clean the bathroom."

Justin will always say, "I can totally do that. And if I don't, I want you to nag me about it." In fact, this very situation is what Justin was referring to in his answer to the worst part of being married (the nagging, even though it's usually deserved) in the Justin Says post two weeks ago. I was nagging, because yet another week where he had promised that the bathroom would be 100% top-to-bottom clean, but it wasn't. And friends and family would come over to visit Lizzy, and would inevitably ask to use the bathroom, and I would inevitably cringe, and say, "It's probably really dirty, and I'm so sorry."

Now? We're still in this odd stalemate of Justin promising to clean the bathrooms but not doing so, and me not wanting to give in and clean the bathrooms either, because he promised that I wouldn't have to, {and I am beyond stubborn}. It's kind of bizarre, because Justin will spend hours cleaning other parts of the house. It's almost like he will clean ANYTHING other than what really needs it.

Again, I was starting to become very resentful. My thinking quickly turned to things like:

He NEVER helps around the house. 
I can't EVER count on him to follow through
Why are everyone elses' needs more important than mine
Why can't he be my partner in this? Why do I have to do it alone?

But Justin recently had to go out of town for work. Just before he left, I pinched a nerve in my back. And let me tell you...caring for an infant 24/7 with a pinched nerve, is a HUGE task. And I began to realize how much I rely on Justin for little things....

Babe could you bring me a burp rag? 
Would you mind picking up milk on your way home? 
Could you take out the trash for me? 
I am exhausted and covered in puke, could you figure out something for dinner? 

I have never been so happy to see Justin as when I picked him up yesterday. I really didn't realize just how many little things he does on a day to day basis that make things flow easier. It kinda made me swoon. And will maybe, just maybe, get me to think about something other than our messy bathroom.

For a day or two at least.

Like Mother, Like Daughter.

Have I mentioned before that I absolutely HATE shoes and socks? Working at a "real" job (opposed to a rafting company) was a huge adjustment period for me, because I actually had to wear shoes instead of flip flops. And now that I'm not working, I'm pretty much back to rocking the flip flops 24/7, even in the cold and rain. And although we don't have a "no shoes" rule in the house, people often think that we do because I'm barefoot pretty much all the time. Getting the picture? I REALLY hate shoes and socks.

I think that Lizzy is going to be the same. She absolutely won't tolerate shoes or socks on her feet for any extended period of time, which results in me getting a lot of nasty looks from old ladies. I try to explain that she hates them, but people just get upset about 'how cold her feet must be'. Sigh. Anyway. Not only does she not like shoes or socks, but she also doesn't like footed sleepers. I can't tell you how many mornings I'll wake up to this:



She either kicks at her sleepers until they come unbuttoned, or wiggles her feet through the gaps in between the snaps, so that her little toes can be free. She already has very distinct opinions about what she likes and what she does not!

Needless to say, the times when I've tried to put her in sleep sacks have NOT been very successful, lol!

12 Weeks to Better Photography- Week Three

 Whew. Week Three people! I hope y'all are learning as much about your cameras and photography in general as I am! This week's lesson was an exciting one for me--it's all about White Balance. I've read about White Balance before, but I will totally admit that it kinda always intimidated me. It was just kinda confusing. And did I want to adjust it in the camera, or shoot in RAW and change it in Photoshop/Adobe Bridge?

I'll be honest--I don't shoot in RAW all that often. Generally, only if I'm doing a professional shoot. RAW is just more work than I want to spend for everyday pictures, and my goal is to take great shots straight out of the camera, rather than having to spend a lot of time editing them. So for me, setting a custom white balance in my camera is the easiest way to do that.

Here's the basic idea--light comes in all different colors. Sometimes, like when we're indoors at night, the light can take on a yellow or orange tint that isn't necessarily visible to the naked eye, but is visible in pictures. For example, I know you all have taken a shot that's looked something like this:

And who says men can't multi-task. That's soda drinking/trying to get baby to sleep at it's finest! Except for that ugly orangeish tint, which is a byproduct of shooting on "Auto White Balance" mode. But wait....what if there was a way to tell my camera, "The light has an orange tint right now. This is what white looks like in this light...but please make it look like normal white."  There IS a way to do that. And it's simple as pie--take a picture of something white (like a piece of paper). That something white needs to fill the entire frame. It does NOT have to be in focus, just white, and fill the frame. Then set that picture of the white piece of paper as your custom white balance marker. This tells your camera how to adjust things so that the whites are white. And let me tell you folks, the difference is incredible: 

See that?! By telling my camera what white looked like in that particular light,  

I was able to take a shot at 9pm that looks like it was taken in the middle of the day! Wahoo!

PS- if you ever take your camera to shoot at a friend's wedding, do this. The bride will be forever thankful when her dress isn't blue. Just remember that as the light changes, you'll have to do a new custom white balance. 

Moving on. Most dslr cameras also have a few pre-sets. I think it's worth playing around to see if one will typically work in your house:

 

See, for our house, the white fluorescent setting at night gives a close approximation to natural light.

So, how did things go for y'all this week? Did anyone give a gray card a shot?

