Hey, Baby!
Hey, Baby!
Jump to Recipe2014 has been a busy year in our home. Betsy and I bought our first home, I published my first cookbook, and Food Fighters happened. Those all sort of paled in comparison though when we found out that we would be welcoming a new addition into our home!
That’s right. We’re having a baby and that means lots of fun and exciting things on the horizon.
Like, we are just, way PUMPED.
Where We Are
Bets and I have actually been trying to start a family for almost a year now. It took a little while longer than we had hoped, but as they say… persistence in all things pays off!
Over the last few months we’ve seen our new little nugget multiple times on sonograms and Betsy is starting to feel the baby move a lot. The baby seems happy and the doc tells us that it’s a healthy baby so that’s all you can really wish for at this point!
Early Struggles
As luck would have it, Betsy has been essentially unable to eat most meals I’ve cooked over the last 3-4 months. She had some pretty serious morning sickness for a few months and some of that carried over to food aversions she is still having. Mostly, her aversions are to vegetables that have been cooked in some way.
If that sounds vague to you, it does to me too. After all, what recipe doesn’t have some sort of cooked vegetable in it? This has become a common dinner scene at our house.
I prepare a meal and we are both excited to sit down and enjoy it. I put Betsy’s plate down in front of her and the color starts to slowly drain out of her face. Maybe it’s a color or a texture or a smell on the plate, but something immediately turns her stomach and I know that she won’t be able to eat it.
This has been tough for both of us. Obviously it’s hard on her, finding things that she can eat that aren’t just cheese and meat (what she craves). But, it’s also hard on me just because I think of myself as someone who makes good meals for my family and friends. Having frequent meal rejections is tough.
I’m getting used to it though and I know it will pass in the next few months, most likely.
In the grand scheme of things, that’s a small struggle.
Photo Fights!
Betsy and I have a very solid relationship and we rarely fight, honestly. But, as those of you with kids know, a baby brings with it a whole new world of things to bicker about. Believe it or not, our first major baby-related battle (which Bets gave me permission to talk about) is centered around photographs, of all things!
You see, Betsy has grand dreams of having a cute little baby and immediately rushing them off to a photographer where our little baby will be propped up, dressed up, and most likely photoshopped up to look like a precious, poop-free angel. Of course, the cost on that situation runs into the many hundreds of dollars and if you repeat throughout the baby’s first year, you are talking about a solid thousand dollars.
For photos.
That we will pretty much just post on Facebook.
So I’m mounting a photography protest. After all, I TAKE PHOTOS. Granted, they are of stationary things. Grilled cheese sandwiches don’t cry. Lasagna doesn’t roll over on you when you’re trying to get a good angle.
But I TAKE PHOTOS. I figure I should be able to take good, cute photos of our baby, smack on some photoshop filters, and end up pretty close to where a professional photographer would end up.
Just look! I took this photo!
So, I will be using the fall to take a bunch of photos (some with actual babies) and see if I can live up to professional expectations.
Based on the few photos in this post, what do you all think?
[polldaddy poll=”8279759″]
It’s a Date
If the due date our doc gave us is any indication, we are set to pretty much have a new year’s baby. That’s pretty exciting!
We’ve decided to not find out the sex of the baby until the big day, so we are just referring to it as the Nugget for now. Not only do we want to be surprised, but we also feel like not knowing will reduce the PINKS and/or BLUES that are the inevitable result. We are fans of neutral colors anyway.
That said, we both have our guesses. I’m pretty sure it’s going to be a girl (based on practically nothing) and Betsy is pretty sure it’s going to be a boy (based on a variety of non-scientific old wive’s tales — practically nothing).
For those curious, I’m sure that the arrival of the Nugget will change everything about our lives, including Macheesmo. Betsy and I are still working out a good balance for what we want to post and what we want to keep private, but I’m open to feedback from you all as well. Baby updates will probably happen. Baby food will be made. Meals will probably become more rushed (and possibly more practical).
Mostly though, we are just very excited and happy to be able to share the news with you all!
Congratulations, the best part of your lives is yet to come!
Thanks Helene!
You’re gonna be sleep deprived and covered in poop no matter who takes the pics. Enjoy the whole thing anyway. Life’s grand adventure is on your doorstep.
