In other news, I am sick – been sick since.. dunno, it feels like forever.  It started with Jasper of course, and despite that he has a double EI from it, he’s doing fine (he seems to often have a double EI that doesn’t bother him so we just keep an eye on it.) I on the other hand, feel like crapola.  After 4 days of my throat feeling like it was on fire I finally went to the Dr where they told me that this virus that’s going around just lingers forever.. no kidding.

It really wouldn’t be so bad except for the icing on the cake which came in the form of conjunctivitis – in BOTH eyes. Yep, I’m a walking leper at the moment. Sigh. The joys of having a child in daycare.

Anyway, I haven’t had a chance to even slow down much because I’m still dealing with the aftermath of an extremely busy fall season photography wise.  Most of the editing and sales sessions are done (thank god!) but I am still in the midst of ordering, putting together albums, designing mini accordions etc. etc.  (I always forget/underestimate JUST how much work goes into each and every session.)

I do want to blog about some of those sessions but for right now, I want to share some images from the 14mm 2.8 L!

Remember my post about Canon CPS and how you can borrow any lens for free to evaluate it?  Yes, well I recently took advantage of that offer and borrowed the 14mm 2.8 L.  I arranged to have it arrive so that I could use it for an indoor lifestyle session I had planned with one of the families from Jasper’s daycare.  They have the perfect house for a lifestyle shoot, but in the end, the shoot was scheduled for yesterday and a) I couldn’t have shot in their house due to my pink eye and b) it was almost 60 degrees so it seemed foolish not to do an outdoor shoot.

So in the end I only ended up using the lens to take a few snapshots in Nyack (the town where we will be moving to if all goes well!) It was midday, my least favorite time to shoot so please excuse the lighting!

First up, we stopped at Jasper’s favorite park to feed the ducks and take a walk along the stones by the Hudson:

Scenic landscapes like these are what a wide angle is MADE for. If I lived and shot at a beach often I would for sure need to own this lens. Wide angle beach shots are always so stunning.

Next we stopped for ice cream – it was yet another unseasonably warm weekend so we were able to eat outside and take in the street scene. It was very cool to be able to stand so close to my subjects and get so much of the scene in the frame!

Getting close up is a little tricky because of the distortion, but it can also be really fun too. And when else can you sit RIGHT NEXT to your subject and still be able to shoot them?

Next stop was this brick wall that I’ve been just WAITING for the right client to shoot in front of.. The great thing about shooting this with a wide angle is that I was right up on the curb. With most/any of my other lenses I would have either had to back up into the street (obviously not good!) or across the street, which would have meant shooting in between the cars as they went by.  I love that I was able to get so much of the wall in the shot and still be so close to the subjects.

I really thought that at my outdoor shoot last night I would have been able to use it for the silhouette, but in the end I went with my Tamron 28-75 because the wide angle was actually getting TOO much shrubbery and distracting elements in the frame.

So, would I buy this lens?  Probably not at this time.. but if I lived and shot regularly at a beach or the desert or some crazy amazing landscape the answer would definitely be yes. Also if I shot weddings and wanted to get a wide view of say the whole reception it would be invaluable. But for me, I think I would add the 35L to my aresenal first. I don’t have a low light lens for indoors other than my 50mm which can sometimes be too tight indoors even on a full frame.

But, it was a lot of fun testing it out!

:)

“Children under 2 are 75% less likely to die or be severely injured in a crash if they’re in rear-facing car seats, according to the policy statement, published today in the journal Pediatrics.”

Good for the AAP for finally getting with the program.. but it kinda makes you wonder what took them so long and why it’s takes reading mommy blogs and FB links to viral videos to actually get the most up-to date CORRECT information  incredibly important safety issues like this!

Most of you know that I am madly in love with my Canon 70-200L f/2.8 IS II, it doesn’t leave my camera when I’m shooting outdoors. But indoors, it can be too long so I decided to use my completely neglected 24-70mmL f/2.8.

Since buying it, I actually have reached for my Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 over the canon because I noticed that I seemed to have a harder time nailing focus with the Canon. But a recent session that I used the Tamron left me less than thrilled so I recommitted to “figuring out” the canon 24-70, which is why I pulled it out for these Jasper shots.

When it nails focus, it is EXCELLENT:

The key word is “when.”   There were a bunch of soft shots, and I think I know why, and why many people say they need to “learn to love” the 24-70.

It’s a strange thing, to need to “learn to love”  a $1000+ lens, shouldn’t it rock your world out of the box?

