A Case of the Badmoms

Today I was a bad parent. Ya see, it's hard for me to get child care, and I had this crazy idea a few months back to start my own business. Because really, who has more time than a stay at home mom? Right, bon-bon eaters?! Anyway, I have a crapton of work to do, photo shoots to edit, time to spend cramping my hands and glazing the eyes in front of the computer screen. Easton was up partying from 1:30 till 4:30 last night, which made him moody and clingy all morning. So, back to what I started with, I did a bad mom thing: I turned the tv on, and left it on, for hours. Now, before you jump the gun and get all Judgy McVegan on me, Easton is not a Sylvia tv watcher. Meaning, he's into it for about 20 minutes, then his mind heads straight to trains, toys, sticking his hand down his pants, ect. And I have photographic evidence of this "pantshands" issue, taken by Sylvia, but my brain is too mushy to upload that right now. And I know you can imagine what is looks like.

Anyway, tangent-lady, I put the tv on and sat at my computer for quite a long stretch. I made him a plate of food that he could sit and eat on the floor in front of said tv, and I paid the cartoons extra to babysit my kid. And he's not even 2. Look, this never happens. I mean, yes, my kids watch tv, but I use it as a decompressing agent after school, or a boredom cure for rainy days, or a get-the-hell-out-of-the-kitchen tactic when the kids insist on snacking WHILE I'm making dinner (then proceed to not eat dinner). I felt a little bad about it, but I got a ton of work done, and Easton survived, and that is my Tuesday night confession.

Haters just wanna be hatin.

Karly

Karly is, in so many words, the niece of my mom's co-worker. She lives in the town I grew up in, and photographers are a dime a dozen, charging outlandish prices for a sub-par performance. When my mom first told me they'd be calling my, I was nervous and excited. Though I've been photographing and assisting photographers for over 7 years, I just started my actual company a few months back. To get customers that don't directly know me is thrilling and daunting. Anyway, the day started with many challenges (parade stopping traffic and forbidding parking directly where we were, sprinklers never stopping, and completely taped off areas of the first location. We barreled through, and were able to capture some amazing stuff. She was such a bubbly girl, full of smiles and energy. In fact, she made it so fun and easy, that I wondered why I was so nervous. I need to trust myself, trust my talents, my experience, and allow each job to be a chance to showcase and grow artistically. Ok, my eyes hurt from being on the computer all day. More images here.

The Season

Tis the season of preparing for holiday photos! Today I met my neighbor, Jenna, and her 2 boys that are very close in age. Her patience is astounding, and she told me today her secret: she thought it was going to horribly difficult having 2 boys so close in age, and it hasn't been that hard. She set her expectations extremely low, and then happily accepted things when they were easier than predicted. I admire that, and her, as a mother. Michael, the 2 year old, knows me from the playground, but was not pleased with the wet grass. As a photographer, I try not to force smiles that aren't natural. He wasn't in the mood for the shoot, but I still got some great shots of him. I know the grandparents always want super cheesy grins, but they are hard to force with a just-turned-2 year old. John, the 4 month old, was pleased as peaches. Babies are so easy (when you don't have them attached to you 24-7!!). More here.

New Friends

Now that Sylvia is in school, I've realized Easton has been short-changed in the "friends" department. I guess he was so busy being hauled around by big sis and her friends that I forgot to find him some kids of his age. Besides Oliver, we now have Adrian (which I have no clue how to spell. sorry). He is a bit younger, but so much fun and in love with Easton's stuff. I mean really, how can you resist a house that has been completely surrendered by the adults to satisfy the needs of young children?! I think every room in our house is officially a "playroom." Sheesh.

Syl played "sick" yesterday. Slacker!

More About Boys

I feel like my life, as of today and lately, is similar to the tip of a mountain. Ok, that's a bit dramatic. Maybe it's similar to the top of a hill, a hill in a meadow covered in a beautiful green grass. Ok, that's too idealistic. Listen, I'm bad with metaphors. I'll just get to my point! We are standing at the top of many different paths, balls in the air, adjustments and changes everywhere. So that's nothing like a hillish mountain, more like a fork in the road. See? Told ya! Anyway, Easton is nearing AGE 2!! which should be capitalized because of it's pure maniacal tendencies. He doesn't ever want to sleep, eat, or keep his hand OUT of his pants. And that sums up him entirely. He is a very independent sort of guy, when he's in the comforts of our home. He performs tasks on his own, working silently and with purpose on things like assembling trains, coloring, and gently putting his animals in lines on various surfaces (the safe ones, like window sills and piano tops). Where he feels safe and comfortable, he thrives. Take him into the wild of the city, and he is attached to me 100%. Ok, I take that back. Unless if we're in the midst of one of the craziest events in St. Louis (the Balloon Glow in Forest Park), where tens of thousands of people maze around in clusters of crazy, then Easton is in his element. I swear, when everyone is suffering from crushing claustrophobia, my son decides to a)not want to be held b)want to only run free to c)take off into the masses and meet up with his destined family.

