Stargazer » Photos

Winter Windmills

jules.maas — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 15:32:01 +0000

A week before Christmas we packed the entire contents of our house and drove to Salt Lake City. Because WE ARE INSANE. Trav and I were about five seconds from chickening out the entire time because A) 1700+ miles, B) Extended Potential Screaming in Confined Space, C) Hotel+Babies+Potential Screaming=DEATH CAKES and D)Death by Mortification. We made it all the way to Meridian, ID before hearing any whisper of a freakout. Which finally happened at midnight. But since running home would have been just as harrowing as pressing on, we strapped in and went with it. Apparently, what we lack in sense the universe made up for in the random luck of travel-happy babies. And took away with teething.
between Pendleton & Baker City, OR

Deadman’s Pass, somewhere, WA

The Ghost of Christmas WHEN?!

jules.maas — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 18:07:16 +0000

This year Christmas snuck up on me even faster than usual, due largely to the revolving procession of day-to-day feedings, diaper changes, naps and chores that has wiped my ability to track the days and weeks and find myself lucky most of the time to realize whether it is a day when Trav will be home, or at work. Christmas cards were not sent, presents were not bought, and the tree barely got decorated. And this is the Christmas that will go down in our history as not only their First, but the one when none of that Stuff mattered.

To all of you, from all of us, wishes of love & happiness in 2012!

Ashley: wishing you Sweetness!

Sarah: wishing you Laughter!

Emma: wishing you Hugs, thanks

Miss Domestic

jules.maas — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 21:40:52 +0000

Yesterday, I made the statement that sometimes you don’t want people to make you feel better. Sometimes, you just need them to acknowledge the suckyness of it all, and let you vent. Over the last few years, I have been blessed and grateful to finally find many wonderful people who did that for me. For example, my friend, Jenn.

Jenn & Sarah, October 2011

She bakes, parties and is the only other person in the room who will know what I’m talking about when throwing down some random nerd comment about, say, the Death of Robin. She is the Wonder Girl to my Raven, and I am so, so thankful for her.

Even when she gives me cookbooks like this one, knowing full well that I am the dork who puts pizza boxes in gas ovens.

Happy Halloween. Or Monday. Whatev.

jules.maas — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 16:50:24 +0000

The best thing about this shot is that it pretty much sums up the attitude around here EVERY day. Except for the tutus. And the lack of puke. The scariest thing about it is that I had my second true-life Horror Experience later in the shoot when Emma crawled straight off the 5-foot edge of our bed. So I guess she figured out my costume this year: World’s Worst Mommy #5,398,411.

Emma, Sarah & Ashley; Halloween 2011 by Rick Takagi Photography

I’ve Come to Depend on the Kindness of Neighbors

jules.maas — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 23:22:35 +0000

Do you know that most days, I marvel at how the heck I deserve you guys. From baby shower gifts to blog comments to stealing me away for a night of wine and Harry Potter to dropping everything to come over when I spontaneously burst into Percoset-level pain on Monday and couldn’t finish the morning feeding, YOU GUYS SAVE ME on a regular basis.

Case in point: My ePeep Travis B, for whom at least five baby sheep* are named and who, several weeks ago, read my long, random facebook rant about Nikon’s FLIPPIN FLARPIN FUDGITY-FLARTY software updates erasing several weeks worth of photo work – and arranged for my very own copy of Adobe Lightroom to drop on my doorstop like a second stork.

I know. PROBLEMS, right?

Except, it is. Because when you barely have time to eat or sleep, and you choose to use some of that time to work on photos you know you’ll never really get to finish, it is EXTREMELY ANNOYING the next time you carve out an hour for yourself, only to find that Nikon changed their shit and ALL. YOUR. WORK. IS. GONE.

I’m no photo-Picaso. But I like to try to make nice pictures. And trying these days involves shooting when I think of it, when they’re awake, after they’ve all eaten and before they go down for naps. Which, on a side note, all has to happen in 90 minute blocks* or they DO NOT SLEEP. PERIOD.

It also involves lots and lots of flash. Because this is Seattle. And it’s been overcast and cold almost all summer. Which means the house has been D.A.R.K. and all my pictures look like this:

Ashley

Sarah

Emma

And this, THIS is what I wanted. Behold, the god-like magic that is Adobe Lightroom:

Ashley

Sarah

Emma

I just wanted some decent pictures of my kids. Thank you Travis B, Thank you Adobe, and Thank YOU, for all being awesomely you.

*Annual Spring “Name the Baby Sheep” List filled during lambing season at the sheep-herding field across the street from eBay CS. Featured gems included: Travis I, II, III, IV, V; John, Paul, George and Ringo; Eenie, Meenie, Minie, Moe; Curley, Moe & Larry…

**I know. I KNOW. Everyone who hears this thinks I am INSANE. But I tell you what: excepting hunger or a demon-stuck burp, IT FLIPPING WORKS. SO I’M USING IT. Lemme ‘lone. MWAH.