Ha! True. Thanks Virginia!
Congratulations! First, my sympathies for Betsy–we’re expecting our first baby in January as well, and unlike Betsy, I have a complete and total aversion to anything with tomatoes in it, but can eat cooked vegetables. It is absolutely awful to look at food you know you love and feel nothing but bile rising.
Regarding the pics, I plan to shoot our own–there are some good blogs with good baby picture tips, and I’m handy enough with the camera to trust that they will be good (enough). Even though a professional will do a great job, you are going to have a special relationship with your Nugget, and I vote to document that instead. But, do what’s right for you; I look forward to seeing the outcome!
Thanks Kate. Super interesting to hear both sides of the photo debate!
You two.. soon to be three.. are livin’ the life!! Congratulations!
Ha! Thanks Scott!
Congratulations! I have been wondering when this announcement was coming ever since I saw you mention it on TV. Our first was sort of a long time in the making, too, but I just found out we are expecting our second, and there was less of a wait this time around :). My opinion on pictures is that newborn photos are sweet, but your kid is not yet “recognizable” as themselves yet when they are that tiny. Does that make sense? Once they get closer to a year, they look much more like how they are going to look. So, I would try taking the newborn photos yourself and save the professional photo budget for when he/she’s a bit bigger, like for the first birthday. You are going to have a blast! And yes, your meals will likely change a bit, but I am selfishly excited to see what you come up with for the more hectic nights and try them out myself.
Interesting point Renee. That definitely makes sense to me.
To be honest, I’m really excited to see how my meals change also! Hopefully it will include lots of healthy frozen stuff, quick stuff, but not too much pre-processed business. ;)
Even though my “baby” is now 29, I so clearly remember all the ups, downs, and joys of newborns! And, the very best part, is getting to relive it with grandchildren! (I have 7). Take tons of your own, save the professional ones for milestones! I love the ideas for photos on Pinterest, if you are looking for inspiration!
Great tip Cathy! Thanks!
Congratulations! How exciting!
Thanks Katie! Frightening/exciting. :)
Congrats! That’s so exciting – and I love the idea of newborn photos anyway. (FWIW, I voted for the pro version because I have a photog friend in the Denver area – her work is stunning. She does weddings (like mine), families, newborns, engagements… you name it! I will post her info if you’d like!)
Hey Jess, that would be awesome. Feel free to post if you feel comfortable or email me. :)
CONGRATULATIONS!!!!! I only know y’all through the blog and Ny, but from what I do know, y’all will be great parents. I cannot wait to see what baby food and fun ideas you cook up!
Thanks Sheebani! Will definitely be a new chapter on the blog. :)
Congrats! You guys will be great parents.
Thanks Amigo!
I’ve been following you guys since your time in DC. I couldn’t be happier for you both. Kudos on all your personal and professional success.
You’re re only food blogger I read. Because your ‘voice’ is so natural and real – thank you.
My husband’s an amazing cook, and as such, I never ate hospital food, and our two girls eat healthy, non-processed food (my daughter thought goldfish at a friend’s house were a toy). You’ll be the same way and have such a healthy, happy family for it.
Much congrats and best wishes!
Don’t pay for a professional photographer. Gah. They all do the same shots (with rare exceptions), all definitely cost too much, so you pay too much to lose the unique value of what you love about your wife and child.
Congratulations!!! I’m due in February (with our first child) and we’re also waiting to find out the sex for the exact same reasons. I’ve loved your blog for a long time but I am especially eager to see what kind of quick/practical baby meals you come up with!
Congratulations!!! I’ve got two little boys, and I remember the so-called “morning” sickness (or all day sickness in my case) well. And it doesn’t always stop after 3 months–I was still throwing up in the delivery room with my first and was sick until the 8th month (which meant I had one week sickness free) with my second. But you know what? I wouldn’t trade it. We all have our battle scars, and they suck, and it’s hard, and sometimes you start to doubt whether it’s worth it. But it is. And it will continue to be, even the tough times won’t seem so bad after a year or two.
As for the photography thing, I think you can do it. Candids with memories attached are what you’re going to look back at, not at some professional photo. But, I suppose if it’s causing a fight, you could do the newborn one in the hospital as a compromise? I don’t recall those as being too expensive.
