Thursday, November 02, 2006

Retakes?


I need your input, oh objective ones. We got Nicholas's school pictures back and I'm just not sure whether to keep them or go for retakes. Part of me wants to just keep them - they're not that bad - and every now and then you must have a semi-questionable school photo to look back on and, well, laugh at. This one might qualify.

His eyes - they are mighty squinty. That's my biggest complaint. That and someone must have combed his hair before the photo because it's almost too neat. Don't get me wrong - I appreciate the effort of cleaning up the kids before pictures. But his hair all helmet-like makes him look even geekier than he already is. And he's pretty geeky (said with love, of course). Usually I comb his hair but then run my fingers through it to break it up a bit. Tousle it, you might say. Make him look a little more natural and like his everyday self. This hair, however, looks almost like a comb-over, and I'm not down with that. (don't you think he's sporting an awfully deep side part swept all the way over his forehead here? I do.)

If you look closely, you can detect his cross-bite the dentist pointed out to us a few months ago.

And I'm able to see into the future with this picture and can evision the chisled jawline he'll have as a man. Ooooh baby - Nicholas will be a hottie like his dad fo' sho'!

So what do you think? Keep this one, or go for retakes? I'm on the fence. Mr. Chick and my mother vote for retakes, but I worry that a retake could end up looking even worse. And really, this one isn't so bad..... is it?


Comments:
Hey MP!!!

I actually LOVE that picture, and I think down the line, it will become a favorite. It depends on how much it cost and if you can live with it - cause it is really cute and funny. I think he'd love it one day.

Wish they'd let you keep one before retakes. You've scanned it -would that be enough and you could do retakes?

I really love it. Makes me smile...

Thanks for sharing!!!!!
 
Keep it! You'll love it to pieces in a couple of years!
 
Althought that is gorgeous, I'd do the retake myself especially if he is generally a good picture-taker. But damn, he is too cute in that one.
 
bad shirt, bad hair, bad chin, bad smile, bad eyes, bad overbite. retake fo sho!
 
I'm not sure exactly what there is to discuss here. Of course you should not have retakes-school pictures as a rule are not supposed to be good. Your son is who he is and a retake will not change that. A couple things that can be done to ensure a better picture next year:
1) Always have your child wear solids on Picture Day.

2) Make sure to tell your child not to let anyone touch their hair.
and
3) If school pictures are important to you and your family, be at the big event to oversee the process so that you will have that perfect picture.

Good Luck!
 
thanks for sharing Nick's photo with us. i did see the overbite right away; didn't have to look too closely. i just "braced" my son. ask your friends/neighbors for their recommendations. it's important to get on it early. orthodontia is important; believe me, the school photos are so much better now. also, i appreciated the suggestions from the previous comment. good luck and i can't wait to see the holiday family photo!!!
 
MP-

I think he is absolutely adorable!!You will treasure the picture in the years to come!

Maureen
 
I used to live in Eugene, and last week I had the biggest craving for yumm sauce. After many hours of trying to get it right, I finally looked online, and that is how I discovered your blog. Your tip about letting the brewers yeast have a night to rise really did he trick! YUMM! It was hard to wait all night but I learned that yumm sauce is even better on eggs!
As far as the picture, there are no words.....
I agree with an ortho consult right away. Overbites suck!
We waited on consulting about fixing an overbite for my dd until she was 6, and sadly dh and I were informed that we waited too long. Hardening of the palate or something like that. The whole experience has taught me to love my child for who she is on the inside.
Anyhow, I have learned to love her overbite, what choice do I have? I just keep reminding myself that it
adds character. I would also make an appointment with the pediatric opthomologist, ASAP! You just never know when squinting like that is just a kid being a kid, or something more serious. Better safe the sorry, I always say.
TTYL
 
It seems as if there may be some confusion about the yumm sauce posted some time back. I want to clarify something important and worth noting:
**Active yeast should NOT be used (I repeat, should NOT be used) in the yumm!!**
There are two types of yeast (active and nonactive)These two different types of yeast are NOT interchangable and can lead to potentially dangerous and explosive situations. Please be aware!! I would hate to see a small child reach into the refridgerator to get him/herself a cup of juice only to have glass and yumm explode into his or her face. Having a child lose his or her eyesight is much worse than a crossbite or squinty eyes! I hope that others don't use this yumm receipe and hurt themselves or others. Get the word out! Prevention is the best medicine.
Peace, Love and Safety to all.

-Concerned Mama in Alabama
 
Wow, someone really needs to grow up (anonymous). I don't even understand people like that. Anyway, I think the picture is cute. With kids that age you never know how they will smile. I don't have any good advice except if you like it, keep it. If you want to try for better maybe go for re-takes. Does his school have spring pictures also? For some reason my son's school does so that would be another picture of his kindergarten year.
 