Mabel, Midge and Marge

jules.maas — Sat, 30 Jul 2011 16:05:41 +0000

Back in January, my good friend Rose sent us three outfits all the way from Ireland. She knitted these herself and are so darling they’ll be going into the girls’ keepsake box along with their NICU bracelets and delivery beanies. Since Seattle has had a whopping 78 minutes of summer temps this year, I’ve been waiting for a single sunny day to photograph the girls wearing them. I don’t know whether I waited too long or if I was just really sleep-deprived that day, but oh my god, they made me laugh:

“So I sez to Mabel, Mabel, I sez…” (L to R: Sarah, Emma)

“…don’t you roll over for no one. *sigh* I don’t know if I’ll ever be ready, Midge.” (L to R: Emma, Ashley)

Ashley & Sarah Rockin’ the Irish Yarn

Hanging Irony

jules.maas — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 23:03:21 +0000

One of my neighbors made the comment at our Baby Shower in January that folks should take a good look at me and say everything they needed to say, because once the girls came, no one would see me again for another five months. I chuckled and thought to myself “PFAUGH! I WILL SHOW THEE.” And then they were born. And I DID get out of the house. In fact, I got to go out ALL FLIPPIN’ DAY.

Once. In April.

Ok, Wait. Where Was I?

jules.maas — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 23:37:37 +0000

Oh yeah. I had Triplets. …quite some time ago. And even though I started writing about it in my head 15 minutes after surgery, I haven’t had a minute to breathe since.

However.

Interesting thing about babies: You literally see them change the day they turn another week older. And this week, we hit 6 months. And it’s like some sort of baby lightbulb went off and said “NAPTIME! BEDTIME! WE GET IT! …sorta. almost. kinda.”

So I’m thinking I’m going to be able to get back here a little more often now.* Which makes me glad. ‘Cuz I have SO MUCH TO TELL YOU.

Here’s a look at the beginning of our journey:

Click here to view this photo book larger

* Interesting thing about babies #2: never Never NEVER brag about how well they sleep in writing. Because that kind of karma will bite you in the ass the second you hit ‘publish’ and three scream-filled hours later you will find yourself at the grocery store starbucks begging them to stay open just five more minutes and staring into your green tea frappicino thinking that there couldn’t be enough whipped cream on this if they sold you every last canister in the fridge. But you never know until you try.

Gettin’ Mah Belleh

jules.maas — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 07:26:03 +0000

For months now, a group of much-loved, well-meaning individuals have been begging to see a certain photo of me. You know which one I’m talking about: The Belly Shot. And for months, I have resisted. Not because I think I’m ugly. Not because I think it’s embarrassing. And not because I don’t want to remember this. No, it’s because:

1) I personally think Belly shots are the photographic equivalent of a Mime. Disembodied images without legs or heads or faces that could, in fact, be ANYBODY…and crap. I just realized I could have avoided a fat lot of facebook arguing if I’d just Googled “Belly Shot” and pasted the first shot of a pregnant, naked stomach I found.

2) I hate having pictures taken of me.

3) I hate having BAD pictures taken of me*.

4) I hate the idea of NAKED PARTS pictures taken of me.

The whole concept just seems so…exhibitionist. Call me Victorian or Puritan or whatever you like. But I guarantee you, the world will never see my nekkid belly.

However, I DID very much want photographs of our once in a lifetime event. Beautiful photos of all of us – and there was only one person I wanted to take them. My talented friend and colleague from the City of Newcastle, Rick Takagi**, generously arranged on very short notice to come shoot us at home at the start of our 33rd week.

When we found ourselves admitted to the hospital just two days before that, Rick reworked the shots he’d planned and came to us anyway. He walked the entire hospital looking for inspirations as Trav wheeled me around like the ankle-swollen cripple I was, and worked magic in a place where most folks would see only signs and blank hallways and white coats.

These photos are beautiful. They’re REAL. And I couldn’t have dreamed of anything more perfect. Thank you, Rick – a million times over, thank you!

*Happens in 9 out of 10 shots when I’m invariably caught in A) gawky awkward boring frontal pose, B) bad hair/bad light/bad background, and C) a stark 90-degree angle featuring the ginormity on my face known as Quasimonose.

**Rick’s work has been featured in National Geographic Magazine, CNN, 425 magazine, Seattle Magazine, Seattle Weekly, Parade and Steve Job’s 2010 iPad announcement presentation. He recently started working with Getty Images and there are days when I can’t get over the fact that A) I know him and B) he did this for us. But then I remember that’s just the awesome kind of guy he is. See more of his photographs at http://ricktakagi.zenfolio.com/or follow him on facebook here.

Obi Wan Waldo

jules.maas — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 21:13:09 +0000

After first moving to Seattle, there were nights when Al would disappear for hours on end. Systematically checking room to room to room, wondering for the life of me WHERE the hell he could possibly be. There were only so many places! Did he vanish into thin air?! Had he secretly become a ninja? Was I temporarily blind? Particularly frustrated in my hunt one night, I flicked on the light in our spare room, paused just a little bit longer, and proceeded to laugh my ass off.

The cat you are looking for is not here…