Congratulations! You are both heading into an amazing stage of your lives! Enjoy…(and don’t take anything personally, Nick…Betsy gets a pass until the baby is at least 6months :))
I am so flipping excited for you guys!! Congratulations! I’m also excited for ME, because when my twins were little I would’ve loved some Macheesmo baby food recipes, so maybe by the time we (hopefully) have another little one those will be a reality :) Congratulations again! You guys are going to be awesome parents.
Congratulations to you both! I can’t wait to see the photos, no matter who takes them. My children are all older now, and out on their own, so it’s been a long time since I’ve read the label on a baby food jar. I’m pretty certain, however, that anything you make at home will be much healthier than the processed food. After all, it’s not that hard to puree vegetables, etc. If you haven’t done so already, I’d suggest looking for a heavy duty blender/food processor that is sturdy enough to puree cooked meat as well as veggies. In many cases, “Nugget” can then eat the same thing you and Betsy eat, minus the spices. You might even want to take up “canning” and make Nugget’s food in larger batches to have ready to go when things get hectic. You are about to embark on the greatest adventure of your life. Savor every second of it. Please keep us updated, and thanks for sharing your joy with us. Larry
Very happy for you. A photographer told me how important it is to take action pictures compared to posed so there you are.
Congratulations! I’m so excited for you guys! Parenthood is simultaneously the hardest thing and the greatest thing I’ve ever done. You’re going to love it.
My husband takes photos too so we had this exact same issue. I wanted the props, the cutsie photos and he thought he could do it. And…I don’t have the photos that I wanted. You are going to take a TON of photos of your kiddo, you just can’t help it. Let a professional take the photos (and overall experience) that Betsy wants and then you can take the photos that you want. You will have PLENTY of time to take all sorts of pics of that baby. And not to throw the card in there – but your wife is about to push that baby out…let her have the one thing she is asking for!
Awwww…such great news! I look forward to seeing all the baby pictures YOU take! :D And I won’t lie either, I look forward to seeing what meals will get posted. Congratulations on all your success and wishing you and Betsy a very happy and healthy delivery!
:)
I took most of my Son’s baby pictures. The professional are mostly from school pics. They mean more when you take them. I made sure of the backgrounds and settings though. If you take photos like you cook, you’ll be fine. Good Luck and Congratulations.
I’ll be honest, we’re pretty frugal. And we live in DC (you remember, DC?) which is NOT the place for a frugal person to have a child! That said, you really should find a professional to take newborn photos – We did a “Fresh 48” a few days after our son was born (on Halloween last year – great birthday!) and I’m really glad we did. You will want everyone in the photo, and you want to focus on the moment, not the picture – let someone else worry about that. It shouldn’t be that expensive and some times call for non-selfie pics.
Congrats – we are VERY minimalist parents so if you need any “stuff” advice, let us know. I hate STUFF and hate paying for temporary things almost a smuch as I dislike STUFF (AKA clutter).
oh – I’ll also add that I disagree with posing a baby in any sort of Anne Gedes-esq way. They don’t need stuff around or on them! And AMEN to quick, practicle (make ahead!!) recipes – make or prep ahead meals are about all I can handle, and I have a 10 month old. I really miss cooking but that’s life!
Congratulations! I’m so excited for you two. My husband is a big photographer and we didn’t do any of the classic shoots. We have adorable photos of every stage that feel more personal because he took them. I think home photo shoots are the way to go, though a nice family shot might be a good one to have help with. Wrangling a baby can make those self timers a little challenging. Anyway, congrats!!!
