Why I should never, EVER, be in photos.

AKA, my impromptu maternity shoot.


Seriously, guys.  I should NEVER be in photos.  Especially not on purpose.  But, about a month before I was due, I remembered this post from Delia and became inspired.  I did not take monthly belly shots with this pregnancy.  And I'd never had a "maternity" shoot before.
Add in a little early birthday present for myself (a remote for my DSLR!  When I learned how inexpensive they were I treated myself!) and I figured I needed to document this occasion.  I did mean to blog about it before the baby was actually born, but you know how it goes...

Another good reason to document this: I only gained a total of 11 pounds!  Seriously!  This is a far cry from my first, when I gained 50 pounds, or my second, when I gained 45.  

So, even though I was totally self conscious posing by myself all along in my backyard, I'm glad I've got some photos from this period of my life.

If for no other reason than now when I get that little urge (about a year from now...) for another little bundle, I can look at these and remember how sick I was and how awful I felt.

Just kidding.  I mean, I was.  But you know I know it was worth it.  Right?  

I was asked on multiple occasions if I was sure it wasn't twins.  Which is nothing new.  I got this with the other two kids as well.  I would like to know what possesses people to say things like that... "Hey.  I bet she doesn't realize that she's as big as a whale right now.  What if I ask her how many bodies she's hiding in there - that oughta make her feel better!"

I call this my model face:

And just so you know, these are the best of the best.  I took advice from the experts and took about 600 photos, planning on weeding through and having a bunch to choose from... So very sad that these were literally the only somewhat useable ones I managed.  What a downer.  I should have had my sister do the shoot for me...

Here's the ultrasound picture that had me worried my child would come out looking like a Peanuts character - most likely Linus.

And for your amusement - here are some super awesome outtakes you don't want to miss.

I truly can take a decent photo.  I swear.  Just not of myself.

Info: 
camera - Nikon d3100 (user-friendly, lots of options, I love it!)
camera remote - Nikon ML-L3 Wireless Remote (like this one) (easy to set up, easy to use, I'm still getting the hang of using it DISCREETLY)
Editing - all editing done on picmonkey - I have their Premium membership (even though I swore I wouldn't pay for it, I broke down) and I think it's worth it!

*Be sure to check the right sidebar for all the fun parties I link to!