Do You Want To Making Photo?

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After a weekend shooting with our old SLR, we remembered just how fun photography can be!  So we took a cue from Cara's parents, and got a new camera to shoot the new baby with.  Voila - mucho incentive to take even more great photos to share with yinz.  Because, you know, we know how much everyone likes pictures!

And look: Zoe's holding her bottle up all on her own!  Such a hard little worker...

I believe this look is called the hairy eyeball.  It's a look that brilliant people don when faced with encroaching crochet giraffe.  A warning to keep your distance Mr. Giraffe, and don't you forget it. 

Headed out through the park.  The new camera has some funkalicious features, such as digital filters that let us pull the color out of certain parts of the photograph.  (Hence the color people and the b&w landscape.)

And here's little Zoe Mae with her favorite hat.  (We think she looks a bit like Grandpa P at the beach...)

And here's the captain hard at work late one night.  We fired up the old sewing machine to make a little big curtain to block some light out so that we can watch the important World Cup games on the big screen.  (And it's been a project that's been on the back burner for a long time, so this was a perfect excuse to get it done!)  After an hour at the well-oiled machine and a couple glasses of wine to oil the old man, the curtain looks absolutely fantastic acceptable.  Even better, it works great. 

We leave you in peace: Budda Baby Zoe in a rare zen moment.

Meet The New Intrepid World Traveller

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Will you look at that?  Wee Zoe Mae has a passport!  And how about that photo?  The US Dept of State is very explicit about how passport photos must be taken...  Right down to the exact mm measurements of head in the frame, white nondescript background in soft focus, no shadows, and eyes open.  Which is all well and good, but damn difficult when shooting a baby that's less than 2-weeks old!

We took over 300 shots, on various backgrounds, and with different light, all trying to get a good straightforward shot of Zoe, with her eyes open, and that meets the criteria.  Finally we nabbed the above photo with Zoe laying on one of Tommy's white t-shirts on the little table on our back porch, in the afternoon sunlight.  After all, passport photos aren't meant to be sexy, right?

Strange Days

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[DISCLAIMER:  The following photos err towards crazy, and your brain and eyes will hurt as they strain to make sense of them.  Just click on any photo for a larger view, which makes it a bit easier on the eyes.]

After that last cliffhanger, we figured that it'd be best to continue the story straightaway.  For those who don't recall the last post, here's the note we'd left off on:  Tommy had found his old film SLR, and it the photo count showed a partially exposed role of god-knows-what from their past.  Always très exciting to be sure.  That's the story, and here's what happened:

Here's an example picture.  You can clearly see us, circa 2002ish, climbing up to Slide Mountain in the Catskills.  However, you may have noticed that Tommy's chest is uncharacteristically, well, rocky.  And fluffy.  Wait a minute - that's Rocco!  Yes friends, the camera tricked us.  The frame-count said that we had about 20 pictures left, but it was sorely mistaken.  Somehow, some way, the film had been partially wound back in the camera.  

Now we have absolutely no idea how this could have happened, as it's not something that can happen accidentally on this camera.  Someone would've had to manually release the film catch, and then wind the film back -- by hand -- but not all the way, only about 15 frames or so, otherwise it would've been in the can.  And Patrick was 12,000 miles away when this happened!  Strange indeed.

 

Another example:  Viewed Cara-side-up, it's Cara eating an apple in the wilderness, Circa 2002.  Viewed tri-colour-up, it's a shot from the interior of our porch at the river, 2010.   If you really look closely, you might even be able to make out Rocco on the wicker chair in the corner - the intended subject of the latter frame.  (Admittedly, Tommy isn't consistent in his portrait SLR-holding: Sometimes it's trigger up, sometimes it's trigger down, as evidenced by the opposite orientation of these exposures.)  As always, the brighter image wins.

Now here's an interesting one for sure.  It's a beautiful vista of the Catskills.  With Rocco bravely leaping off of Giant Ledge Slide Mountain.  Pretty cool how the blue sky blends with the river water, and how the green rocky shallows are revealed in the shadow on Tommy's back, nearly merging with the greens of the pine tree in the background.  Neat.  

 Again with the reverse orientation:  Here's Cara swinging in the playground with Zoe strapped on (2010), and there's a corner of our kitchen in Prague (2003).  We're not ones to cry over spilled milk, so we aren't lamenting the losses of the original photos too much.  That said, these were the only photos that we had taken of our really nice penthouse apartment in Prague, so we are a tiny bit bummed that the photographic evidence of our previous life is now literally tainted by our current one! 

And here's proof positive that little Zoe's got momma on the mind!  More specifically, it's wee Zoe, sound asleep on our porch in Thousand Island Park (2010) dreaming about Cara in a chiffon dress on stage in Arthur Kopit's Chamber Music at Divadlo U Hasičů, Prague (2003.)   We like this one, it looks like Cara's either trying to get out of Zoe's head, or is reminding her of something.  Probably couldn't have gotten it framed that well if we tried.

