Portrait Innovations: An Informal Review

So, as I said in an earlier post, I will share some thoughts/experiences regarding Portrait Innovations~ let's call this an informal review :) Here we go...

We took Coby to Portrait Innovations in Durham in order to get some cute pics to give our moms for Mother's Day. They have a special for $9.95 you get 1-10x13, 2- 8x10, 4- 5x7, 4- 3.5x5, 16-wallets (a whole lot of pictures) all of one pose. This is what I went for.

Our appt. was at 4:10. We arrived in Durham at 3:30 so I could nurse Coby to ensure he would be "happy" for his pictures. We arrived a couple minutes after 4 to check in. Around 4:25, I asked how long it would be and was told if everyone would show up on time for their appointments, they would stay on schedule. After indicating I had shown up on time and perhaps those who show up late on a booked day should have to reschedule, I was told they were a business and have to make money. It was at this point that I nearly walked out, but I didn't have an appt. anywhere else, and I really wanted pics for Mother's Day. We were finally taken back for pics at 4:50 (40 minutes late). They definitely had a lot to make up for if they wanted a good review from me.

Our photographer, Greg, made up for our late appointment. He stuck to the solid white and black backgrounds and allowed us to use our blankets (despite their policy to take pics with several different backgrounds). In addition, he recognized an 8-week old has a limited time frame that was nearly expired due to the late start time. He was great! He kept Coby really engaged and quit when Coby was "done." We had lots of great pictures to choose from. Things were getting brighter.

Then came the sales pitch. I was feeling very confident in my ability to say no, but I also wanted to find out how much a CD was so I could have copies of all the images. Turns out, you couldn't buy the CD, but rather they throw it in for free if you order 3 extra poses. This meant spending $85. Looking at the big screen of your beautiful baby can turn even the strongest of moms into little weaklings. I caved- I bought enough to get the CD. I only felt suckered because I knew Karla (Banks Photography) was going to be taking pics in Ohio that would put all of these to shame (and they did). However, the naked-baby studio pics were so cute, and I really wanted them. So, I was okay with the amount I had spent and felt like I still got a good deal (a TON of pics) since there were so many poses that just a 4x6 print I could make on my own would be perfect and with the CD I could do that.

So, off to Ohio we went, and loading pics to print began. Only then did I find out the CD of pics were low resolution meaning you could not print even a 4x6. This was quite irritating since we had even talked about printing off the CD when we were in the sales presentation (several times). This was FRUSTRATING.

Back in NC, I called the manager who for most of the call indicated there was little she could do for us and indicated they couldn't make money if we could print our own pics. She indicated the CD was simply so you could come back for prints to be made since they don't store your pics (both facts that had never been presented to us). She apologized for this not being presented to us and I thanked her for her apology, but told her it wasn't worth $85. She then decided she could at least give me some free pictures (4 sheets). This was something and was definitely appreciated. I picked up free prints on Friday.

So, the final verdict: I would return to Portrait Innovations as I thought the pics they took were decent for your package deal studio. However, next time, I will only walk away with one pose for $9.95, and I will go in on a weekday in order to avoid the late start time.

However, as I stated earlier, Karla's pictures put Portait Innovations to shame. Far better pics with more options for printing!

I'm getting bigger!

Coby is indeed growing! He is almost as big as "Luvie-Bear"! We are all having lots of fun just hanging out around the house these days!


Coby is almost big enough for his bumbo. In fact, he loves sitting in it already~ though we don't leave him in it for long (he tends to slump down after a little bit), but he likes to sit with us for dinner. He is getting so big so quick!

Let's back-track a little...

A couple of weeks ago, we spent a week in Ohio with family. We had a great time, and Coby loved seeing everyone! In fact, he had so much fun he slept for three straight days when we got home. Unfortunately, remembering to take pictures is slowly becoming a challenge (it seems those first few weeks we took pictures of everything). One of the most fun things was seeing my brother and sister-in-law and their kids since I hadn't seen them yet with Coby. Emily (sister-in-law) loved cuddling with Coby~ I think the baby itch might be starting for her again! Aviva and Sander (Coby's cousins) are getting so big! Aviva and I came to have a special friendship and respect for each other all over the bond of a chocolate cake (I think it was the frosting really).

Coby also had time just chilling with his great-grandpa. They look rather comfy just relaxing together! (note Coby's allegiance to OSU at a young age)

We also had fun visiting with the Aguilars. Coby met his auntie angelica and Abuelo for the first time. They loved spending time together (that is when Lola was willing to share).

Abuelo thought holding Coby was too much responsibility :)

However, only grandma and grandpa would play with Coby at 5:30 in the morning! It was this fun time in the morning that led to dozing off while grandma was holding me later in the day.