Having a Baby is Expensive (But Obviously Worth It).

***Before I start venting about our hospital bills, this is just a friendly reminder that Week 3 of 12 Weeks to Better Photography goes up tomorrow. You can view the week's lesson on White Balance here . Let me tell you, mastering white balance was always intimidating for me, but this lesson really helped, and I can already tell it's going to make a HUGE difference in photography in general! ***

We had (and still have) health insurance when Lizzy was born. Still, after insurance paid their portion, we owe about $5000--and that's for a normal, uncomplicated vaginal delivery, after the doctor was already paid. A portion of this is the anesthesiologist's bill, but the majority of it is the hospital bill for myself and Lizzy. After seeing this, I am SO glad that we only stayed one night instead of the three that they were pushing for!

Anyway, I called to make payment arrangements with the hospital. We fully intend to make a payment every month, but it just can't be a huge payment because we're working on one income, and things are tight as it is. My conversation with the billing lady went like this:

Me: Hi, I'd like to set up a payment plan for my bill. I can pay you Y amount per month.
Billing Lady: Oh, I'm sorry, you'll have to pay at least Z per month.
Me: I can't afford to pay Z per month. We would literally have no money for food. Y per month is actually really pushing it for us as it is.
Billing Lady: Well, there's really no point in you even sending a check unless it's going to be for Z. If it isn't for Z, we'll send you to collections.
Me: Well, you can't squeeze blood out of a turnip. I'm sure if you send us to collections, you'll get even less than Y.
Billing Lady: Well, I know going to collections might sound like a good idea now, but then your credit will be shot forever.
Me: Yeah, but we literally cannot afford to pay Z, so I don't know what alternative we have.

I'm sorry, but that whole conversation really ticked me off. Rude, rude, rude. As if anyone actually WANTS to be sent to collections. And that's not even the worst of it. See, I got my hospital bill. But JUSTIN got Lizzy's hospital bill. And the hospital will not consolidate the bills together.Which means that actually, they want us to pay Z amount not once, but TWICE each month. Lovely.

After talking to someone else, I learned that we can apply for a financial assistance program, which would lower the monthly payment based on our income. So, I'm filling out the paperwork for that,  and hoping that we qualify. This is so frustrating.

You just gotta laugh....

8 Weeks Postpartum

I feel like I can confidently say that there is a marked difference between 6 weeks postpartum, and 8 weeks postpartum! To be honest, I've only seen a 3 or so pound difference on the scale, but I definitely see and feel a difference in the way that clothes fit, and that is NICE.  I might keep taking pictures of my progress, because I find that what I see in the mirror is often totally different than what I see in pictures--for some reason, I can look at pictures more objectively.

I've been doing the 30 Day Shred at least 3 times a week (but usually more) since week 6. I still haven't moved up to Level 2, but I think that I'll be able to soon. It feels good to get the body moving. And I notice that when I'm exercising, I tend to eat healthier as well, so it's a good and rewarding cycle.

On the other hand of postpartum issues, despite the fact that I'm exclusively breastfeeding (and inexplicably dealing with a seriously bruised nipple right now), my period made a most unwelcome arrival this past week. This is not supposed to happen. But apparently it does for a small percentage of women, which I am apparently (and not surprisingly) a part of. This, friends, is precisely why breastfeeding cannot be relied upon for birth control. I am really not very happy about this situation right now. I know that breastfeeding is the best form of nutrition for little babies, but I can't help but be a little frustrated that I seem to have missed out on the two major perks {heh!} of breastfeeding--weight loss, and the lack of Aunt Flo. Because let me tell ya--I don't find breastfeeding fun in any way, and I don't particularly enjoy it. One or both of those benefits certainly would have made it an easier pill to swallow.

In terms of other postpartum issues, I'm finding that I have to pay WAY more attention to both water intake and fiber intake than I ever had to prior to pregnancy. If either one falls below par, it seriously messes up my body, and takes quite awhile to recover.

Also, burping and farting. Maybe I'm alone in this, 'cause I haven't read about it in any pregnancy books anywhere, but I both burp and fart far more now than I did pre-pregnancy. And it's really pretty uncontrollable. And pretty disgusting. I mean, Justin is a freaking plumber, and he gets grossed out. Just thought that I'd throw that out there, lol!

How's that for your bi-monthly dose of postpartum overshare?

Wedded Wednesday- Gender Roles

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In college, I was a Sociology major. One of the classes that I had to take was Sociology of Gender Roles--and it quickly became apparent that the professor's thesis was that there was essentially no difference between men and women, and that any and all differences that occurred were socially constructed. Now, while I was able to regurgitate the material in order to get a good grade (even writing a paper critiquing gender stereotypes in Disney movies), the glaring problem with this whole idea for me was that men and women ARE different...down to their physiology.

Aside from their anatomical differences, Dr. Marianne Legato from the Partnership for Gender Specific Medicine Columbia University has talked about the idea that men and women are genetically different because of the Y chromosome, and the 21 specific genes attached to this chromosome. Dr. Legato says that one example is how men can typically drink more alcohol than women without becoming intoxicated--something that is related to a specific enzyme produced by one of those genes specific to the Y chromosome. Essentially, science tells us that men and women ARE different.

