Airplane

My friend Doni has been working with using studio lights outdoors. It's an interesting effect, I think. Sort of surreal and interesting looking. For this shot I have a strobe firing to light Eli's face. I am lying on my back in the grass shooting up at the sun around 2:30 pm today.

Excuse the @&#!$ leaf in his mouth. Must remember to check the baby's mouth for foreign objects before taking pictures. The kid's always eating something or other these days.

I really wanted his arms out like an airplane. Here he sort of looks like he's hanging on fpr dear life (maybe partly true). Maybe we'll try it woth Grace next. Fun to play.

Tonight

That's 115+ lbs. of kid in that tub (please excuse the crappy cell phone picture).



There is a pithy observation to be made here, but it elludes me at the moment. I sometimes just sort of step back in awe of this whole process.

Three Little Monkeys

Some pretty decent shots of all three! They are being goofy, but that is very much them.


This one is my favorite.


I love this one of the girls. I like the way they are holding hands in front. It looks like one person, but it is really one arm from each of them.

Last one

Eli eats a roll at a very nice outdoor restaurant at South Street Seaport where we had lunch with Debbie. It was a great afternoon. It was a great whole trip, actually. It's nice to be home, too.

Bounce II

I wish this did a better job showing how high she got.

Bounce

Charlie saw this bouncy thing and absolutely had to do it. Grace pretty much went along with her big sister. She did really well, though. She liked it more than I thought she would.

Gracie

The only real NYC landmark I managed a snap of (though we saw several).

Visiting Tom & Debbie

Eli loved Molly. He giggled just looking at her. Hefollowed her around. She was very tolerant.

Asleep on the subway

This

I carried Eli (25 lbs.) in the backpack alot today. Which he loves and I really don't mind. But after a long day and alot of walking I was standing on 7th Ave in Times Sq. waiting for Derek and the girls to come out of the M&M store. And my feet hurt and my shoulders were sore and he started pulling my hair. And I got a little cranky. So I swung him down, intending to grumpily move him to the stroller. But then I saw this. I mean really, how can you stay mad?

They convinced me to let them climb

this big rock formation in Central Park. I don't really have a problem with heights, but standing out of arms reach of my progeny at the edge of a sheer drop off was a little out of my comfort zone. They were like little mountain goats, though, especially Charlotte.

At the top

The angle of this picture belies the height of the rock formation we are sitting on. We were quite a ways up, maybe 30 ft (in parts, anyway).

Eli in Central Park

Eli (to all his baby readers at home): "hey dudes, call me!"

Whew!

We made it. 41 floors above Times Square. The girls loved the walk up from 33rd St. Eli rode in the hiking backpack and stared at everything. After we checked in, Derek and I tried unsuccessfully to get the girls to walk up to see the horses along the edge of the park. Maybe later. For now, we are sitting in the hotel. Alex will appreciate the particular joy of this.

A bonus travelling with little kids. They were so amazed watching the couch transform into a bed, they have no idea that they drew the short straw in the sleeping arrangement department.

The PATH train

On our way into NY. A first train ride for Charlotte and Grace. They thought it was very cool that we were in a tunnel under the river. Grace expressed concern that a shark might get us, but we made it okay.

Where has this been all my life?

Usually the DVD player faces the girls, so Eli can't see it. To keep him occupied on the drive this morning, I strapped it to the back of his seat and put in his baby movie (some form of Baby Einstein, I think). It worked. He was enthralled. And he had the first of what I am sure will be many revelations in his life along the lines of "hey, you've been holding out on me!"

I know it's fuzzy and grainy

and almost impossibly dark, but I had to post this one. All three quiet and sleeping. So peaceful and sweet. Oh wait, it's &$@!# 10:30 PM.

eta- Derek can't see ant details at all in the above picture on his monitor. Which is a shame because it's really very sweet. If you can't make it out either, you'll have to take my word for it. That's what you get for trying to use your iPhone in a darkened room.

Turns out

the bath at the motel is just as much fun as at home.

Grrr, I don't know how to rotate the picture using only my phone. You get the idea.

40 minutes into NYC roadtrip

NYC road trip underway

Eli in the studio

Helping me setup for today's session, Eli models for me. He loved crawling around on the mattress, and then crawling down onto the floor.




He just learned to roll over from his back to his front. As in, like, yesterday. He's 10 months old. He was like a little turtle for awhile there. He would fall onto his back and then just lie there and cry for someone to come help him. Still, putting him on his back kept him still for the 10 seconds I needed to go back and pick up my camera and snap a couple of frames. Then he rolled over and crawled off the set.



Putting him in this bucket (or whatever it is) lasted for about 30 seconds. Then he tipped it over forward and crawled out.

Trial Run

I have been eyeing all these cool fields and Charlotte agreed to come out with me tonight to take some pictures. Pants would have been a better idea. The tall, dead grass was prickly and she got her legs scratched up. She was a pretty good sport about it. We still cut the expedition short, though.

Just a couple.


A pull back to show the cool landscape that I would love to work more with. This was right about the time she announced she had to go to the bathroom. Sigh.

This was a big rock right next to where we parked the car. There are more big rocks on the other side of the little access road and Charlotte asked as we pulled away, "can we go over there to take pictures next time?" Sure thing, little one. Music to my ears.

Louisa inside

More from Louisa's photoshoot. She did so great.

Still my favorite.