So, this is my theory with the lens..

Most of us that upgrade to the 24-70 are coming either from a cheaper zoom like the Tamron OR from a  prime like the 50mm or 30mm. Those lenses have one thing in common: they are FEATHER light compared to the 24-70.

What that means is that you can shoot at lower shutterspeeds  and not get much if any camera shake.  But enter the 24-70 (known in the industry as “the beast”) and whoa, it’s heavy and my test shots show that I need to crank the shutterspeed up to at least 250 to beat the shake!

Now, that is all well and good on a full frame camera, but on a crop sensor that kind of blows because you are already battling with noise at ISOs as low as 400, if you need to use a really high shutterspeed too you will need to crank that ISO even higher and introduce even more noise!

Which is why I think if you have a crop sensor camera, you’re better off sticking with the Tamron or primes and save the 24-70 for if/when you upgrade to full frame.

Now the 70-200 is so heavy it makes the 24-70 feel like a cream puff, but the difference is that the 70-200 is stabilized and I almost NEVER miss focus with it.  Rumor has it that canon will be introducing a stabilized version II of the 24-70 and I think THAT would be a lens worth owning on a crop or a full frame body!

As usual, these are merely my opinions based on my experiences with these different pieces of glass, if you have any opinions, thoughts or questions I’d love to hear them!

Oh, and here is a shot of  Jasper after his haircut:

Yep- missed focus with that one!  More importantly, I miss his curls!! :(

Here are the 10 things I couldn’t have live without those first few months. (The ones with a * are ones I am STILL using even now.)

#1) A Graco Snugride. Yes, there are other models that you may get more mileage out of, but the Snugride wins hands down not just for it’s high safety rating, but also because it is the lightest car seat on the market. This may not matter when your babe is just a wee peanut on his/her way home from the hospital for the first time, but fast forward 6 months and 10lbs later and you will thank me. Or your shoulders will anyway!

#2) Somewhat related to #1, any stroller that the Snugride can attach to. This can either be a cheap snap ‘n go in addition to your “main” stroller for later, or you can do like we did and get a stroller like the UppaBaby Vista that you can snap the snugride onto with a simple attachment. You can read the reasons why I chose the Uppababy here if you are interested.

#3) The Happiest Baby on the Block DVD. Better yet, get it in the gift pack WITH the miracle blanket (see #4) Dr. Karp’s methods for soothing baby are nothing short of miraculous and you won’t understand it until you SEE him work his magic on the DVD. It’s almost comical how the babies go from screaming to SILENCE in one second flat once he uses his techniques. Also noteworthy is his fourth trimester theory, it makes so much sense and is an invaluable reference for how to structure your newborn’s environment for the first three months.

#4) The Miracle Blanket. This worked so well for us that we swaddled Jasper in his miracle blankets until 6 months! We tried the others (Swaddle Mee etc) but our little Houdini found his way out of all of them except the MB. Worth every penny.

#5) A Yoga/Bouncy Ball. You can use it during labor as a prop to lean on like they show you in birthing class, but it’s true value is for sitting and bouncing baby on! I nearly lost my mind the first 4 months of Jasper’s life, but I would have ACTUALLY lost it if it weren’t for the bouncy ball as it was the only thing that seemed to soothe him at all. Make absolutely sure you get the ball that is the appropriate size for your height. My parents have one that is a tiny bit bigger than ours and I had a hard time staying on it (falling off the ball with baby counteracts it’s soothing powers!) Better yet, buy one like this that has a stabilizing base included and a cute baby design, or just this plain one with base that is a better bargain. (You can also find the yoga balls alone for like $13 at TJMaxx, Marshalls etc.)

#6) A video monitor* Yes, people who have never had one will say they aren’t necessary, but you know what? I did’t think a cell phone was necessary before I had one either! Some things you just can’t live without once you’ve lived WITH them and this is one of those things. Jasper used to – no joke – cry in his sleep. Not like a little whine, but a full out cry. The video monitor let me know whether he was just sleep crying or if I really needed to rescue him. Even now he will cry and with a quick look I can tell if it’s a “my head is down and I’m going back to sleep soon” cry vs. an “I’m standing in the corner of my crib and never going to sleep again” cry. Worth it’s weight in gold.

#7) The Primo EuroBath* I never understood the fuss when my girlfriends raved about it.. I mean it’s a bath… a huge bulky plastic bath. But I have since seen the light. It is the only bath your baby will ever need until they are bathing in a regular tub. Trust me on this one!