In our Bible Study yesterday, we were talking about the differing roles of men and women in marriage. It's a concept that mainstream society doesn't tend to look favorably on (though, I recently caught an episode of Millionaire Matchmaker, and was surprised that the extremely successful matchmaker was advocating for "traditional" gender roles within the relationship and often refers to men as the "hunters and fishers").  But, I do think that Biblically, men and women have different purposes in marriage. However, I think that we sometimes lose sight of the fact that different doesn't have to mean unequal. In my opinion, misinterpretation of the verse calling for wives to submit to their husbands (Ephesians 5:22), is the main reason for this perceived inequality, and one of the reasons that so many are hesitant to discuss the differing roles in marriage. {I highly suggest this article, which explains how and why this verse is often misinterpreted, and what it really means contextually}

I would argue that having differing roles in marriage doesn't necessarily mean an inequality-- you can have two different items that have different purposes, but have the same worth. And I believe that men and women are equal in God's eyes, though they have very distinct purposes within marriage.

The blessing of this all is that when we're together, my weaknesses are made stronger by Justin's differing strengths; Justin's weaknesses are made stronger by my strengths. I've said it before, and I'll say it again--we're stronger together than we are apart. Or, as Justin said last night, "We're like ears and eyes--one could exist without the other, but they sure work better together!"


So what do you think about gender roles in marriage? Do they exist? Should they?

12 Weeks to Better Photography- Week Two

 

This weeks' lesson was on Shutter Speed and ISO. In general, it's easiest to think of ISO in terms of film--remember how you used to usually buy 400 film, but would occasionally buy 800 or 1600 if you knew it was a very cloudy day, or if you were shooting sports? The same applies here. ISO also has to do with how much light is used to expose the shot. To be honest, I typically let the ISO be automatically selected by my camera unless I know I'm dealing with a bright or low light situation (or if I'm shooting sports). This is one scenario where I think the camera does a better job than I would on manual--because if I were to select a higher ISO than I really needed, I'd lose quality and the picture would be more grainy. 

However, Shutter Speed is something that I absolutely do control. It's exactly what it sounds--how quickly the camera's shutter opens and closes in order to capture a picture. If I leave my shutter open for a short amount of time, the camera will essentially freeze anything that's moving. 

On the other hand, if I leave my shutter open for a longer period of time, anything moving may actually be moving more quickly than the shutter, which would create a blurred effect.

But keep in mind that shutter speed has a trade off in terms of light--the faster the shutter opens and closes, the less light is able to get in; on the other hand, if you leave the shutter open for 3 or four seconds, too much light may get in!

How did things go for y'all this week?

Letter to Lizzy- Two Months

Dear Little Miss,

This week, you will be two months old. This, of course, means that you will soon be getting a whole bunch of shots, which I am not looking forward to at all. Because we haven't been to the doctor yet, I'm not exactly sure how much you weigh, but your dad and I agree that you're probably between 9 and 10 pounds--and none of your newborn clothes fit you anymore!



This month has been a lot of fun--you're trying out all sorts of expressions, including lots of smiles and laughs. And boy, do those smiles melt my heart. I know your dad feels the same way when you give him that big toothless grin: 







You're still working on holding your head up, which you can now do pretty much all the time. Also, you really like to "stand" on everyone's legs and push yourself up and down. With a little help, you can usually roll over from your stomach to your back. You're starting to recognize your name, and will turn towards it most of the time. Finally, you're starting to get a little ticklish, and will usually grin and laugh if we tickle your feet.

On the other hand, you've also learned how to fight sleep this month, and if you figure out that we're trying to put you to sleep, you throw punches like crazy and scream your lungs out. I think it's amazing that you're already smart enough to know exactly what we're up to when we put you in the crook of our arms and start stroking in between your eyes. I also think it's pretty amazing that you already have very distinct opinions about what you want to do and when. Still, sometimes you get so exhausted that I wish you'd just give in and go to sleep. I promise that you won't miss anything too fun! And actually, judging by the expressions that you make while you're sleeping (sometimes smiling and laughing), you'd probably have much more fun sleeping than you would awake!



Once you finally fall asleep, you absolutely hate to be swaddled. Even if I put you in the escape proof swaddle, you can somehow kick both your arms and your legs out. Also, even when we put you in a sleep positioner at night, you can somehow wiggle the entire sleep positioner wherever you wish. I'll often find you on the opposite end of the Pack and Play that I left you. These antics have earned you the nickname Houdini!



Overall though, it's absolutely incredible how much you've grown already--both physically, and in terms of your personality (I think you may be a bit of a drama queen as you grow up, but that's okay with me for now). At Mom's Group last week, I got to see a baby that was one week old. He weighed more at birth than you did, but I honestly couldn't remember you being that small! I know that you were, but I guess that it just already seems like such a long time ago. I can't wait to see what the next month has in store sweet girl!



Love forever and for always,
Your Mama