A Check-Up and Some Photos

My photography class has officially come to end, and while the class was fantastic, it will be nice to have my Wednesdays back. I learned some really great practical ways to use my camera differently and can't wait until another Ironman to try out some some different sports pictures. I'm already noticing a difference in the pictures that I've been taking and have started getting some that I love. One of my favorite takeaways from the class--taking the yellow out of indoor pictures. The second you turn a light on in a house, pictures taken with the automatic picture settings start to come out yellow, whether you use a flash or not. And now, I can finally take pictures of Lilly playing inside or in the bath without the yellow tint. These pictures aren't fantastic but you get the point:

Also this week, Lilly had her 15-month check up and another round of shots. She's 31 inches tall and weighs 21.5 pounds! Dr. Brown said she's happy, healthy and perfect. And definitely a little girl. She was chatting away in his office, speaking her own language, complete with hand gestures and laughs. Dr. Brown told me that 10% of boys are chatty at this age, and only 10% of girls are not chatty. That's a statistic that I believe! Lilly's almost finished with her shots--at 18 months she gets the last round for a couple of years, thank goodness. She was not a happy camper after these shots. She didn't want to walk around and every time she looked at her band aids, she's start crying again. I took off the band aids, put Lilly down for a nap and she didn't wake up too much happier. I thought I knew a way to get her mind off her sore legs--the hot potato dance! So I put on her music and she got really excited. When she started dancing, she did a little squat like she usually does, and burst into tears again. It was a long afternoon and I'm glad it's in the past. After a good night of sleep, she was fine the next day and all that remained of her shots were the little dots on her legs, which are quickly fading.

I have taken a break from tutoring after the end-of-school year craziness, but this week, I started tutoring again and it's working out nicely. I have a student coming to our house for an hour and a half in the mornings, when Lilly is taking her morning nap. It's great and working well, so I'll keep doing that for the rest of the summer.

We're heading up to Boston for the weekend to see some friends. It's supposed to be a gorgeous weekend so we're looking forward to getting away for a couple of days and taking Lilly to Boston Commons to see the ducklings!