Em's Photo Album

Here you will find some of Em's photos (yes, they're mostly of Cora). They're in chronological order, so new stuff is at the bottom. Each picture has a descriptive link. That link will take you directly to the photo file - you'll have to use your browser's Back button to return to this page. There are no thumbnails here in the interests of faster loading.

1999: 6:58 AM on June 1st, my daughter was born. When I saw my daughter for the first time, my mother snapped a photo (Mom was also my birthing coach). Cora was an adorable baby, and cheerful (both photos July 7th). I did a photo session July 22nd, which included Cora grinning, yawning, and looking serious. In December, my mother took holiday photos of Cora and of us together.

March 2001: March 17th at a science fiction convention, Cora got a number of laughs wearing her Goth shirt.

April 2001: On April 8th we went into Washington, DC to see the cherry blossoms. Cora was thrilled. We all admired detail of the federal architecture. On April 18th, Cora decided to work for the camera while wearing one of Mommy's blouses, going from serious, to kneeling, to grinning. April 21st and 22nd was the Leesburg Flower and Garden Festival (where West Winds Nursery, owned by Emily's Stepdad, had a stand), where Cora again charmed the masses, played, and posed without prompting.

April 25th through 30th Cora went with Mommy to Kentucky to visit Emily's Dad and Stepmom. Cora had fun coloring and pulling the wagon that used to be her Mommy's, both alone and with Grandpa. They went to the playground, where Cora climbed the jungle gym all by herself (with a spotter). We also got to see a very strange horse and play peek-a-boo with Grandpa.

May 2001: On May 6th we went to Great Falls with a number of friends. We got to see some baby geese up close by the river. We found a man-made waterfall spanning the river (probably a municipal water intake) and sat on the rocks for a while (Cora sitting with Tamara). Along our walk, which took us to the county park next to the national park, Emily took pictures of a lot of different plants, including something looking like wisteria; wild tradenscantia, aka spider wort; some pretty white flowers; and one tree kissing another (at least, that was what we thought it looked like). Cora enjoyed the trip immensely.

On May 22nd at Em's Mom's, we had a heavy rain that resulted in fairly high water (but flag iris can take it) and a double rainbow. As the sun set, the Eastern Sky turned many beautiful pastel colors. My siblings (Christopher, Erica, and Heather) enjoyed the evening.

June 2001: Cora, who adores Alexander, turned two on June 1st of 2001. We had a cake and party with family. We had another party on Sunday the 3rd with friends (where Ahmie took photos), complete with another cake, but strawberry this time. Cora is very into the nursery business. She helps carry plants at Farmers' Market. Cora and Emily went to the Upperville Jumper Classic (an equestrian event held June 10th), where the nursery landscaped jumps and Cora was the life of the party in the West Winds Nursery tent.

July 2001: Cora's nanny had to spend the day getting medical testing, so on July 11th Ahmie and Garvin were kind enough to watch Cora for me. Ahmie was kind enough to take pictures, including as Garvin and Cora played on the slide. July 20th, Cora had a good time reading and showing off her curls.

August 2001: On my way back from some meetings in our Crystal City offices on August 1st, I stopped into one of the Underground card shops and was totally amazed to find a card featuring a painting that looks remarkably like Cora. I am going to buy a lithograph of the painting from the artist, Kathryn Andrews Fincher. August 3rd was the birthday of Amy Klene, Emily's mom. My sister made a cake, which she then had me decorate (yes, those are supposed to be echinacea, or cone flowers).

September 2001: Ever seen a holly tree blooming roses?. This is a tree at the Falls Church Farmers' Market that has a rose bush growing next to and sometimes through it. With little water and no fussing, it blooms on and off spring through early fall. One of these days I'll remember to start a cutting. Nice light fragrance, too.

October 2001: Cora and I went to an SCA event (Atlantian Kingdom Coronation) the 12th through 14th. Nobody can resist a toddler in garb :-) (even if she does tend to make goofy faces for the camera). At Market on October 27th, we had a baby on Starbucks! OK, so it was cocoa to help keep her warm, but it still made a good picture (and yes, our SCA garb skirts work wonderfully as warmwear outer layers).