                   Dear Film:

                            Thanks for keeping it real.  

                              

                                                        Love,

                                                         -Cara & Tommy (2002) 

                                                           and Rocco (2010)

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Old Man River...

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The story goes something like this.  Cara and I and Zoe and Rocco all went to the river.  (That's a great start to any story to be sure...)  And while we were at the river, I found my old camera and lenses stored safely in a box under our bed.  It's an old Konica SLR that's probably about as old as I am, and over the years I've pulled many rolls of film through it.  However, in this digital age, our well worn Konica had become all but forgotten.  Until now.

Gloriously, when we resurrected this fine old manual camera, it had film in it.  According to the dial, there were about 20 shots left on the roll, and in the on-deck tube on the neckstrap, there was another new roll of B&W film.  Score.  So, on the porch, I fired it up as Cara eased the tension of the moment with an adult beverage and a relaxed Zoe in her arms.

And then we headed down to the dock, where the blazing sunlight and low water was a perfect recipe for a proper film camera, and Cara, of course, was a gorgeous subject for such photographic documentation.  She bravely lowered herself into the frigid depths of the mighty St. Lawrence, while Rocco was left to stare in amazement:  How did she just have a baby? Good question puppy, good question.  Cara, as always, looks like a million bucks.

Above is our favorite photo of the day: Cara and Zoe playing it cool on the rocks of Prospect Point.  You can click any photo for a larger view, and I really recommend it with this one...

Of course, we wasted no time introducing Zoe Mae to the river spirits, and our fine child acknowledged their power straightaway with a ruckus greeting-scream.  Nice to meet you too, Zoe.  One benefit to the unusually low water this May is that it's (relatively) warm for this time of year, so Cara's feet didn't even turn blue while braving the shallows for this shot.

After so much excitement, it was back to home base.  (That's the front porch to you foreigners.)  Cara and Zoe got a chance to relax and steal a nap under cover of film grain.  Sure, you can fake photos like this these days, but there's something appealing about an actual grainy b&w photograph.

Example B:  The evening bath, this time caught on film.  Again with the great grain.  The soft corners are from shooting at the wide end of a zoom lens with a UV filter and scope lenscap: the extra exposed barrel stack unintentionally rounds off the corners.  Again, it might look like a cheesy digital effect added in post, but it's actually a side effect of a chunky filter/lenscap combo. Film is great.  Plus, there is the undeniable thrill of the chase, knowing that you only have a few feet of film on which to capture the moment.  And then there's that feeling of proud satisfaction as you hear the shutter ka-chunk at the exact moment your 5-week old daughter cracks a smile.

 
Sometimes you just know when you've gotten a shot that you want, even without that little screen to confirm it right away.  G'night.

P.S. - If you're a particularly attentive reader, you might be wondering about that first, partially exposed role that was in the camera to begin with.  Well, dear friends, that role is another story altogether.  A hilarious story.  I'll need a few days to scan some of the photos, but suffice it to say, the photos will feature Cara and myself as you have never seen us before.  Seriously.

Zoe's 1st Super Duper Car Adventure

We begin this story with a nice little family in Pittsburgh, PA:

This nice little family then pointed a Wee Box north for a few hours to stop by another nice family in a nice new house.  The children were welcoming and kept a close eye on little Zoe Mae...

 

Then came the real adventure:  A long, long ride in the Wee Box.  Zoe was a champ, and closely guarded by our faithful wingdog, Rocco the brave:

And even in the rest stops Rocco kept an eye out for intruders. (read: Squirrels)

And then we got to the river, where we promptly ensured Zoe's safety in the event of a flood or boat ride:

And then we went in search of water.  And found some. . .

. . . in the bath!  Yup, after the long anticipated departure of Zoe's umbilical cord stump, we promptly deposited her in the cottage's sink.   We considered the river, but at ~50° Fahrenheit, well, we're just not that mean.  Besides, Zoe was really good on the ride up...

All clean and ready for action, we wandered down to the river.  Actually, we generally do this about 85 times a day.  It's not far, and Zoe really likes walks.  So does Rocco.  Come to think of it, Cara likes walks too, and even Tommy will amble down to the water at the slightest provocation.  Sadly, among the many great baby gifts that were generously given to us, we've yet to get beverage holders for our strollers, so at present, we're forced to carry our beers in our hands while we walk.  The horror.

Luckily, Zoe is largely unbothered by such a minor inconvenience, and gracefully rocks the watermelon safari hat on our adventures around the park.

