Picture Perfect

Pictures yesterday were a complete nightmare!

On our way to the studio Alexis somehow managed to poop out of her diaper. When I unwrapped her from the blanket, all I could smell was baby poop and it wasn't the not so bad smelling stuff either! I know, no one wants to hear about that. I will admit, I was upset. I had her in this beautiful dress, she looked so adorable, even prettier than the model babies some companies use to sell their wares. I know I'm bias but I'm her mom so I'm entitled to play favourites.

Luckily for me, there was a department store right next door to the studio and the photographer was nice enough to give me the time I needed to go over there and get Alexis something else to wear. His only request was that I cleaned her up over there too! I guess he's not one who can tolerate baby poo.

I couldn't find a dress as beautiful as the one I had picked out for her but I did find one that was maybe even better. The one I had her in made her look like a princess, the new one I bought made her look like the baby next door but yet it seemed so much more natural for her. Does that sound strange?

So I got her all cleaned up and we finally got to get down to business. The photographer flipped through some backgrounds until he found one that made it look like she was sitting in the middle of a forest with the sun streaming through some of the trees, he handed her a flower to hold onto and walked back to the camera. "And mom let's see some smiles."

Try as I might, I couldn't get her to even give me a grin. I talked silly to her, I played with her dolly and even tried peek-a-boo which always made her laugh before but she wasn't buying it. There were no smiles in the future it looked like. In fact she looked like she was going to cry.

Larry, the photographer tried some of his tricks to make her smile but he too failed. He suggested that I either reschedule or he could take some pictures with her looking serious. Neither option sounded good to me, so I asked him to give me a few minutes with her. Reluctantly he agreed and went to get something to drink and to talk to his next customers, a father and mother with their three children.

"Alexis we really need to see some smiles. Don't you want to look pretty on your photos?" She looked at me and then past me at the family waiting. Lifting her hand she pointed, "Daaaa'. Dropping her hand she looked at the dolly that I held in my hands and tried to grab it.

"You want the dolly? Will you smile with the dolly?" I gave her the dolly to see if she would, she wouldn't. She tossed the dolly on the floor and looked over at the family again. "Daaaaa."

I sighed, "Alexis your daddy isn't here."

"How are we doing? Are we going to get any smiles? Or reschedule?" Larry was starting to get a little impatient with us I could tell.

"We are going to have some smiles," I told him, even if I have to tape them on her face. "Alexis listen to me honey. If you smile for mommy and the nice man with the camera, when we go home we'll call daddy ok?" I groaned inside as I spoke those words, I didn't want to think about calling Reed but if it makes her smile then I'm not above telling her we will.

I stepped back behind the photographer and crossed my fingers. Larry set the shot up again and went back to his camera and I'll be damned, she smiled!

We quickly did a couple more poses and then we were done. Larry sent us over to his wife to talk about what packages I wanted and to pay for the sitting. In the end I decided on two different poses, one she was sitting in front of a waterfall background with one hand raised and the other one at her waist and her legs were out in front of her. The second one she was sitting in front of what looked like a wall with flowers and ivy growing all around; she had wings on, one hand was resting against her cheek and the other one was open on her leg with one leg bent under her and the other one was bent out in front of her. And the most important thing, she had a big smile on her face in both pictures.

As we walked home, I felt like skipping because it turned out so well. I was also hoping that she didn't remember that I said we'd call Reed. But she remembered. Once I got in the apartment and put her on the floor, she crawled over to where the phone was and sat up waiting for me. Sometimes I wonder if she's smarter than she should be for her age, or if I don't know what I'm doing and assume that she knows.

Picking her up, I grab the phone and head for the couch. I sat there with her in my arms for a good ten minutes, I didn't want to call him but I also didn't want Alexis to think her mother was a liar. I know it is a bigger deal to me than it is to her but you never know, kids remember the strangest things sometimes.

"Do we really want to call daddy?" I asked her. She looked up at me with her fingers almost in her mouth, "Daaaaa."