All in all it was a good trip!

Coby's 2 Month Update

Wow- it has been a whirlwind couple of weeks between preparing to go to Ohio, being in Ohio, and settling back in once we returned from Ohio. Lots of growth has occurred in the past few weeks which has been fun, exciting, and even a little sad (I can't believe how fast it is going- I already miss the newborn stage). I promise some good pics in the days to come. I am waiting for the files to come from Banks Photography which are beautiful! Karla shot Coby as well as some family shots while we were in Columbus~ she posted some previews on Facebook and they are fantastic! Totally different (and way better) than Portrait Innovations (though those were great as well!).

Growth Report: Friday was Coby's 2 month appt. at Raleigh Pediatrics. He had a huge month of growth apparently as he jumped to the 75th percentile for weight at 13lb. 0.5oz. and the 70th percentile for height at 23.5 inches. The doctor said he would ask how nursing is going but that obviously it must be going well!

New things:

• Coby has moved from being a newborn to being a fully interactive baby over the past few weeks. He is almost always smiling and spends lots of time trying to talk~ Alain is convinced that he has had his first word already with "Hi." My dad claims he gives away smiles easier than any baby he has ever seen.
• On Monday, May 18, Coby rolled over from his back to his tummy for the first time (and second, third, and fourth as well). Tuesday, he continued this trend with several more roll overs. And upon return to North Carolina on Wednesday, he promptly stopped. Since then, he has not rolled over even once.
• Last Wednesday, Coby made the official move from his cradle in our bedroom to his crib in his nursery. While I miss having him close, this move came with another new milestone: sleeping through the night! Hurray! The past three nights, I have had to wake Coby up to nurse after 8+ hours. I forgot how wonderful it is to get a whole night's sleep! While I know there will be times when he wakes up again throughout the night, I have hope that sleeping through the night will be the new norm.

I think this concludes the many changes we have seen in the past several weeks. I promise to post pictures this week!

A few pics... more to come

I only have a couple of minutes to post so I can only post a couple, but I wanted to get them posted for you!  The following are a few of the pics from Coby's mother's day photo shoot at Portrait Innovations (more to come about this in another post).  I think he just might be the cutest boy ever!  Here are just a few pics for now, enjoy...

Happy Mother's Day!

Sorry I have been slow to post this past week. Coby and I have been very busy. Last weekend we enjoyed a wonderful time with my sister and niece~ it was so much fun, I truly did not want them to leave! This past week, we had lots to do and the weather was horrible- storms nearly every day. We still had a wonderful time though with several walks, a couple visits to school, and some great time with friends. This coming week it looks like things are going to cool off a bit for us and then we are off to Ohio for a week with family.

Happy Mother's Day to all! What a fun day to honor moms! Alain and Coby have done such a wonderful job making me feel special this weekend! To everything I have wanted to do, Alain has simply said, "it's mother's day weekend, let's do it!" Even to going to three different stores to look at prescription sunglasses- finally found a pair I loved on CLEARANCE (yes, my favorite words) at Lenscrafters so they were even ready the same day! That means I will have sunglasses for the long drive to Ohio this week! Anyhow, the weekend has been so fun (I guess I have a lot to live up to now come Father's Day). One of my favorite things was this morning. Alain took Coby and went to get donuts for breakfast. When he came back, I discovered he had dressed him already and had put on his "I love mommy" t-shirt. He looks so cute...


As for gifts... Alain got me the family tree necklace I so badly wanted from Black Mountain Jewelry (my favorite). It is beautiful- ruby for my birth stone, aquamarine for Coby's, and amythest for Alain's! He did so good! In addition, for a special bonus they have going this month, I got a free pair of earrings! All in all, I am one happy mommy. Of course, the best gift of all this mother's day is simply having the title of mother. As most of you know, I longed for this title for many years before Coby brought such tremendous joy to our lives. It is hard to believe, in just eight short weeks here in our arms, Coby has changed our lives forever! We love him to pieces and think he is just perfect!


On the less happy note this mother's day: we have yet another pest! Last year it was termites, this year it is a woodpecker (maybe one day I will catch him in the act and get a picture to post- for now the generic pic from the web will have to do). I have been hearing him several mornings, but it wasn't until today that I realized he was not pecking at a nearby tree, rather he has been pecking on our house. After much research, I am contemplating the best way to get rid of him~ I will definitely post pictures of our solution since most of the suggestions are quite funny (imagine multiple mirrors hanging from the side of your house or a fake hawk image hanging). Anyhow, though as a child, I always wanted to see a woodpecker, I am not happy to see the six inchish hole one has drilled into my home!