The Cover Photo- at last

Phew.

The Cover Photo

We are so close to the finish line of our prep work I can see it, there in the distance. The winner's ribbon is dancing in the clear sunshine, flirting and waving us in. Between here and there, however, is the final hurdle- something that should take no more than 5 minutes, but has been procrastinated, postponed, and rescheduled. It's the cover photo.

For our Dear Birthmom Letter we need our sweet, loving, hopeful-mama faces right there on the cover. The photo needs to say: responsible, well-adjusted, open, and perfect for your baby.

You might think this very nice photo here could work. We're at the top of 30 Rock in NYC, looking happy, well-traveled, and really fun! (if I do say so myself) Responsible, too, because hey- we got ourselves to NYC, after all! But, no, this photo will not work, for these reasons:

1. Sunglasses hide the eyes- no good.
2. Too much background: for the cover, we must be front and center, mostly from torso up.
3. Accoutrements: shopping bag, scarf, puffy jacket, beanie...too many distractions.

Of course, we have many other candidates for this coveted photo, but each of them has its own three-point list of offenses. So, we must take a photo specifically for this purpose. This takes planning of outfits, hair, and location. We tried last weekend, but I kept making faces at the camera. Seriously.

Once this gem of a photo is finally achieved, we're as good as done with the prep work. Within days, we will be "in circulation." As a typical checklist junkie, I would normally power through these last steps like a cat darting around after one of those laser dots. But instead, I can't be bothered- I'm bathing in the sun ignoring you. So I take a pause. Am I not ready for some reason, here at the finish line, to cross? Hesitant to dive into the phone calls, interviews, ups and downs, waiting and hoping roller-coaster? Need just one more good night's sleep? Hmm...