Smile and say CHEEESE!!! (PlEEEEASE!!!)

Kelly is 2 years and almost 4 months. I am sure that what I am about to lament about is talked about extensively as warning in many "how to tame your toddler" books, which I have not been reading at all since I have gone back to work (who has TIME to read!!!).... so I had a photo shoot scheduled today to try to get her 2-year picture. Yes, I know! 4 months late, but whatever! This photography company is the one that I contracted with whilst in the hospital, just a day or so after giving birth - oh yeah, they know what they are doing when they send their sales force into your room, two days post-partum. Either way they know they have you! You could be filled with so much love & emotion over your sweet little angel miracle that you just brought into the world that you'd sign anything that would share their beautiful little smiles with the rest of the world... or you are sobbing so hard with baby blues that you sign a 2 year contract to take pictures as a way to make up for feeling like such a horrible mother two days into the deal! Its a great gig, and yes, I took the bait. (I was both of those depending on which day you got me!) Anyway, I had one more "free" sitting left on my deal, and they come out to the house (which sounds way more convenient than it actually is once they start re-arranging all your furniture to set up their portable photo studio!). After 1 hour of sweet-talking, googly-gooing, shaking all of her favorite toys, books, dolls etc in front of her, bribing her...etc. We got exactly zero shots of her actually looking at the camera at the time he shot it!

Well, I should have known that even a professional would not be able to do this as I have been attempting to get my own photos of my little darling looking at the camera and smiling now for about 4 or 5 months, with no luck. Literally all the pictures I have of her these last several months are of some poopy-ass-mom-what they hell are you doing-look, a crying fit, stuffing food in her mouth, the blurry in-motion shot, the sleeping angel shot, or the back of her head.

I guess I had some luck at Jen & Steve's last night. We invaded their house for an afternoon/turned evening playdate. (thank you Steve for giving me & Jen a break and including Kelly in your nightly afterwork ritual of kid-bathing!) I managed to get a couple really cute ones, but of course, they are all the bathtub naked shots which are

probably not the most appropriate for posting on a public blog... but here is a fairly innocent one of her & Andrew (not showing any parts...)

and another one I got Katie, Ander and her looking at the camera but not smiling.

And here is another of her looking at the camera with a mouth full of delicious chicken fingers. Finally, the 3 of them all jammied up watching videos, with Kelly's tongue sticking out!

Ah well, once in a while, I actually get to see her smiling right at me, even but for one lost (non-photographed) moment in time, in person. I do cherish those moments right then and in my mind, if not on the blog. I will keep trying to teach her to pose sweetly for the camera so I can start getting the 2 1/2 year-old "CHEEEEESE" smiles next!