Sugar and Spice and the Ill-Equipped Mom

I caved to the pressure and booked Madeline an appointment at a local Sears Portrait Studio.  I figured that she might as well have one more photography session before she's a mobile speed demon.  Frankly, I'd rather take her back to Chipperfield Photography because we love the photos we had taken of her there at three months, but we haven't saved up enough :)  But I digress.

I was talking on the phone with my mom last night, and revealed that I was going to take M to Sears for photos, and this made my mom quite excited!  "Do you have a pretty dress for Madeline to wear?" was the big question that my mom had.  My mom likes the idea of her grandaughter wearing dresses, it seems. Hmm ... well, I do have a dress or two that would fit her, but I don't know if I really want to memorialize my daughter in a dress.  She kind of looks like a stranger in a frilly dress.  She usually wears pajamas all day here at home,  and when we go out, it's pants, a long-sleeved onesie, and a jacket.  It's much too cold here to put her in a dress regularly!  So I don't know ... do I do the dress thing, or stick to a nice pair of pants and a sweater ... Would the pant outfit be more acceptable if it was pink, perhaps? 

Comments

[Goldberry]

We never did any "frilly" portraits - not so far, anyway. Even for big holidays like Easter and Christmas - her outfits resemble who she is (this past Christmas, we did a cordoroy dress with pink and silver snowflakes - nothing lacy or silky). If you think she is a stranger in a dress, then it might end up being a wasted picture. I know that I would want to look back on these portraits years from now and remember MY baby.

There are options, though. They do make little skort type outfits that are a little dressier, but fairly casual. If you shop at Old Navy or The Children's Place, you can get them cute, but inexpensive (I always shop the clearance racks). You could also pick up a jumper dress with stockings and put a turtleneck underneath. It doesn't need to be fancy.

Sorry for the long comment.

[julie]

Skip the frilly dresses and get a fun dress!! Or just dress her in anything I bought her. Or... you could do a costume. Castaway on a desert island.... a pirate with a peg-leg and a parrot... kitty ears? But... seriously... I bet that you would like the picture the best, if she is wearing YOUR favorite outfit for her. That way, it's not a "fake" picture.

[Helen]

What about doing both? Perhaps Sears will let you do a couple of different poses. You could do one with an outfit you like and one with a dress for your mom. Then you could just order one or two prints with the dress for your mom.

[Lori]

I feel your pain. Did the sears thing with my daughter as well. I really love the naked baby pics and sears would not let me do this, made me keep the diaper on. Good luck with your pics, mine turned out pretty good in spite of things.

[laura]

I think I've found a happy medium. Pair of pants with a ruffle on the hems and a hand-knit (but not by me!) sweater, or a knitted dress. The dress will probably work overtop the pants, actually ... then I can avoid having a lovely photo of M's diaper :)

Now we'll just have to see if M smiles!