#weespring

Pro lesson one: Be willing to let go of what you envisioned. Their cute smiles will speak for themselves (or so we can all hope!).

We walked down to our favorite park at the Seaport in Manhattan and figured we'd let the kids play and then shoot the picture. Plan going well! Until it started raining.

Pro lesson two: Check the weather before setting out. You definitely don’t want rain, but bright sun isn’t ideal either because your little one will be squinting.   

The good news was it wasn’t hard rain, and the kids didn’t care. We soldiered on!

At the park we love, there’s a bright red tower the kids love to climb that’s also well suited for a card background. I always tell clients to keep the background as clean as possible, so putting type around the cuties on their cards won't be an issue.  

Pro lesson three: Find a simple, bright background that leaves room for a holiday message.

I plopped down Raphael (age four) and Charlie (nine months) in front my perfect background while Gus (age three) was careening down the slide, head first, at 50 miles an hour. This gave me a chance to test the lighting and my camera settings.

I could definitely work with these two, cooperating and hamming it up. The problem was going to be Gus. How to get him off the slide?  

Pro lesson four: Be prepared with bribes! Most kids simply can’t sit still for a photo shoot. Rewarding them for cooperating makes it 100x easier for mom and dad.

But sometimes ever bribes aren’t enough. Gus is coming in the next photo, but note his ill-fitting outfit. Note his expression. Note everything. This is my Gus, otherwise known as crazypants GUSMAN.

Ummmm...

Yup, he's doing the head shake now.

Even baby Charlie thinks he's crazy…  WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO?!?

Back to pro lesson one, again! Not everything will go according to plan. Roll with the punches, and embrace what you’ve got.

That’s it, folks! As soon as the shutter clicked on this shot, Gus was off… back on the slide, head first, as on-lookers gasped.

I decided I love this last picture, and there’s a good strong chance it will make the cut for our holiday card. These are my kids. Holiday cards don’t need to be picture perfect; they’re a snapshot of your family. And in our family, Charlie likes her binky, Gus is nuts, and Raphael is four. I can’t help but laugh out loud every time I look at this picture (note Raphael's fly is down). These are my kids. They are goofballs, and I love them, and if I made them look perfect it would be weird.

When my husband and I were looking for a pediatrician for our first-born son, we asked friends who they recommended. Then we set up a prenatal consultation with that practice. We liked all the doctors in the practice. But we especially liked the convenient location. It was a good fit all around.

Unfortunately, that’s not always the case. Sometimes parents clash with their children’s doctors. A lot of this could be avoided with research. Figure out what’s a deal breaker and what’s negotiable. For example, do you need to be able to email your physician or are you okay calling the office? My current practice does not use email to communicate with patients. I wish it did. However, my practice is staffed 365 days a year. And every weekday there are sick children walk-in hours from 7:30-8:30 with no appointment necessary. Genius!

Here are other questions to consider before signing on with a practice:

What happens when your physician is away? Is there a back-up doctor?

Is the office staff helpful?

How long does it take to reach your doctor?

Are you and the physician on the same page when it comes to vaccines? Some have very strict policies about vaccines, so it's better to find out before you’ve committed to a practice.

Where are the admitting privileges?

Is there a sick child waiting room? 

Can you access and download health records online?

3. You'll Learn Lots Yourself: Now that you’re a parent, chances are you appreciate your parents more than ever. You may even be the age your parents were when you first remember them. But how much do you know about their lives before you were born? Showing an interest will enrich your relationship, and you might be surprised by the things you learn.

Knowing the value of recording family history, my husband and I created StoryWorth.com, a service that makes it super easy to record your family stories. Each week, StoryWorth will email your parents a question about their lives. All they have to do is reply to that email with an email or a voice story. StoryWorth saves their stories in a beautiful online biography, and shares them with your family.

And because you're part of the weeSpring family, we'd like to give you 10% off your first year.

2. Foam Puzzle Piece Mat: Our floors are tile and using the mat allows baby to safely play on the floor.

3. Pack n Play: It's compact and allows baby to comfortably sleep at Gramma and Papa's house.

4. True Sounds Digital Audio Monitor: We purchased one to keep at the house for when baby visits.

5. Fisher Price Infant to Toddler Rocker: It's great for babies and grows with the child.

6. Outlet Covers: Seems like a small thing, but so important.

7. Cloud b Sleep Sheep: It makes a soothing noise when putting a baby to bed for sleep and signals time for sleep :)

8. Soft plastic bibs: These are easy to wipe off and keep handy for mealtimes.

9. Exergen Temporal Artery Thermometer: Keeps me from wondering if baby is running a temperature and it's so easy to use.

10. Boogie Wipes: So much easier on baby's little nose. We have the Grape Canister.