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After our unborn child had its picture taken we decided to have ours taken, too. Near sunset we made our way to Corona Del Mar for a portrait session on the beach. A pro photographer would be shooting this time, instead of me.

We arrived a little early and enjoyed walking the beach in our bare feet. Emma, who’s had a thing against the ocean since getting splashed one time, enjoyed herself. Perhaps she’s given up the grudge.

The photographer arrived a little after we did and directed us to pose, pose again and then – pose some more. She really seemed to enjoy Emma… she couldn’t stop laughing at all of the “cute” expressions she made. (We think she’s cute, too, in case you were wondering.)

I was a little dissapointed, to be honest. The pro was using my camera, my lens and my flash. (Well, she had the 550EX as opposed to my 420EX, but the difference is minimal.) I guess I was expecting a little bit more from a pro. You know, some L-series zooms or a sweet, sweet prime.

But, no. Her gear was my gear. My gear was her gear. Ah, well. Such is life.

At any rate, I snapped a few pictures, too, so we’ll compare next week and see just how pro a pro is!

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Oh! I almost forgot. Here are two of the promised shots of Marla’s growing belly. I love it!

We had our big “Baby Tour” on Wednesday. The “Baby Tour” is that awesome ultrasound session you have sometime in the second trimester. If you’ve had it done, you know what I’m talking about.

The ultrasound tech begins poking and prodding with the probe, pointing out interesting features along the way. It’s a lot like the Jungle Cruise at Disneyland, only without the corny jokes.

“And here, you see The Kid’s the feet. See those little toes? Aren’t they cute?”

“And this, of course, is the head. See the nose? And the eyes? So cute…”

You don’t, of course, see the eyes or the nose. But it sure sounds a lot better than, “See the eye sockets? Aren’t those cute eye sockets? And how about that nasal cavity!”

Read more on baby update #2 (ultrasound tour)…

I’m normally really annoyed when our association water sprinklers go off in the middle of the day and stay on for hours. It’s fun when things malfunction and waste precious resources, don’t you think? In this case, though, it happened in the late afternoon on a weekend when we happened to be outside playing, anyway. What better way to introduce Emma to the fine art of playing in the sprinkler.

playing in the sprinkler

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Our favorite “celebrity chef” Alton Brown was in town yesterday so, of course, we had to attend. He was doing a cooking demonstration and signing autographs at The Shops at Mission Viejo.

We’d seen him once before at the LA Times Festival of Books back in 2002 when Marla was pregnant with Emma. He cooked ribs and signed our copy of “I’m Just Here For The Food.” We figured Emma would definitely need to meet him for real this time. On the menu: beef jerky (made with a box fan) and funnel cakes. How can you go wrong with that combination?

The mall was packed, but after waiting in line for hours we finally were able to get our Sodium Chloride Containment Unit signed. (Emma entertained herself decorating cookies (and eating icing galore) while Mommy and Daddy took turns standing in line.)

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fountain fun

We love our little town, it’s true. Rancho Santa Margarita is such a family-friendly town with lots of parks and such to keep everyone occupied.

The fountain is just outside a Baja Fresh that Marla really enjoys. Emma has looked at it longingly for many months now and we finally let her play in it.

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chuck e. cheese

Chuck E. Cheese may be the happiest place on Earth while weathering the blackout days for season pass holders at Disneyland. Emma’s quite fond of the carosel and drving the little yellow bus.

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Emma’s new thing is taking all of her clothes off. “Emma get naked!” she likes to shriek. I’m convinced that she’s just excercising a new-found skill (getting herself dressed/undressed) and not a budding nudist or anything.

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