On October 7th Dewitte (usually simply known as De) and I had our first date. We didn't figure much would come of it. Guess we were wrong :-). He came over for dinner on the 16th, bringing me a dozen roses and a nice mixed bouquet for my mother. We finally had his best friend take a picture of us together on the 27th at a Halloween party - and another of us kissing. De and Cora get along marvelously, much to the amusement of his friends.

November 2001: Very little in the way of photos. One I did get is a lovely one of Cora when her auntie Heather did her hair on the 15th.

December 2001: On the 6th we found that Midnight had very cutely joined Cora for her nap. Amazing how the cats choose to forget (or forgive) the not-so-gentle love they get :-). On the 15th I tried to do some semi-formal holiday portraits of Cora. Somehow portraits of toddlers never quite work like you plan... But as she was walking away from the nandina I was trying to use as a backdrop, I did capture a signature sidelong glance that I happily used as the holiday portrait for the year.

Christmas Eve was spent with De's family. Cora seemed to latch on to De's brother, "Uncle Kelly." Christmas Day was split between Em's Mom's house in the morning, and Philip's parents' house in the evening. One gift that went over very well was a dollhouse from Em's father.

June 2002: Here's a picture from Cora's birthday at Em's Mom's.

October 2002: De and Em got married. The wedding has its own web page, so if you want to see photos, look at them there.

Summer 2003: Cora enjoyed the CACI picnic and started Dance Classes (she now takes ballet and tap every week).

Halloween 2003: Cora went trick-or-treating as Wonder Woman, accompanied by her aunt, who was dressed as Hippolyta, Wonder Woman's mother. De and I went dressed as the Fairly Odd Parents.

December 2003: Just a couple pictures, one of Cora in front of our tree and one of De's Mom's tree.

Feb. 2004: These photos haven't had the benefit of tinkering yet (brightness is often an issue), but I thought it best to get them posted sooner rather than later. Hint: If text looks like it's a link on this site, it probably is.

FarPoint convention photos: Cora in costume as Alia Atreides from the 1984 Dune movie by David Lynch. Not only does Cora enjoy playing the psycho child, she bears a disturbing resemblance to the character (played by Alicia Roanne Witt). Cora won the Young Fan workmanship medal for being the most frightening entry the workmanship judges had ever seen (did I mention she loves doing Alia's voice, too?). The judges kept backing away... I won an honorary mention workmanship medal for my work on Cora's costume (hand-stitched or duct taped, all of it).

De and Dana were at it again, combining things in unexpected ways, this time Stargate SG-1, Gateway computers, and the Dell dude. Dana played Colonel Jack O'Neill, De played Teal'c, with Chris Carothers as the Dell Dude. They won third place in the Champion's Cup category. They have to compete with the big fish after their Best in Show wins for The Clone Ranger and Tonto Fett at ShoreLeave 2003 and the Blue Borg Group at ShoreLeave 2001.

Much fun was had at the Hunt Valley Inn. Cora even tried to take over one of Daddy's panels.

Teddy! Our hamster, Hamish (yes, Hammy for short) died of old age in December. We have now welcomed a new member to our household, Theodore. He is a beige long hair (aka Teddy Bear) hamster. Don't blame me for the name, Cora picked Teddy, and was willing to accept me calling him Theodore. He's proven to be curious and active in his cage, and also proven not to be nippy, though we will, of course, be working on fully taming him. His Cuteness likes to sit in his treat dish and nap in tube entryways.

Bettas: For those who might be interested, I took pictures of my betta at work, Nicholas, and my boss' betta at work, Herbert. I bought Nicholas while Yule shopping, and he is very red, hence the name. I bought him at Wal-Mart, though generally the fish at the local one are in bad shape. I think Nicholas had only recently gotten in, and he was still in an individual bowl instead of in the betta display cubes that hang in their (perpetually sick) main tanks. Herbert is a very dark blue (as shown in the first photo) who holds his tail fin very well for a pet shop betta (better seen in second photo). Both are very fond of people. I have recently changed to compact fluorescent bulbs in my fish tanks (and my boss'), which are brighter, don't overheat the water, show off the fish's colors better, and make the plants happier (I keep anacharis around for fish shelter and snail food).