Congrats Nick! So happy for you both and sorry Betsy but there will always be other cooler baby things to spend the money on than photos. Like an awesome running stroller, the best swing to put baby nugget to sleep in, The exersaucer that saves your life and makes a shower possible when its just you and baby. So many other things and when you have a pretty decent photographer in the house it will make those photos mean more bc the sessions were family made moments as well. Best of luck and I know you will both be awesome parents! (even though I only know one of you personally)
Congratulations! I’m very surprised at the amount of people that are telling you to take the pictures yourself. Listen to your wife!!! Lol My daughter is one and I have thousands of iPhone and camera photos of her, but I cherish the newborn photos we had done when she was 13 days old. I absolutely love them and wouldn’t trade them for any money in the world (and I’m pretty cheap normally). In fact, one of my biggest regrets is not doing a maternity shoot with the same photographer so I could cut costs. The newborn phase goes SO quick, it’ll all be a blur. Find a great professional who might offer you a deal if you promote them on your blog – compromise :)
Congrats!! I find that blogs that share some personal stuff are much more likely to keep me coming back than blogs that are purely content. Extremes in either oversharing or being completely just an impersonal post-machine are not blogs I stick with. Its something to balance, and I think you do a good job. I kind of think you should let your wife win on the photos. She’s the one who’s feeling all pukey, let her have some freebies.
Well, congratulations on your bundle of joy! I say compromise and have some taken by a professional–such as newborn, at 6 months and at 1 year old, and you can take the rest in between. I don’t have kids yet but everyone says they grow so fast, but I understand both sides–having photos done every month can certainly get inexpensive, but not all of them have to be taken by high end photographers. I have friends who had adorable monthly photos done inexpensively with coupons and deals for department store photo studios, such as those inside JCPenney (and similar). Wish you and Betsy all the best!
Congratulations! My husband and I just welcomed our own bundle of (poop covered) joy back in March of this year. It definitely changes everything, but it’s the best kind of change. Enjoy every second of it :)
Congrats on your growing family. I sympathise with Betsy food problems. With my first, all I wanted was peanut butter and honey. Must be something about protein. But with the last one, tomatoes were the bane of my existence, go figure. And please, take your own photos – LOTS of them. Some of the best we have are ones we took accidentally because we had a tiny camera with us, like the first grin in the morning and the little sweetie sleeping so peacefully her first day home.
AWWWWWW! Congratulations! It’s fun to watch a stranger post engagement photos and keep up with him while he gets all grown up! Thanks for sharing with us. Re: the baby photo shoot — why don’t you give it your best shot and if she doesn’t like them, she wins the argument and you go get them done by a certified baby shooter?
Congratulations, Nick! You guys have had a heck of a year, and it looks like 2015 will continue the trend!
Congrats! Hope the morning sickness abates asap.
I’m not going to vote because I vote for both. It doesn’t have to be either/or. A few professionally done family pictures at certain milestones are great to have – if you can find someone good who doesn’t overcharge. And you can share those with relatives! If a relative knows a good photographer, a gift package is a wonderful baby shower gift. But they aren’t the pictures that will bring back memories later. It will be the backyard pictures, the vacation photos, the first birthday, intimate moments that the pros can’t get. Kids who are used to the camera as they grow up will pose happily, so everything doesn’t have to be candid, spur of the moment photos and they won’t look forced to pose. You are more likely to be creative taking the pictures if you do it yourself and afterwards you can add different kinds of lighting, diffused or desaturated or sepia tones, or zooming in tightly and cropping. But yes, do both!
You are so blessed!! You will be great parents, and little Baby Macheesmo is going to be one lucky little person to have you!
Congratulations to you both. That will truly be a lucky child. Candid photos are always best.
As a recent baby, I can say that I much prefer looking at candid photographs of myself than posed ones. I feel like baby deserves a say! Those posed pictures are really embarrassing when my friends come over, especially the girl bébés.
But in the end, I can always choose not to look at those. If mom wants it, best to go for it. You’re only young once!
Congratulations! Whatever you choose.
I just couldn’t resist and not comment!! Congrats!
I have a 19 month old and she was born on 1/24/13. Loved having a due date in January!!! I stayed nice and cool the whole time, it was just perfect.
I also wanted to do professional photos but after realizing it would be around $1000 for what I wanted, I had my brother take some shots with his fancy camera. I think doing both is the best.
Maybe have a professional photoshoot here and there and do your own in between :) and remember what they say, if you can take pictures of food, you can take pics of anything? :)
Congratulations to you both!!! I love that you took your photos in City Park, thanks for taking me back home for a few seconds!! Just take pictures, lots and lots of pictures, some will be good, some will be so-so, but they will all be wonderful because of that special person you call your child.
Congratulations! It’s weird to be so happy and excited for someone I’ve never met or even talked to before. But I am. I guess that’s the norm these days.