Back at the homestead, and ever vigilant, Rocco fearlessly keeps watch from his perch on the porch.  (Note to all who might try to invade:  Unless you're a chipmunk, he'll happily let you in the house, so long as you don't try to steal his seat.  Drinks, as always, are in the back fridge; help yourself.)

Much Ado About Pictures

 
 
CARA: Argh, we didn't update the blog today...
TOMMY:  I know.  Tomorrow, definitely tomorrow.

(the next day)

CARA: You didn't update the blog, did you?
TOMMY: Ahhh no, not yet.
CARA: (exhausted) Just put some photos up, all people care about is the photos...
TOMMY: (also exhausted) Okay, I'll update it, but we should write something to tie it all together.
CARA: Really, just the photos are fine, we just need to get something up.
ZOE: (not exhausted at all) WAHHHHH WA WA WAHHHHH WA WA WA
TOMMY: Awww Zozo, it's okay...  Shhhhhhhh....  Shhhhh......

(Brief quiet.  TOMMY bounces ZOE on his chest.  CARA finishes her wine.  ZOE pushes TOMMY's hand away and searches around with her expectant mouth and screams again.  ROCCO buries himself under his bed.)

TOMMY: Shhhhh..... Shhhhh......
CARA: Here, I'll go upstairs and get ready for bed, and then feed her again.
TOMMY: Okay - I'll go put something up on the blog and take Rocco for a walk.

(Exit TOMMY, CARA, ZOE, and ROCCO to upstairs.)

Mayday, Mayday, Zoe Mae Day!

It's wee Zoe's one week birthday, and wikipedia notes that today is also an occasion for popular and often raucous celebrations.  We'll get right on that...

Both mom and baby are great!  Cara's on the mend, and we've already started going for walks around the block as a little family, Rocco included.  Speaking of the mutt, he's taking the whole thing quite well.  Often when Zoe cries Rocco likes to run right over and console her with an eager sniff.  One of these day's we'll catch it on camera, as it's pretty darn cute when he perches on the side of the Bugaboo to have a look at the sleeping Zoe inside.

We've also now had a chance to Zoe-test some of our baby gear.  According to Zoe, we've done a good job...  She digs the carseat and even sleeps in it inside sometimes too.  Both strollers also seem to be working splendidly.  The Bugaboo has been smoothly dealing with some of our friendly local uneven sidewalks, and its bassinet has also been doing double duty as a mobile place for Zoe to sleep inside.  Our smaller travel stroller is also working swimmingly; it's surprisingly comfortable to push and our carseat docks in it perfectly, a very nice surprise.

The sleep thing has been just what everyone said it would be: not much.  That said, we've been able to log some good naps, and last night Zoe even slept pretty consistently in between feedings.  It's hot here in Pittsburgh, and she's fast asleep right next to me as I type (as is Cara), so perhaps the summerish weather has something to do with it.  In any event, two consecutive near-3-hour stretches of sleep in a row was awesome.  Maybe all those 10-hour nights of sleep that we put in the bank before she was born are paying dividends now?

And finally - yes - we hear the many calls for photos, and realize that yinz would much rather look at pictures of our cutie pie than read about her, however glowing our reviews may be.  So we'll try to keep the stream of new photos here every week or so...

Presenting little Zoe Mae Costello...

 The wait is over, and the wee babe child is here!  Cara and I headed into the hospital on Friday afternoon -- actually, we walked there.  Cara was keen to keep things moving, and the best way to help move the baby on down is to walk... So, with two miles and a great park ahead of us, I played the role of a sherpa and carried all the requisite stuff while Cara necessarily carried the baby, and off we went.   The weather was beautiful, and all the walking really helped the contractions build some steam.

We'll spare you all the details but, to borrow a phrase, nobody said it'd be easy.  Cara was an absolute champ, the Midwives at Magee were fabulous, and we had several wonderful doctors and nurses along the way.  (We labored through three midwife shifts, and had one great nurse at the end who spent at least 11 hours of her 12hr shift at our side!) We did, of course, encounter a few of the obligatory medical types who had probably skipped one too many bedside-manner classes, but on the whole, the experience was a good one.  We've long doted on Pittsburgh since moving here, and the fact that we were able to walk down the street to deliver at a world-class women's hospital is nothing short of amazing.  As is little miss Zoe:

Enjoy these few photos as a primer...  They were taken a few hours after Zoe was born, as she was splayed out enjoying the warmer in our room.  We'll post more photos in the coming days and weeks - including some featuring the proud parents.  Enjoy.

Where's the baby??

38 weeks. The good midwives and doctors tell us that baby is coming next week. Ready or not- here we go!

Slow and steady...