Man Night: These are not my fault. These are posted as a courtesy to my husband. The men had a bonding night. Beer and things so spicy they require a waiver were involved. They used a disposable camera. They got wings, which Garvin ate, that are so hot there is a Flatliners Club if you manage to eat 10, which includes putting your name on the board, which Ethan had managed previously. Then they wandered to a bar.

The next day, De and I met up with our friend, Crystal, for brunch. De was compelled to photograph the Global Market (a huge grocery store catering with a wide variety of international foods). Then he took a picture of the snow pile, which finally away the first weekend of March.

Apr. 2004: OK, so some of these photos are older ones I finally got to fix the brightness and whatnot on. I'll be good and fix the stuff earlier on the page later.

First, we have photos from Farpoint - Cora as Alia and Cora taking over one of Daddy's panels.

Then we have pictures from our second pilgramage into DC to watch Bubba Ho-Tep. We have a handful of pictures from the trip by subway. We have 2 views of the exterior of Visions, and another couple from inside.

At the end of March, I went into DC with my sister and daughter to the National Gallery of Art. As usual, my sister and I had a better time looking at the plants outside the museum (mostly what we believe are dormant wisteria, then the interplay of light and dark with blooming weeping cherry trees against the sky) than the works inside (OK, so the sculpture is out of focus, but it looked cool, and while taking pictures was OK, using a flash would have been rude).

And last, but certainly not least, we have photos of Cora from the Easter egg hunt at Pitzenpeeks (the Bed and Breakfast owned by her great-grandparents).

May 2004: We have recital pictures! By request, these will be available in full size and as web resolution (320 pixels wide). We have 3 photos from Cora' recital. The first one is of Cora in her tap costume (full or web). They danced to "Going to the Chapel." Cora's other recital costume was for ballet (full or web). That number was performed to "Daddy's Little Girl." I also snagged a lovely profile of Cora in her ballet costume (full or web).

June 2004: Cora (full or web) turned 5 on June 1st. We had my family over briefly in the evening for pie (half are milk allergic, so cake isn't a good idea). One benefit of using tea lights as birthday candles (full or web) is that nobody winds up eating wax... even though it looks pretty silly.

On June 6th, our friends came over with their new baby. Cora and Liam are certainly a cute pair (full or web).

In May, my sisters found a very friendly stray adolescent long-haired cat in my neighborhood (confirmed stray by a lady who lives across the courtyard). The cat was very loving, and about to get beat up by some of the other strays. She, of course, wound up going home with my sisters. It was determined the cat could stay as long as the girls paid for the cat's medical expenses, got her fixed, and she lived outside. As is frequently the case, she showed signs of already being pregnant very soon after arrival. Well, the morning of June 22nd my sisters discovered that Grayson was suddenly skinny. She's the first cat I know of who has actually given birth in a box the humans have prepared for that purpose (on the bench on the front porch, with a couple old towels and sheets in it) (full or web). Grayson is dark gray with brown eyes (not golden eyes, but brown) and long hair, and still as friendly as ever (and quite vocal). If the light hits her right, there are faint hints of striping. The kittens are striped (full or web). They're still too little to know sexes, eventual fur length, or eye color (their eyes still being closed). They're cute, though (well, as cute as newborn kittens ever are, which isn't very - give them a week or two). My sisters will attend to spaying and shots for "Mommy" as soon as the kittens wean.