In so many words, my life feels like a scrabble of events/activities that have little rhyme or reason but to make me feel swirly-headed. Oh, I forgot to indulge you in the new phenom we call "Easton! Get your hand out of your pants, dude!" syndrome. He is constantly shoving his hand straight down the front of his pants. At first, it was funny. Actually, it was funny until today. There is something ironic about seeing a not-quite 2 year old dazing off at the scenery with one arm buried straight down the front of his pants. He's a boy, eventually a man, and once a caveman. It's all related. But this morning, he awoke soaking wet. He had jammed his hand down below so many times, the diaper had no choice but to fold into itself and reveal the streams of all pee. It was everywhere. Then, when E & I were thrifting, I looked over and say his pants wet. When I picked him up, he reeked of piss. Sure enough, same thing. The diaper isn't meant to be continuously folded down, it just doesn't work that way. And boys are known to pee in any direction (am I right, mother's/father's of boys?!). And btw, boy pee stinks.

Another issue we're dealing with is his crib. I just stated last week to someone that I wanted Easton to be in his crib until he physically outgrew it. We moved Syl so early, and though she was more ready in a maturity way, we dealt with a lot of "sleeping in her bed with her" issues. I was pregnant and tired all the time, so it was no biggie. With E, I am absolutely NOT pregnant and need to get tons of things down in his dwindling naps. I can't imagine sleeping with him for his ever-decreasing naps, it's my moment of silence!!!! He has been trying to climb into his crib for months now, but suddenly he is trying to escape. And he's agile. And clever. And a caveman/boy. Ugh, I'm not ready for this change.

So in a nutshell, here are my issues to face:

~potty-training so the boy will stop pissing everywhere

~switching to a crib

~taking longer naps

~eating

~getting mommy happy

~heading to a beach. alone.

And how is your Monday going?

A Case Of Being A Boy

Easton has become a reckless human being. He throws himself off of the couch, dives head first into large pieces of furniture, and dangles at the tippy-top of playground equipment. Lately, he'll hold onto the sides at a huge opening off the side of park equipment, shake his foot off the side like he's about to jump, and yell 'mama' in a very teasing voice. He knows it puts me in a panic, he knows he keeps me running and on my toes, he gets joy out of torturing me with his dangerous ways. At least I believe he gets joy from it. He's evil like that.

Today we met some friends at Lafayette Park, a playground that's has a great pond full of swans and ducks. And very large playground equipment. Easton and similarly aged Oliver were doing the typical toddler "I'm ignoring you but kinda playing with you" thing, and keeping each other occupied for some time. Clare and I were getting up every so often to assist or deter, but they were playing rather calmly. That is, until my boy started climbing on one of those arched ladders (you know what I mean? they are really for bigger kids). I figured he'd get down after the first rung, but alas, I have a boy. On the third rung, I darted over to help him get up the rest of the way successfully. He then proceeded to climb the rest of the equipment to the third level, sending me in a panic. I didn't really have time to climb all the way up, and if I started to climb up, I'd miss my chance to block the huge openings. So I stood guard, and watched as he slowly figured which way to go.

Jeez, this is getting long. Still with me? Ug. Anyway, he stepped down on this huge gap (where there should be another step), miscalculated, and smacked his chin on the metal shelf. Luckily I was standing guard at the opening because I caught him from then falling off, which really would have hurt. After several tearful moments, I got a look at his wounds: a small gash in his chin, no blood. Ok, I thought, little injury for so much screaming. As he settled down, we fed the ducks all of our snacks, then headed out. Once strapped in the car, I looked at his teeth to make sure no damage inside. And guess what? He chipped his small, front, bottom tooth in half! He is now down to a nub until it falls out completely (in 5ish years)!

Man, boys are tiny cave-men, eager to accomplish tasks that are beyond their capabilities. In hindsight, I'm rather surprised he hasn't lost any teeth yet. Check back with me about that in a year.