It's the waiting game now. I'm officially "full term" at 37 weeks- so if baby were to come now, all would be well. I still think I have a ways to go, but I guess you never know. I've been having a pretty worry free pregnancy, but I'm starting to understand the complaints and woes of those who have been pregnant before me. Swollen ankles and feet make wearing shoes a challenge, an increasingly heavy baby makes sleeping a challenge, and my built-in heater makes dealing with an unseasonably warm spring a challenge (85 degrees in April? Really??).

A few weeks ago, I started sleeping with a pillow under my feet to help with the swelling, and last night, I gave in and grabbed yet another pillow to support my legs/belly and help with circulation. Needless to say, our double bed is getting quite cozy; poor Tommy has almost been knocked off a few times. There haven't been any casualties yet though-- and let's hope it stays that way.

Sigh. But... I suppose that if this is as bad as it gets, then I've had it pretty good. Even though baby packs a good punch these days, I'm glad to feel him/her moving about and getting stronger. So, we're still chugging along. Slow and steady wins the race- right?

And yes, I know we're long overdue for another belly photo. For those with good imaginations, just add another few inches to the last photo- and there you have it. Daddy-to-be has been pretty busy with school and studying for comps, but I might be able to convince him to snap a picture later on tonight (assuming that I don't kill him for trying... I mean, I don't exactly feel like Miss America these days...) As always- stay tuned.

Ducks in a Row

Baby Costello has been officially showered. We had our third, and final, baby shower here in Pittsburgh 2 weekends ago. Baby now has more than enough goods to be well fed, diapered, cleaned, clothed and cared for. It really is amazing how much stuff one wee babe can have. After some hard work this past weekend, the baby/guest room in our house is finally more in order. The guest bed, crib and cradle had previously been piled high with all of the shower presents and hand-me-downs we had received. Every time I went to put it all away- I'd just stare at the mounds, feel completely overwhelmed, and end up closing the door to pretend it wasn't all there. But... thanks to Craigslist, we bought some under-bed storage boxes which helped free up some much needed space for baby's things. So- I'm proud to report that I can now see the guest bed and crib-- a vast improvement.

We had our final lamaze class last night-- and while I don't think it will make a huge difference on the kind of labor and delivery that I'll have, I'm glad that we took the course. If nothing else, it was a good place to air our questions and concerns, and I especially enjoyed the part where Tommy had to massage my back and arms. However, as wonderful and informative as the class was, I'll be glad to have my Monday nights back!

So- all of our ducks are getting in row. Baby's room ready? Check. Childbirth classes? Check. Pediatrician chosen? Check. Baby? Well.... that's the one thing we can't quite schedule in. Who knows when baby will decide to come? My coworkers have started a pool, and the dates range from April 23 to Cinco de Mayo.... Any guesses?

Catch up time

We had our 34 week appointment a few days ago- and the good news is that all of my worrying about the baby's position was for naught. Baby is head-down-- although the midwife had to do an ultrasound to confirm. She thought she felt a head down low-- but when she listened for the heartbeat- she didn't find it where she expected to. But then again, the little rascal was moving around quite a bit during the whole procedure. So yes- baby is right where he/she should be at this stage in the game-- and we're cleared for take-off (regardless of my increasingly swollen ankles/feet).

It's been a busy week! We had a baby shower back in Neversink last weekend and came home with lots of good and useful stuff for baby. There's no way I could list it all-- but I can say that there's not that much left on our registries! We also got an assortment of fun handmade baby blankets, including a quilt made by Grandma Phillips. We're slowly trying to organize and put away all the goods we've received- but it's still a work in progress!

In addition to the shower- we had our Lamaze class as usual, our 34 week checkup, and we just got back from taking a baby CPR/first aid class. This coming week- we're meeting with two different pediatricians to decide on a doctor for the wee one. Then... maybe things will slow down a little. It's getting harder and harder for me to keep up my normal pace. One thing is for sure- this whole third trimester thing has taught me to live with a little more dust and clutter around the house. Somehow, I think it's a sign of times to come.

Making room for one more...

As you can see, we're working on baby-dog bonding already. Judging from prior experiences with nieces and nephews, we're pretty sure that Rocco will be a-ok with a baby in the house. In fact, I'm sure he'll even love the baby once the wee one starts dropping food around the house.

As you can also see- my belly continues to grow. I'm almost at 32 weeks now- well past the 7 month mark. My newest obsession is worrying about the baby's position. At our checkup last week, he/she was still positioned head-up. We were told that the baby has a few more weeks to move around before it gets too crowded in there- but I still worry that baby won't get the memo to move head down in time. Ah well- I guess we'll just wait and see.

In other news, I feel like I've been pregnant so long now that I can't remember what it feels like NOT to be pregnant. I've even gotten to the point where it seems strange that everyone else isn't pregnant. I'm even pregnant in my dreams. Is parenthood like this too?

With that said- this preggo lady is going to indulge in some ice-cream and bed. G'night!