June 16th, we went to the sister school of the place Cora will attend this fall to pick up used uniforms (full or web). We were able to pick up 6 jumpers, 3 short sleeved blouses, 2 long sleeved blouses, and 2 pairs of slacks, all for about the price of one new jumper. Granted, 2 of the jumpers won't fit until probably next Spring, but we certainly did well, and the fact that those two were free will make storing them worthwhile! From here all we'll have to order from the uniform supplier are gym clothes and a cardigan (we can get shoes, extra shirts and a couple khaki skorts from regular shops). Cora is positively adorable in the uniforms (full or web). She'll usually wear the jumpers - the style is called "belted tunic". Plaid, polyester, pleated, with the creases sewn in, so they never need ironing. The jumpers are pull-over, so no fastenings at the back of her neck to frustrate her getting dressed (just a belt to button around her back). Everything we got is in very good shape. We are very excited. I should be getting information on the full uniform regulations soon so we can start shoe shopping - those sweet tootsies aren't easy to fit. I don't think they're very particular about the shoes so long as the kids have rubber soles. The wear regular uniforms (jumpers, slacks, skirts, skirts, or skorts and a green or white collared shirt) 4 days a week, with their gym uniform with sneakers whichever day of the week they have phys ed (it was Friday this school year). They said on the phone that the khaki pieces and shirts can be from regular shops, so I'll keep an eye out for good sales after I find out the full regulations. We'll also be sure to have a good supply of regulation color and cut socks and tights on hand.

July 2004: We discovered that De will not, in fact, implode (full or web) if he volunteers to hold an infant (full or web), in this case, Liam.

We discovered the joy of smoking - smoking meat in a smoker made from terra cotta pots, that is. First you brine the meat (full or web) overnight, then you add a spice rub (full or web) and put it in your smoker (full or web) until tender enough to pull with a fork. This results in a very tasty piece of meat (full or web). For more complete directions, see http://homepage.mac.com/dubmann/PhotoAlbum1.html

De and I went to ShoreLeave, which was fun. We had a friend who entered truly stunning Stargate SG-1 costumes in the competition (full or web), and De participated in Luna-C, a comedy troupe. One of their skits involved a juvenile parasitic alien from Stargate SG-1, which later got to tour the halls (full or web)

August 2004: My maternal grandfather died of cancer, and Cora and I went down for the funeral. It went better than these kinds of things would tend to go in other families, and everyone enjoyed the chance to be together, if not the reason for the gathering. The funeral itself was, well, it was very Grandpa. He was buried with his pruners in their holster on his belt where they belong, and his pocket knife in his pants pocket. And no necktie. During the graveside service, a well-worn spade with one of my grandfather's perpetually present straw hats (full or web) stood at the head of the grave. Very him. Being more the "Irish wake" type of family, we made good use of the time together, including going to a local resort and using the pool (full or web). While most of the family was swimming, I went for a walk along the nearby beach, but every time I thought I'd found a good shell (full or web) to take home, it wound up being already occupied! (full or web) I was nice and let the hermit crabs keep their homes.

September 2004: September was a busy month. Cora had her first day of school (full or web) on the 7th. She loves it, and it's going well. Her teacher is very good, and she gets along well with the other kids. We attended a party to celebrate the beginning of fall on the 26th (full or web). Then Cora (full or web) lost her first tooth (full or web) on the 29th, just in time for school portrait day on the 30th. She was practicing how to smile to show the gap to best effect. To tide us over till those come in, Grandma took some on the 30th, too (full or web).

October 2004: On the 3rd, Cora and I went to the Maryland Renaissance Festival. I drew a number of costume options for Cora to choose from, and she picked the gown and tabard option (full or web). Granted, it's earlier period than Renaissance, but folks at the Festival don't tend to care. Our matching outfits should work quite nicely for SCA events, though for that we'll wear period headgear instead of floral wreaths (full or web). We had a good time at the Festival (full or web), and will probably go back next year.

Here we have pictures from Cora's first costume party (third birthday party we've been to this school year already) - Cora as Princess Leia (full or web) and a group shot of the Princesses (full or web). We have a photo which demonstrates why I like to have my camera at all times (and yes, we now know the autofocus can ignore my windshield) (full or web). And a picture of the Jesus (full or web) action figure my uncle gave De, a close up of his action description (full or web), packaging back (full or web), and sitting on our center speaker with his friends (full or web).

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This page and these images composed by and © Emily Weed Baisch, aka Jacylrin. All rights reserved. Please contact me for permissions should you wish to use something from these pages (erw @ wwco.com without the spaces).