Baby Gap ad?

Remember when we had Brady's 3 month photo shoot (waaaay back in mid November!)? Well I didn't even get a chance to post photos from it! And I should have gotten around to it because he looked like a little model.  He's still got that "I love to laugh but I ain't sharing my smiles with your camera!" attitude, but boy is he expressive! Check out a few of our favorites of our little model! 

*note: he's not quite sitting up by himself yet, this is just a tiny bit of camera magic :) 

Our little elf :)

He's an angry elf! hah

Devil elf :)

Picture perfect baby

"I don't like that flash!"

Flying baby!

Hmm, what's next?

Oh, I'm too cute.

A couple of weeks after the shoot though, a funny thing happened.  My agent sent out an email looking for babies for a Gerber baby ad and needed babies ages 3 months and up of talent that was already registered with the agency.  The perfect opportunity! I could send in a couple of these pics to my agents (who mostly get digital camera snapshots from babies because shooting headshots for babies is a silly waste of money) and they'd eat him up! For sure we'd at least get called to the audition (which would consist of some photos, for it was a print ad, not a commercial -- though I'm not quite sure what they do in a baby commercial audition anyways ... turn on the camera and stare at them oohing and aahing?).

I had always thought I'd be totally okay with putting my (super duper adorable) baby in print ads because, well it pays a lot (hey! someone needs to pay for college, might as well be Gerber!), and he's too young to know he's sort of being exploited, and there are rules so they can't throw your baby under hot lights for a long time anyways ... but I don't know.  Once it was there, starring me in the face, I looked at my little fussy boy (his non existent teeth are starting to be an issue) and I thought, no, not this week. I could not phantom taking my sweet innocent boy to an audition where I would be stressed out trying to get him to not cry for those specific 3 minutes of the day when I knew all he wanted to do was to be home playing on the floor with his toys, drooling out a river on his shirt, and chomping on teethers.  So, we didn't respond.  No baby star here. At least right now. I don't know if I'll always be able to say no, (he's so darn handsome!) and I still don't know quite how I feel about it ... is it exploitation? Is posting pictures of him here or on fb the same thing without a huge paycheck and awesome pictures to save forever? I'm not sure how I feel.  I guess time will tell and we shall see.  But for now, only me and my friends get to enjoy this little bundle of handsomeness.  And he's still being a booger and laughing laughing laughing in person and then giving the camera the stink eye so if you want to see him in his utmost cuteness, please do come visit.  Because he seriously has Scott and me smiling and laughing all day!! :)

Baby's 1st Holidays!

Holiday Update ... Better late that Never?? hehehaha. Well here ya go! ... Brady's 1st Thanksgiving and Christmas!

Did you all have a good turkey day?? (Or do you remember your turkey day??) We did! Scott and I cooked again, as we've been doing the last 3 years.  We actually really enjoy it, we may not have a lot of room, but we have a lot of love (and a big island that holds lots of yummy food).  It was just 5 of us (mom, dad, and Uncle Scott came over) and Brady so this year I decided that instead of making enough sides for each person to have 2 of their own, we would just make a couple (which for a Minneci/O'Connell meal means like 6) and the delicious turkey and homemade apple pie for dessert (with a Christmas movie of course!).  Brady did not get turkey sooo it may not be fair to say he "experienced" his 1st Thanksgiving, but he looked cute and hung out with us anyways so here's some pics to remember the 1st!

Christmas was a little more fun (duh!) We took Brady downtown (his first ride on the el! -- he was amazing, sat in my momma's lap the whole time looking around and then falling asleep! haha) to see Santa at Macys (he was soo good, he even laughed on Santas lap and had no intention of being down sitting there!), went to the Zoo Lights (thank you kind warm Christmas weather), and attended Christmas's on the 23rd (at the O'Connells), the 24th (with the Morans), and the 25th (at the Minnecis).  We even took Brady out to midnight mass where he slept through the first half like a little Christmas angel and when he woke up just smiled and stayed quiet during the second half (a little Christmas miracle.)  Santa (and gramma) brought him waaay too many toys and we now host a small toy store in our condo, but all in all, it was a perfect 1st Christmas and my heart couldn't be any happier. :)

Posing as an elf

Happy Santa

My Christmas babies :)

1st Picture with Santa!!

Going to see Santa

1st El ride ... City boy!

After seeing Santa ... all smiles :)

Zoo Lights

Christmas Eve :)

Opening Santa's presents!!

....all by himself...

hmmm,what's next?

Christmas morning with Grampa :)

1st Christmas :) 

 

 

I hope your holidays were filled with as much fun and love! :)
Merry Belated Christmas and Happy Belated Thanksgiving! ;)
Can't wait to share all the incredible ways Brady is changing through the new year ...

A whole new year ....

One of my many New Year's resolutions, is to not forget about my blog.  Not because my life is *oh so important* to be sharing with you ;) but because I need to force myself to write down the little things so I remember them as time is slipping away rapidly.

My little nuttypoo is 1 week away from 5 months old! Can you believe it!? I simply cannot.  He's just the most awesome and I shall share some holiday pictures soon. Promise. (new years promise! those are real!)

So the other day we rang in 2012. How old does that make me feel? 12 years since the millennium! And it's not like I don't even remember 2000 -- I was almost out of high school already at that point.  Feeling old.

I hate New Years Eve.  Did you know that about me? I have since I was much younger.  (Not like super kid little because then it was fun -- you get to stay up till midnight and eat junk food!)  But at least since I was a teenager, I have hated New Years Eve.  First off, I am not now, nor I have ever been a big fan of "change".  I'm just not good at it.  I find comfort in the way things are and get anxiety about change -- really rather it's good or bad change, I just get major anxiety with it.  And changing into a whole new year, well that's a lot of unknown change. The worst kind.  Then there's all the expectations that come along with the New Year.  There's expectations to have "super fun and cool plans" on New Years Eve, there's expectations for the big moment at midnight, and there's expectations for the new year ahead.  It all gives me a lot of anxiety.  For many years (call me a dork if you must) I have been craving for the New Years when I had the perfect excuse to curl up on the couch and do nothing on New Years Eve. No anxiety, no expectations.  But there is never a good excuse to do that without feeling like a dork.  Until you have kids.  Then it is *totally* acceptable (esp. in my thwarted mind) to stay home on the couch while your babe sleeps peacefully.  So I am actually extremely happy to say that this year, I *finally* got the New Years Eve I have been secretly craaaaving for the last oh 14 years or so ... I snuggled on the couch with my husband and watched a movie while our baby boy slept peacefully away, rang in the New Year's with a kiss (and only a hint of new year expectation anxiety-- I mean this very well could have been the last New Year we ever have if the Mayans are to believed ... ) and was cuddled up warm in my bed by 1am. 

Finally, perfection.  Couldn't ask for anything more. :)

Happy 2012 friends! Hope it found you happy and healthy and stays that way all the way through ....