Well what wonderful news! Congratulations!
Get used to the food rejection though (haha) – kids are way worse than pregnant wives! I also look forward to your take on family-friendly meals. I know my cooking style and routines had to change a lot after having kids. Lot more make ahead, prep ahead and crock pot meals. Not to mention trying to plan so the kids will eat at least one component of each meal… and still somehow have a balanced diet at the end of the day.
Good luck!
Chris and I are so excited! We can’t wait for Sammy to have a playmate!
I had a bad time with morning (all day) sickness. Even TV commercials would set me off! And, then I wanted only cherry tomatoes and Fritos.
Love you, Nick, but if Betsie wants professional newborn pics..I’m with her.
Congrats Nick, I am so excited for you!
Congratulations Nick and Betsy!
This is such an exciting time in your lives, just enjoy every moment!
I am a new grandmother to a 7 month old baby girl and my daughter takes the most beautiful pictures and some are just with her phone. I think Betsy will be surprised at how good your photos will turn out. I believe that with the advent of digital photography, professional portraits are rarely necessary. Save the money for family portraits at milestone moments.
The one thing professional photographers have over home shots are the use of props. But with your creativity you will be able to do just fine.
Congratulations! I wish you all three all the best! I am sure you’ll make amazing parents.
Nick, congratulations to you and Betsy on your new blessing-to-be! Also, great news about your cookbook and your TV appearance. This is a GOOD year!
Congratulations! I am thrilled for both of you. Bummer that Betsy is having morning sickness. I hope it will soon be a thing of the past so she can enjoy your good cooking! As far as the photographs, once a year for professional photographs, but your own the rest of the year. Please take a look at Beyond Snapshots by Rachel Devine & Peta Mazey. A great book.
Do your own baby photos!! However, don’t forget to make sure you get included in some of them – maybe have a camera-comperent friend shoot the family once in a while so we know who both of cute Nugget’s parents are :-)
Congratulations!
Not a parent myself, but in terms of baby photos, one of the women I work with has a little bloke who’s 16 months old. No professional photography, but what she did each month was sit or lay him in a rocking chair alongside a teddy bear that was a gift. Photos taken just with an iPhone, and they are beautiful! You can clearly see him growing, see his cheeky personality developing. Just a thought!
Congrats Nick and Betsy! The Grand Junction crew is pulling for you. Regarding the baby photo drama, put the photographer on your baby registry and let your friends and family give you that little gem. You will take more photos that you will know what to do with, but those Anne Geddes-esque pics of your little bean, still wet from the womb, will be hard to re-create. Just sayin’
A sincere Congrats to you both! You will make for wonderful parents. Ryan and I are 5 months into our little adventure, Mr. Rowan James. What an amazing and truly indescribable experience of a lifetime! We wish you a healthy and happy child. As for the pics debate, all I can say is that you can’t go wrong either way! You take great pics…for sure! However, if you choose to go professional I have a recommendation. Dusty Lynn Photos in Grand Junction took Ann Geddes style photos for us for only $150.00 and we have all the rights to our digital images. Good luck on this and many more decisions to come;) Please tell Betsy she looks amazing! The best to you both!
Congrats!!!! Welcome to a new and exciting life!!! Teach your kids young what good food really is.
Congratulations! My husband & I have followed you for some time & love Macheesmo. Appreciate you sharing your personal joy !! And love that you are going to be surprised. We did the same twice(girl first, boy second) and never regretted it. So few surprises left in life. Hope the food issue gets better for Betsy & not even going to enter into the photo vote issue! Best wishes for you both.
Congratulations to you and Betsy! It will be exciting to see how this blog will change with the addition of a baby. My husband went through the same thing with me when I was pregnant with our last child. I didn’t want to eat anything. I would finally decide that something sounded good and he would make it for me. I would take a bite and then not want it anymore because it seemed gross even when it wasn’t. It lasted about 4 months.