Dear Concerned Mama,
I see your point! It would really suck if that happened. You have probably spared countless children from pain and disfigurment by posting this alert, and I thank you for that.
Perhaps putting the yumm sauce in a bowl with a moist kitchen towel over it would be prevent this kind of catastrophy from happening. Has anyone else found a solution for this problem?

I have been thinking about Nick's orthodonic needs all afternoon. I know I shouldn't obsess over something like this, but I am extremely concerned. I know that this kind of work can be very costly, and perhaps MP has been delaying doing it do to the financial burden things likes this can put on a family. I was watching Dr 90210, you know the show with the Beverly Hills plastic surgeons? Well, on the show the MD's announced that they do about 10 pro-bono cases each year. Perhaps we could send this school photo in, along with a plea for help on Nicholas' behalf? What do you think people? Let's do it....for Nicholas!
 
thanks all for your input re: retakes. I'm thinking we're going to keep this one. Why? Because every time I ask Nicholas to smile - on purpose - this is how he looks. He smiles big with his mouth which then scrunches up the rest of his face. So, retakes would look much the same. I can live with this one.

As for any concerns re: his teeth, again - thank you. We've had him to the dentist and they said it's a CROSS-BITE, not an overbite, and that we MUST wait until his 6-yr molars come in so they can attach the necessary wire/equipment to them in order to have the problem fixed. It involves slightly widening his palate, I believe. But he is young enough still for this to happen - no worries. It's when you wait until a child is old enough for regular braces that you have trouble. So please don't worry about submitting us to Dr. 90210 for any pro bono work! Mr. Chick and I KNOW our kids are destined for orthodontia since both of us wore braces in our youth (me for 3 years!), and we've planned for it financially already.

And the concern about his eyes? I don't have any (yet). His eyes are only squinty in this picture because of his massive attempt to smile big for the picture. I'm not worried about his eyesight yet. I needed glasses for nearsightedness at age 11 or 12, so I'm on the lookout. I had lasik surgery 4 years ago. Mr. Chick has gone his whole life with perfect vision - even law school (a real eyesight killer due to the massive amount of reading required), so we're hoping the kids inherited his eyesight and not mine. Nicholas is fine so far.

And I could care less about what some anonymous posters comments about Nicholas's appearance. I think he looks fine - better than fine, actually - and I'm raising him to feel confident about who he is inside and out. What some anon person thinks? Immaterial and downright rude. I don't deal with those people. No skin off my nose. they can suck it for wanting to be mean to a kid with no say-so about how he looks or what he wears. SUCK IT, I say! To everyone else? Thank you for the kind words!
 
Dear Chickchat and readers,

My name is Barbara and I work for Market of Choice, a supermarket with seven locations in Oregon.

I received a call earlier this evening about a blog listing a local Eugene recipe called Yumm Sauce and some confusion over one of the ingredients. The woman was confused as to whether active dry yeast was interchangable with nutritional yeast. NO! Please read below:

Yellow in color and with a nutty cheesy flavor, nutritional yeast is an INACTIVE yeast that is a favorite amongst many vegans because of its unique flavor and similarity to cheese when added to foods. Sprinkle some on hot popcorn or garlic bread, or add a generous spoonful to a stir fry or pasta sauce. Nutritional yeast is also the only reliable food source of vitamin B12, so if you’re vegan, it’s a good idea to add some to your food regularly. Nutritional yeast can be found in the bulk or supplement section of your health food store. You can look for either nutritional yeast flakes or powder, but be sure you don’t get brewer’s yeast by mistake, as its quite similar in appearance.

Also, do not confuse with ACTIVE dry yeast. I did read the recipe for the Yumm Sauce and I urge all readers.... please do not use active yeast.

And as a note: if you live in Oregon, visit one of our great stores. We are so much more than your average grocer. Also, we sell nutritional yeast bulk for 7.99.
 
Looks like anonymous has come over to my blog also. Gotta love people like that UUGGGGGHH!!!
 
Hi MP!

I read your blog as my cousin is Jenn from Parenting without a License....I think N looks absolutely perfect in that picture! School pictures are intended to capture personality and if that's how he smiles normally (and it's an adorable smile) then the picture is a success! :)
 
My brother did his own hair for a school pic back in...oh, must have been 1986. The result was an over-gelled super-spiky flat-top, which, on a 6-year-old, looked ridiculous. This combined with his crooked half-smile prompted my dad to insist on retakes, but my family's flakiness prevented this from happening and I could not be more delighted about it. To this day, the "Ben did his own hair" pic is our family's favorite ever because it's so cute and shows so much personality. First of all I don't think your kid looks geeky (all kids do, anyway, but yours is no different), I think he looks adorable, and the adorable-ness will only improve with age. Keep it, keep it, keep it, you will regret it if you don't!
 
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