100 day photo shoot

Going to a studio and having pictures made in Asia is such a cultural experience. (Can I get an AMEN fellow ex-pat friends?!) The experience is often multiplied when kids are involved. Here, portrait studios offer interesting clothing options for your children. If you want to put your 3 month-old in a blond Shirley Temple wig, then hey, they have one and think it's cute! I believe often the effect they are going for is Victorian-chic but it often comes across as something like Little Bo Peep. It's just funny. But there's something about the distinct Asian-ness of the picture experience that makes me smile. Except that it usually takes hours to get the photos made, what with all the outfit changes and all. My two previous experiences having pictures made with Grace made me never want to do it again. But, of course, now that Trinity is here, I really want to be fair. (This is a middle-child talking!) In this country, a baby's 100th day is a special milestone. Often, if a family cares to and can afford it, they will throw a big party and buy dinner for all their family and close friends. And, they will get the baby's pictures made. When Grace turned 100 days old, it took a full 4 hours but we got some cute pictures out of it. Today, with Trinity, it only took 3 hours (including a little nap time thrown in there) and we had a little less drama. I think it's because I was much more vocal this time about what pictures I wanted and what I didn't want. When Trinity and I arrived, they showed me various outfits I could choose from. I found myself saying things like, "No, I don't want a picture with my baby in a pink wig." "Yes, I think the strawberry outfit is cute." Yes, I brought some of her own clothes I'd like to use." "Can we please use the white bow because I don't think the pink one matches with her red dress?" and so forth. The ladies who helped me were so sweet and wanted us to be happy with the pictures. They were much less pushy than the last time I went to a studio. And, they were very interested in every single baby item I had brought with me from the US. The changing mat..."so specialized." Trinity's white bow: "Wow, so different from ours." Her sundresses: "Wow, we don't have any baby clothes like that here." We entertained them, I believe. When we started taking pictures, Trinity rolled over for the first time! That was fun to see. And when you have 3 ladies banging a tambourine and all trying to make you smile at once, it makes a baby tired. So, they were so kind to let Trinity sleep for a while. (That's one thing that I love here; they let you take as much time as you need because it's a special occasion and you want good photos!) Once Trinity fell asleep, I put her down on a mat on the staging area where the photos are made. Trinity was sleeping so soundly in a cute little strawberry outfit. A mom with a 2 year old boy came into the photo room and didn't see me. All of a sudden she said, "That baby isn't real, right? Is that baby fake?" To which I replied, "No, she's real." She turned around suddenly, saw me and laughed. I didn't mean to embarrass her, but I think she was. All of us had a good laugh about it. It's so rare to see a foreign baby here, and she was sleeping so soundly that I can see why she thought Trinity was a doll. :) I was a little tired of telling them I didn't want certain outfits, so I conceded on one outfit and let them dress her in a red and white checked bikini with a Bo-Peep hat. Oh my! Trinity was tired by that point and I knew we already had some good photos, so why fight it? I don't have to buy those, but hmmm, maybe I will just for funsies! It's days like these that makes me smile about some of the cultural differences we run into. Maybe we were a little egg-like today.