Rocket Ship Park, Little Boy, Me

Easton has yet to discover many aspects of life as an only child (during weekdays). Our usual routine involved entertaining the 4 year old, and he was dragged from location to location. Not to say he ever minded, but things didn't really revolve around him, per se. Now, I've been taking him to experience life as the center of attention, doing things at a slower pace (when my schedule isn't jam packed with errands). Today, he experienced rocket ship park for the first time. And obviously, he loved it.

I got all artsy with the macro feature on my point-and-shoot. I'm thinking it's time for a re-do of Easton's room, so I may print some abstract details of the park large and tack them to his wall. Oh, and don't you just love how he's color-coordinated to the playground equipment and ground? Totally planned that one. Ha!

A Monday Tangent

Hi, I have a moment, can you believe it? I can't, life has been way too busy lately. In fact, in the moments of quiet today, I found myself seeking things out to accomplish. Like, can't I just be? May I just sit in silence for a moment? Apparently not, because my mind fails to work that way. I spent the weekend second shooting a wedding, assisting a senior portrait, running around town, and feeling an awful amount of stress. Sylvia's at school right now, Easton is napping, and the house is completely silent. Ahhhhhh....

I don't really know what I was thinking with my business/working/raising kids all at the same time. Working parents, how do you do it? I had a pretty stressful day on Friday, feeling rather negative, down on myself, overwhelmed from the pressures of balancing home & work life. I wish I had a full day of childcare for Easton, just so I could get things done, but we just can't afford it (hence the reason I'm working). It's all cyclical, and some days are really tough. I know, cry me a river, right? This is my platform to vent, and it's what I need. So, yeah, Friday sucked. But shooting a wedding of 2 complete strangers was a highlight. I really enjoyed it, it's a completely different scene than assisting Bar Mitvahs. And I'm actually getting to use my camera, which makes me happy. I'm gaining confidence and skills, enjoying myself, and gaining exposure to a world a bit unfamiliar. Well, until I got pulled onto the dance floor by a drunken groomsman that seemed to think my huge camera and all black attire screamed 'pull me on the dance floor and grind on me, please.' Lucky for me, I didn't get me ear chomped on (like Cate, the photographer I was working for). Yuck.

Fall in St. Louis is stunning, beautiful, absolutely renewing. The air is sharp, the colors are saturated, the sun is a deeper shade of orange. But it's a reminder that the oppressive nature of winter is ahead, so enjoy this while you can. And that, my friends, is my mantra for the week: be still, enjoy this very moment. Think I can be successful?

Japanese Festival

Every year, on Labor Day weekend, we hike our butts to the ever-so popular Japanese Festival at the Botanical Gardens. I've found that Monday seems to be the least busy day, and we go as soon as they open. This year, we headed straight to the children's center because the line over there is usually insane. The kids had a great time, Sylvia got her face painted and played dress-up, we all sat and watched a warrior training presentation, and my kids observed new ways to beat each other up. Great. Anyway, Easton pooped out early (as usual) and Dave and Syl are still over there, probably enjoying some delicious food that I missed.

Sarah & Alanna

My close friends got married yesterday, on the most beautiful day of the year, in the most beautiful location, surrounded by the most loving of 2 families. There was a white horse, what else needs to be said?! Congrats ladies, I love you so much!

Run Run Run

Oh ny gosh I feel like my head is spinning in circles and time is going crazy fast and I can't slow down right now because my laundry list of to-do items keeps multiplying at a record pace. So, I'm off to continue this mad race through this week and next and I'm hoping things will ease but my September and October is already filling fast and I was hoping to do some Holiday Card Promotion Thingy with my business but time! Time is escaping! Run on sentences are necessary! Ahhhhhh!

Ok, quick updates: Sylvia is loving school, though we had a hard morning the other day. The reality has set in that this is her life now, and that's a difficult adjustment when you were the center of attention, and now you're 1 of 19. But that is life, that is how it is, this is how it's going to be for her. She's got a great class of kids (since she's Montessori, it's a mixed ranged from age 3-5) and some great teachers (1 teacher, 1 aid, 1 exchange student from China). She is passing out by 8 and is still struggling to get up on time, which means she needs to go to be earlier. E and I spend our days running around town like crazed chickens, and I believe he's enjoying all the attention. My days are filled with errands, lists, and jamming a bunch of work/housework in while he naps. Which is what is happening right now. Soooo, I'm off. Tootles.