Much happiness to you and the little one. It will be so interesting to see what Daddy cooks up for baby. Sympathy for Mom. Pregnancy is one crazy hormonal roller coaster. I was spared morning sickness, but still had my queasy moments. Yep, a smell can trigger nasty feelings in the blink of an eye. (As for having your food rejected, oh, just wait, just wait!) In the end, though, I ate like a horse, more than 6′ DH. (You gonna finish that??? If not, can I eat it??) Then even more when I was nursing. Those were the days, eating everything in sight and not gaining weight. (Hint, be very careful about heartburn; it can haunt you for years.) Dad, you may be a fabulous photographer, but babies, and kids, are very hard to photograph. The occasional professional photo is a keepsake. It will not decimate the college fund. But, be careful of “deals.” There’s so much trickery in professional photography studios. Just go to an independent photographer whose style you like. Maybe every few years, and you can do the other years. Oh the joy that awaits. Can’t wait to see the first cookie making session with Baby Nugget. (We didn’t want to know either.)
One more suggestion: choose a photo op theme to repeat every birthday. I chose to dress my son in an adult-sized Superman t-shirt, and a couple of different adult hats. Every year I take his picture in them. It was fun watching him grow into them; now one of the hats is too small. You could choose something kitchen related, as in Baby Nugget learns to cook, or just an apron and toque. (I’m telling you, photographing children is harder than you think)
Yay, congratulations!!! And yay for not finding out the sex!!!!! We have three and were surprised each time. That moment is the best!!!!
Congratulations, I was born in Denver many moons ago.
Such exciting news! Of course I wouldn’t mind seeing fresh baby pics every week here on Macheesmo* but I’ve also seen some really solid arguments for baby privacy and posting nothing at all publicly. I’m sure you’ll make the right decision when the time comes.
*taken by Nick… better to wait a couple years for the baby to look like a distinct person before bringing in the pros, as far as I’m concerned.
Betsy looks amazing, and congrats to you both.
For what it’s worth, schedule the professional photos. I’m an amateur photographer and gave always done my kids shots myself, but things hit the fan with baby #3…he was born with severe pulmonary hypertension (PPHN) and if a photographer friend hadn’t offered to do photos in hospital and the week he came home from NICU I wouldn’t have much to remember the first few months by. My case was rare but you’ll be stressed and more sleep deprived than you ever thought possible…enjoy taking all the photos you want, but let someone else take over for a change. For what it’s worth I’d go with more of a “lifestyle photographer” rather than someone specializing in newborns, they’ll capture family moments that’s the kind of thing you’ll want (especially if you’re usually the one taking the photos instead of in them).
CONGRATS, you guys! So excited for you!
Oh, and I suggest you start brushing up on baby food. Like, soon. My son is 5months old and well be headed tat way in the next month or two.
Congrats! A precious baby – there is just nothing as wonderful!! Seems like just yesterday I had my two boys – time flies – enjoy every minute! And as far as the photos – why not do both! You know you’re going to be snapping shots off like crazy anyway, but it’s also nice to have a professional portrait photographer take some family shots and shots of the nugget as he/she hits those milestone moments. Congrats again! I really hope Betsy is feeling better soon and can enjoy all your delicious creations! :)
Very excited for you both, congratulations! My advice, take new born photos yourself, at home, candid…those ended up being the best ones, and the ones we used on our announcements and Christmas cards. Because pro photos are $$ we waited until our tot was walking and interactive with the photographer, she was just shy of a year. We mostly use candid home photos (hubby does event photography, but really doesn’t love posed pics, but manages to get some great in the moment shots that we love!) and have only done pro photos twice (shes 3). And, while you didn’t ask for it, the other advice I’d offer is to check out the book Baby Lead Weening. As a home cook, who’s better than average (not at your level though) I couldn’t stand the thought of jarred baby food. After reading the book we decided to skip baby food all together. Sky’s first food was strips of steak and green beans, from 6 months on she has eaten exactly what we were eating for dinner. Spicy curry, Thai, Greek, whatever. She’s an awesome eater who will try anything. She gives stuff about three bites and if she doesn’t care for it she lets us know, but she’s not scared of different food, which makes my home chef heart happy!
Congratulations! Wish you, Betsy and the baby all the best!
Congrats Nick and Betsy! I can’t wait to see what gourmet foods you whip up for the Nugget. (BTW…totally let someone else take the pics…I’m with Betsy!)
