Getting the Photo

I got Julia's photo taken. This is a family tradition. At home, we have all our baby photos on the wall, taken around a year and a half in black and white. I love the photos because you don't find such looks now in photos taken digitally. You can take a million and pick out the perfect smile. Back in the "old days" you got a handful of proofs to choose from and that was it. Turns out my experience was somewhat like that. I opted to go to the evil empire Walmart's photography center since I could little afford the rates of the local independent photographers who all had minimum packages (of $100!) and offered 4 hour sessions with outfit changes and scenery changes and charged $40 per print. Well I wanted one specific pose, one print and no bells and whistles and it turns out that's hard to find. So Walmart it was, and the teenage employee couldn't get her camera to work for the 5 minutes that Julia was willing to smile. Minute 6, the camera worked but Julia was done cooperating and no longer amused by the puppet or my antics. She got some shots, and I was fairly pleased with the one I chose, but man, did she miss some good smiles. We declined all the offers for photo montages and faded effects and really declined to provide the e-mail addresses of 10 friends and family that would earn us a pile of freebies, paid our $20 and got out of there. Two months later our photo was finally ready!

my older brother Christopher Sun

Me, Mary Star

Caroline Crescent

Anna Meridian

Grace Dawn

Joseph Wind

Olaf Sky

and Julia North!

Finding the chair for her to sit on was no small task either. By good luck, a few days before I was scheduled for the shoot, I stopped in an antique store and found this wicker rocker for $10. I wanted a wood chair or bench of some sort as I knew Walmart would have things like giant plastic gumball machines but nothing like a simple wooden bench. (And right I was.) I'm rather glad it's over, and there are no more family photo traditions to uphold (on my side anyway, Dave might have other ideas...)

videos of Julia in the snow

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Works for me for some reason.

winter comes and we take a trip

Julia was impressed with the first snow fall. She quickly discovered the joy of eating snow.

Since snow was falling, I made caramels. We didn't have a candy thermometer, so I was relying on mom's expertise and the Joy of Cooking candy section. They turned out rather well!

After they cooled, I cut and wrapped them. Some were sprinkled with coarse salt and some with walnuts. 

wrapping took forever!

Olaf wanted to make rolled cookies, so we did that too. A full day of premature Christmas celebrating.

Julia's rocking chair is getting some holes in the wicker, so I sewed a little cushion to save it and Julia's backside. 

Olaf made his biggest lego ship yet. 

In a frenzy of last-minute planning, I decided to take the train to Seattle over Veteran's day weekend to visit a few friends and family. Julia did very well on the 12 hour train ride. I was worried about how we'd handle potty time, and ended up bringing part of the potty chair along. She used it several times on the train, but figured out quickly that she was in disposable diapers and that was the end of the potty. I was fairly nervous that this would mean she would forever refuse the potty, but upon returning home, she went right back to it! We spent a night and part of a day with my friend Erin, then met up with my sister Grace for a quick visit, then met up with Grandma Gini for a night, had a quick visit with my sister Caroline, then went over to Grandpa Dave's for our last night before taking the train back down to Klamath Falls. 

Some reason you have cigars hidden in your cupboard Caroline? 

I thought Caroline's Christmas apron made a lovely little dress for Julia. 

Auntie Gracie made kale!

Julia was rather pleased with it.

She seemed to remember the grandparents. She headed right over to the stash of toys and grandma Gini's

do we still look alike?

Grandma Gini made spritz

Auntie Caroline seemed to enjoy the coloring as much if not more than Julia. She told me about the unexpected  meeting of Grace's emo "boyfriend" the night before! I was shocked, as Grace had completely neglected to mention any such relationship in our 1 1/2 hours together.  Today Grace retorted with this via facebook:

"Contrary to what Caroline may have said, Michael is not emo. Not at all, she concludes this based on the fact that he has black hair. And was purely coincidentally wearing a black pants at the time."

oh, I do love my sisters!

At this point, I fell off the picture taking wagon and failed to get any at Grandpa Dave's or on the train home. Grandpa Dave had a little rocking chair for Julia, handed on from his cousin! Julia thought it was lovely and I felt my typical conundrum of stuff: 

The rocker was lovely and in better shape than the one in Klamath Falls, but I would have to carry it on the train and then carry it back up somewhere after Christmas. 

Take it to Alaska? 

Would I then leave it there when we move? 

Can I do that with a rocker handed down from family? 

Will the rocker even fit into a rubbermaid tote to mail? 

If I don't take it with us, will she outgrow it before she can use it?

Will I appear ungrateful by leaving it behind at Grandpa Dave's? (Which I did, for now.)

These questions and many more bother me constantly. What to take and what to leave. Such as the stroller? I use it daily and can't imagine what I'd do without it, but Julia's getting too tall for it, and will we have a deep snow winter rendering it useless in Alaska? If I leave it or sell it, will I go stir crazy trapped inside all winter? I could bring the baby backpack, but Julia's so heavy now that it gives me huge knots in my shoulders. I could buy a sled. Will Julia like taking walks in a sled? Maybe I should sell the stroller and try to buy one with more headroom? Maybe I could get one shipped to Alaska? But how would I know it would fit her well without seeing it first?

On and on the questions go. 

The train back was less fun since the novelty was worn off, but we managed fine. Julia was pretty thrilled to be back in her comfort zone, resumed using the potty and I resumed doing class work.