#8) The Homedics Lullaby Sounds Spa Sound Machine* (aka “baby crack machine”).  Its a sound machine with baby friendly sounds – heartbeat, rain, ocean – and for when baby is older it projects cute little moving scenes on the ceiling. Yes, the projection motor will break, but for $16 at Bed Bath & Beyond (when you use a 20% coupon) you can just buy a new one. Or just use it like a nightlight like we do. Jasper likes the “rain” setting!

#9) A glider*, or at the very least a very comfy chair in the nursery. They are pricey, but check this site for children’s consigment sales and find one for a fraction of the price.  I must confess that I didn’t realize the TRUE value of  my glider until Jasper started sleeping in his own room and waking only once during the night. Before that he was in a bassinet in our room so the glider didn’t get much action after the first few weeks postpartum (when it was the only chair that was comfortable enough to sit on for any length of time while my nether regions were recovering.)   But now, that chair makes my daily 4am stumble into Jasper’s nursery for his nighttime feeding totally bearable. In fact, I even enjoy our early morning snuggle time together.

#10) An ORGANIC crib mattress. Yes, these are expensive, but once I read that in countries like New Zealand where they “wrap” the mattresses to prevent off gassing of materials SIDS is virtually non existent I was adamant about going organic for this item.  Please note that I am not suggesting that you are a bad parent if you buy a regular mattress, I am just telling you why I chose the mattress that I did. Plus I think that this information needs to get out there more, it’s pretty compelling and is totally underreported in the USA.

There are so many other products I absolutely love/d, so I will be writing a “Registry Redo” post soon (all the things I would have registered for then knowing what i know now) and that’s where you come in.. what am I forgetting or never knew about? What were YOUR must haves as a new mom or even now?  Orly, JB and other pregnant readers present and future can surely benefit from your experience!

After reading your recommendations on play yards and doing some research, I decided I wanted to get the L’il Playzone, mostly because it doesn’t look like a dog kennel.  Not so much for us, but so that Jasper would hopefully be fooled by the primary colors into thinking it was more toy and less jail cell!

The amazon reviews were very positive, but nearly everyone said to order two to make the area larger. Ouch, 2 would equal $200!  So off to craigslist I went.. and I found a nice couple only 20 minutes away selling their playzone plus 8 extensions for $110.. the extensions run $30 each, basically it was like getting two for one so I jumped all over it.

I was just about to leave to go pick it up when  Jasper started crying HYSTERICALLY in his room about 45 minutes after he’d gone down for the night.

Since we Ferberized a few months ago I’ve NEVER had to go in except for his middle of the night feeding. He might wimper or even weakly cry for a minute or two, but this was totally different and after a moment or two of indecision I went in to rescue him.  My immediate thought being that it was a crazy hot night and we hadn’t installed the A/C yet, maybe he was either hot, or couldn’t fall asleep with the windows open because of the kids making noise outside.

But it was the weirdest thing, when I went in to his room it was like I wasn’t even there at all.. in fact he crawled into the side of his crib as if he didn’t see it there. My presence was of no consolation to him, he continued to cry inconsolably flailing in my arms with eyes open for another 5 minutes until he finally settled down in our bedroom while Jeff installed a window unit in his room.  When I went to put him back down I expected a fight, but he went down as if nothing had ever happened.

The whole thing was so bizarre that I brought it up to the mother of the family that I bought the playyard from. She told me how her twin boys suffered from night terrors that began around Jasper’s age. Bingo!

When I got home I immediately looked it up online and that is exactly what happened.. even down to the timing (45 minutes after falling asleep).  Even though I felt awful that my poor little guy had to go through this, I was relieved to know WHY and WHAT was happening. It was really a horrible experience that I hope doesn’t happen again, but if it does at least now I’ll know what’s going on.

I also feel awful admitting this,  but I was relieved to know it wasn’t just a “sleep protest” that I responded to thereby potentially throwing Ferber out the window. (Once you’ve successfully sleep trained, it’s hard NOT to consider the future consequences of any disruption when it might mean that you have to start from scratch again.)

If they haven’t already, I hope that none of your babies ever have a night terror – but if they do at least maybe now you’ll remember this post and know what it is. I honestly don’t think it would have occured to me if the mom hadn’t mentioned it!

So have your little ones had night terrors? If so, when did they start?

So I began the arduous process of researching convertable carseats. The standouts seemed to be the Evenflo Triumph Advance and the ubiquitous (and pricier) Britax Marathon.

