It was time for Lily’s 4 month well baby checkup (4 months already! wow!). After getting all the kids together, loading up the car, driving there (quick drive, thank goodness!) getting out of the car, entertaining them for hours with crayons and paper (which could not be used on the chairs thank you very much Miss Receptionist!) and me also taking care of the other 8 children in the waiting room with crayons and paper (since I was the only parent there to think to bring items for my kids to play with, here’s a quick tip, when going to any type of “office” with your kids, bring crayons and paper!! or at least some board books!) I then asked if the big flat screen tv was working in the corner, usually there is a good Disney flick playing, but Miss Receptionist says no, its broken and I walk away wondering when Lily will be seen since our appointment was encroaching on 1.5 hours ago. Finally we’re called, Lily is weighed and measured (13lbs 8oz and 26in long! Translated….long and skinny!) We’re left in the little room to wait for the pediatrician. After breaking up a few fights between the older two kids over who gets to sit in the only chair in the room and why they can’t turn off all the lights while we’re waiting, I find this as perfect opportunity for “the shot”. I grabbed my camera, widest lens already on it, pull all the kids on the examining table and tell them to “find the monkey in the camera!” I take the shot (actually, quite a few since I always keep my camera on “burst mode” with 3 little ones!) and I am pretty happy with how it turned out. Its us…tired, hungry (since there was no eating snacks in the waiting room), and waiting for Lily to be given her horrible immunizations.

So here’s my tip for the week (besides what to do with your chillins’ at the dr. office!) take your camera everywhere! Just throw your widest lens on, or pack your point & shoot and make sure you always have it in the car or in your purse. You never know when the time will be right to take these year long pictures. And “monkey arms” is ok for these photos! Just hold that camera out and take the shot! My photo this week may not be the most technically perfect, but it tells a story that I now will never be able to forget. My kids aren’t going to be little forever, years down the road crayons and paper isn’t going to entertain them anymore and our biggest dilemma won’t be how to get the huge bandaids off of Lily’s legs without causing more pain than the shots did that put the bandaids there in the first place. So treasure all the moments, even the frustrating day to day humdrum dr. appointment moments…..where the big flat screen tv is working just fine as soon as our appointment is over :) :)

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So…I’m embarking on a huge challenge. One photo a week, for 52 weeks. One year of portraits with my children. The photo will include me, a part of me, all of me, whatever…and one of my kids, two, all three, it doesn’t matter. The point is for me to be a part of the photo in any way. I would encourage you moms to do this with me! Maybe its not every week, maybe once a month. You don’t need photoshop to do this! My goal isn’t to have a spectacular photo every time, the goal is to just take the photo.

Is anyone inspired like I am? Want to join me in this project? I know of some Moms who are already doing it! Leave me a little comment here, or email me at amy@amyschuffphotography.com. Or you can just come back every Friday to see the latest picture! (Put your email in the little box on the right to subscribe to my blog!)

And pray for me! I really hope I can stick with this! :) :)

So here we go, this will be fun! My first self portrait of the next 52 weeks with the littlest munchkin in my life…Liliana.

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