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There's no Place like Home for the Holidays

I've been putting myself out there lately and it's been hard! I've been wanting to do more couples shoots since I've been getting inquiries with no bites, but I am mostly comfortable being a kid photographer. So I decided to push myself and wrangled my sister and her husband into modeling for me. I asked a few forums for advice in making an ad for Valentine's Day and they all said raise those prices! This is so incredibly hard for me. I try to be confident, but I am a perfectionist who is hypercritical of myself and my work. I don't want to lose my old clients and I don't want people to think I am proud either. I guess I still feel like an impostor sometimes regardless of how many classes I've taken and how much work I've put into learning my art. To be fair, I sort of felt like an imposter as a therapist too regardless of the change I've seen happen and the people who have told me flat out I helped change their life. Maybe that feeling just comes when you are new(ish) to something. Anyhow, I did raise my prices and now I'm just waiting. We'll see how it goes. I guess worst case scenario I can reduce them again. 

In other news it's a new year! My goal is to get Eli potty trained (yeah...again). We've always quit due to concerns about his health, but he's been taking his diaper off and peeing on/in things just because he can which pretty much everyone says is a sign he's ready. So we're pushing on through. He's had 3 days with no accidents now so I'd say we have a good start, but I'm still not sure how we're going to do public places with just him and Anias. He needs help getting up on the potty still so how do you do that with an infant? I'm not brave enough yet. For Anias- I want to get him on a nap schedule. He's in that 4 month regression and has seriously slept a total of 25 minutes all day. I am so. so. tired.

Me? I want to put down the cell phone more often and really engage with  my kids. I have a multitude of reasons why I'm on that thing, but the bottom line is I want less time on it so that's that.


Anias: Week 15

I had a big week! I met all of my cousins, the rest of my aunts and uncles, and my maternal great-grandparents! Of course, I had to take my first TWO airplane rides and a 2 hour drive to get to meet them, but I took it in stride. I surprisingly really love the cold, even though mom didn't trust herself enough to take me sledding. I had my first Christmas and Santa brought me a peek-a-boo ball.

Anias: Week 16

After a looooong (15 hour) trip home I slept through the night! In fact, I slept through the night twice this week. Once from 12-8 and once from 8-7. I made up for it later though by waking up almost every 2 hours later on. The four month sleep regression is here! Happy new year! Mom's resolution for me is to get on a nap schedule.

Eli

On the plane ride to Wyoming I believed I saw a waterfall. So of course I started yelling "Where'd the waterfall go!?" repeatedly until we landed. My cousin Corbin was wearing Mardi Gras beads and so I said to him, "Ohhhhh grandma Bees!" I told Papa I was a tickle monster, so Grandma asked what tickle monsters ate. I immediately started chasing her trying to eat her. I nicknamed my uncle Chris "Uncle Christmas" and I celebrated my third birthday. I had a Paw Patrol party with 'Pup'-corn, 'Pup'-eroni pizza, and Puppy Chow. I made mom and dad laugh by making up lyrics to a song that goes "yucky broccoli".

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