Keeping in mind Jasper’s history of contempt for his carseat, I decided we’d let him make the final judgement based on his reaction to sitting in them at BRU. (An option unavailable to us when purchasing the Infant carseat prior to his birth!)

I thought for SURE he’d pick the Triumph because it’s so much more plush and padded looking but he started fussing in it almost immediately. It seemed to curl his body into more of a C than an L position, whereas he had no seeming complaints about the Marathon. Or maybe he just wanted us to shell out as much $$ as possible. Either way, we ended up taking home the Britax Marathon.

Yesterday was a snowday, so today was his first ride ever not in his little snugride with the bundleme… mommy got all sentimental because she’s a weirdo like that.  The 10 degree temperature and  lack of a bundleme necessitated all sorts of other firsts like his first time wearing shoes to daycare:

His firs time wearing the coat we bought him months ago at Old Navy (it was way too big to fit in the snugride!):

And finally his first time buckled up in the Marathon – not fussing at all surprisingly:

He fell asleep on the way to daycare, so I’d say that the Marthon has Jasper’s highest form of approval – five snores!

:)

Here are the things that caught my eye:

Fisher Price Rainforrest Bouncy Chair

I am definitely getting this for Jasper. I had been looking for a used one, but at this price (plus our 10% employee discount) it’s cheaper to get it new!

Digital Brag Tags

50% off digital brag tags.. the digital keychain/photo frame that my best friend gave me for my birthday is my favorite cheesy mom item. I don’t have a wallet so had been wondering where I would store pictures of Jasper and this is the brilliant solution. Best of all, you can change them out as baby grows. They make cute stocking stuffers too!

Baby Einstein Jumper

I have also been wanted to get Jasper the Rainforest Jumperoo.. the price of this one has me reconsidering. The only advantage to this one seems to be that the toys can be changed out as baby gets bored of them. But the reviews are 4 stars for this at TRU.com and 5 stars for the rainforest jumperoo so I may stick with the original plan!

Speaking of the Jumperoo, I have a funny story..

Jeff & I were at the mall two weekends ago and we sat down at a bench so I could breast feed Jasper. We ended up sitting next to a couple who were also feeding their daughter and started chatting. Somehow we discovered that we both delivered at Phelps hospital and had the same back up OB assisting (the one I LOVED!) and we exchanged cards so we could set up a playdate.

So this past Sunday we went to their beautiful home (with a gorgeous view of the Hudson River) to watch the Giants game and hang out. I was so excited when I walked into the living room and saw the Rainforest Jumperoo so I could see if Jasper likes it before we purchase it for him (see, I’m learning!).

We’re having snacks and hanging out at the table and Jasper is sitting in the Jumperoo, completely silent and just staring straight ahead at one of the gizmos on the front.

“Oh look” we say, “He’s mesmerized by the lights and sounds!

A few minutes later he starts to fuss and I take him out of the Jumperoo and notice that his pants feel soaked.. fearing a pee leak I investigate..

Nope, it’s not pee but rather a huge fluorescent green poop explosion! He’s never had one that bad before (and of course it’s the one time I didn’t bring an extra outfit!) Luckily Ami had a long sleeve onesie, some sweatpants and socks Jasper could fit into so we could make it home with him.

Mesmerized my ass, I should have recognized the poop face (deep, deep concentration) when I saw it.

Thank god the poop didn’t get onto the fabric harness part of their Jumperoo, I would have felt terrible.

Unfortunately though, the poop skewed the results of our “Does Jasper like the Jumperoo Experiment!”

:)

WHO ARE WE??

We had the best of intentions.. instead of the rainforest bouncy chair we bought this:

Chicco Combi pod bouncer

And instead of the fisher price rainforest open top swing we bought this neutral (but ver $$$) swing:

Graco sweet peace soothing center swing

And Jasper can’t STAND either one. And why should he?

They are both fabulously boring as far as baby products go. The swing has one neutral colored little hanging teddy plush to entertain – NOT enough stimulation for my demanding little one.

In defense of the products I’m not sure if its just beacause Jasper hates sitting in general which I read is common in reflux babies because it cuts their tummies in two. (This hatred extends to the carseat and makes the 20 minute drive to and from work/daycare oh-so-cheery!)

So now I am on a craigslist plastic treasure hunt..I may have accepted my defeat, but I still refuse to pay retail for it! ;)

There are also “R US” bucks you can earn on all purchases at BRU or TRU -earn $5 for every $150 you spend between Oct. 15 and Dec. 24, 2008.

It’s about time!