Raising a brow I wondered if she just said it because I said 'daddy'. Either way, I told her we would call him. Taking a deep breath I dialed his number, only to remember that he told me they changed when he left me the messages after I got back from my parents anniversary. Scrolling through the caller ID on my phone I came to his name and stopped. Well actually I froze as I stared at 'Johnson, Reed'.

"Here goes nothing," I told Alexis as she tried to grab the phone as I dialed his number. "It's ringing." She sat back and looked up at me like she was wondering what I was talking about.

"Hello Johnson Residence." A British sounding male voice came over the phone. I didn't recognize the voice, not that I would.

"Can I speak to Reed please?"

"I'm sorry Mister Johnson is not available at the moment, would you like to leave a message for him?"

"Umm, sure. Could you just tell him that Amber called? There's nothing -"

"Did you say Amber? As in Miss AmberLynn Sands?"

"Yes," I said hesitantly. "That's my name."

"Miss Sands, Mister Johnson has asked that you be given his mobile number if you were to call."

"He was expecting my call?"

The guy gave a little chuckle, "I don't think he was Miss, he told me when he hired me, over six months ago." He gave me Reed's cell number and then hung up.

I didn't know what to think of what the guy said, it was very strange that Reed would ever think I would call him. Well, I guess it's not so strange, I am calling him.

"Daaaaaa," I looked down at Alexis. "Yes, ok. I'm calling him." I dialed his cell and hoped that voice mail would pick up.

"Hello?" There was so much noise in the background that I almost didn't hear him.

"Hello Reed," I didn't know what to say to him after that.

"Amber?" He sounded as shocked as I thought he would be to hear from me.

"Yes."

"Hold on, I'm just in the middle of lunch." He must have moved the phone from his ear and attempted to cover it because the noise was muted for a moment. But I did hear him say, "It's Amber' and 'no, I haven't spoke to her since your anniversary party'. Which was a lie, technically since he did catch me off guard the other night. "Ok, that's better." His voice came through the phone loud and clear.

"Who were you having lunch with?"

"Our fathers. But that's not important, darling why are you calling? Is something wrong? Are you ok? Is Alexis ok?"

"We are fine Reed." I pulled the phone out of Alexis reach, "Listen I really don't want to talk to you, that's not why I called."

I could hear his sigh, "Why did you call me Berrylynn? If you didn't want to talk to me, why get my hopes up?"

"Alexis wanted to say something to you," I put the phone up to Alexis, "Come on Alexis tell him."

"Amber this is crazy, Alexis can't talk." Reed's impatient voice came over the phone.

"Reed, just talk to her." I listened to see if he would.

He took a deep breath, "Hey princess. How are you doing? Are you and mommy having fun? What did -"

"Reed! You have to give her a chance to say something."

"Amber she isn't saying anything. Look, I would love to get here and spend all day talking to her, but darling I am in the middle of a business lunch. I have to get back."

"Wait!" I jumped off the couch with Alexis in my arms, "Reed if you blow us off right now..."

"Amber don't threaten me. How about I come to visit this week? I have to pass through there on my way to a conference. I could leave a couple days early and spend some time with Alexis and you before the conference. What do you say?"

"Reed, just be quiet. Come on Alexis talk to daddy." I sat in the rocking chair in her room and held the picture of Reed and me up so she could see it. She looked at the picture, then me and finally the phone that I was holding to her ear.

"Daaaaa," she said as she grabbed for the picture.

I listened for a reaction from Reed but the line was silent. "Reed? Are you there?"

"Did she...?" He was in shock, "Was that...?"

I chuckled, "She has been saying that since we came back from the party."

"Wow," he chuckled, "I can't believe...can she say it again?"

I held the phone out to Alexis, "Can you say it again for daddy?"

She pressed her hand against her mouth and I wasn't certain she was going to say it but she did, just a little more shyly this time. "Daaa."

"I can't believe it!" He sounded so happy, "Amber I want to see her. Can I visit on my way to the conference?"

"Reed, I don't know."

"Please Amber? I'll do anything you ask if you say yes."

I didn't want to give in, I didn't want him anywhere near me but as I watched Alexis staring at the picture of her 'daaaa', I found I couldn't say no.