Congrats! So excited for you-we need more great parents! I am kind of with you. I actually finally threw out my baby’s first “professional” photos. I took me many years (about 25) and I didn’t do it all at once. The day I took her for photo shoot was a nightmare. Trying to keep outfit spit-up free, sleep schedule perfect so she would be wide awake and not fussy, nursing at exactly the “right” time…I was so frazzled and she probably was too. It was horrible and those pictures were a reminder and not very good. She did not look happy-just propped up and unnatural.
Long story longer (I actually left out the worst part) I feel happy when I look at the pictures of her in the park, sleeping peacefully in her crib and in her Dad’s arms.
That’s my 2 cents.
Awesome awesome news Nick & Betsy! You guys are going to be such fun parents. I kinda wish you guys were my parents (Too weird? No, no it is not.).
As for photos, a lot of hospitals have a deal with photo companies that come in and will take newborn photos for you while you are in the hospital. Mom365 is probably the biggest name in the business. They lure you in with one “free” photo when you are either in a state of complete bliss where the world is a beautiful perfect blue marble and your child is the newest, most innocent perfect thing in the world, or just after you’ve crashed and are too tired to think rationally.
They do take nice photos, but the pictures aren’t anything you can’t do yourself as an experienced photoguy with a decent DSLR: Baby laying in bed, baby wearing hat, baby’s head cupped in mommy/daddy’s hands, baby with mommy/daddy, etc. They take 8-10 photos and then hit you with the packages.
The last thing you want to think about at the time is which photo package you should buy or if you are bad parents for not getting pro photos of your perfect little guy/gal hours after he/she is born. Out of sheer exhaustion and poor planning we ended up buying a package that included a photobook, a USB drive containing the photos and various size prints. It was in the ballpark of $150-175. We were dead tired and basically lobotomized at the time and the only camera we had with us was our cell phone. We were their perfect customer.
When you are in the hospital, take the photos yourself. The baby will be so tired that he will move around about as much as a plate of mushroom meatloaf. Afterwards, once you are home and want more pictures, I would first try to do the photos yourself before going down to Sears. Sleeping babies are easy to photograph. And all those pros down at Sears or the mall? Yes, they do that stuff everyday but it’s not like they went to baby photo school, you know how to quite your cranky baby better than anyone else ever will. I believe in your talents Nick Evans. And I believe in your meatloaf.
Congrats.
Congratulations!!! Though I am not a parent, I’m still against the vast majority and think you should hire someone. Do your homework and get a great deal, but have someone else photograph you and the family. More money, but far less stress – and better family shots for sure!
We waited a long time for these kids, but worth it. http://www.kidsabouttoys.com
Wonderful news! And it looks like one thing you can count on is that Baby Macheesmo will have freckles, whichever sex it is.
Ha! yes… it’s very likely our kid will have some freckles. ;)
Congratulations! My advice on the photos? Hire someone, at least for the newborn shoot. Lighting and staging a baby is a whole different ballgame. I’m still reluctant to take portrait style photos of my children at ages 3 and 6, though the ones hanging now are my work. And those first couple of weeks are so crazy and blurry anyway, one less responsibility is a good thing.
Good news for you? Even though I was still sick in the third trimester for both pregnancies, food aversions stopped for the most part. Actually, I wanted to eat all the things. Betsy should be approaching that stage soon.
THanks Rachel! Not sure what the final verdict will be on the photos but will be sure to share the results. :) Bets is definitely doing a bit better and able to eat somewhat normally these days. Thanks!
Congratulations on your Nugget!
I am miles behind on blogs, but SO HAPPY to see this news, even if I am late to the party. Having a baby is the wildest ride I’ve ever been on (Josie is 12 weeks old tomorrow). I am still hesitant about a couple of the brassicas (my major aversion during pregnancy) so fist bump to Betsy for even being willing to sit at a table where cooked vegetables live. I had to leave the house when my husband cooked broccoli once, and we actually haven’t eaten broccoli since. Good luck to the whole family :)
Ha! So it goes I guess… Thanks for the comment Andrienne and really glad to hear little Josie is doing well! :)
Congratulations!! So exciting. I made a lot of baby food the second time around and loved it. It was easy too. I would freeze all the puréed items in ice cube trays. My daughter seemed to love it too. Best wishes for a fast and healthy delivery :)