self portrait tuesday - personal history

this is probably the first professional portrait of my family, taken in july of 1979. right after this my mom found out she was pregnant with my brother and nine months later, the world as i knew it for the last four years was turned upside down. before i go into the whole first born thing, let me just say that for many many years, this portrait was hanging on our wall, mounted on a gigantic piece of wood made to look like as if it was burnt into this funky shape. remember that type of framing? so ugly it was cool? i should see if my mom still has it. i love this picture for so many reasons. i think my dad looks silly and cool at the same time. the hair and the shirt just cinch it for me now. i think my mom looks beautiful, 26 and so full of promise. i cant believe she just slapped a blue barrette on my bangs, which leads me to believe i wasnt being the most cooperative child. not to mention this was probably only the third or fourth time i had worn a dress in my life. i was a tomboy, sesame street kid with green cords and stripped shirts 24-7.

looking at this picture now as a parent myself it reminds me of all the sadness and anxiety i felt for eliot, and now collette, as the arrival of a sibling draws near. i remember before collette was born that i felt so bad for eliot that his time as the baby was being cut short and there was nothing he could do about it. of course everything was fine and he loves his sister, sometimes expressed in hugs a little too tight for her liking. here i am again lamenting over collettes short tenure as the baby and her move into the "middle child" spot. not to mention that she has to go from being the only girl (and fawned over probably waaaay too much) to having a little sister to boot. i know that everything will turn out fine again, and that the girls will probably be really close. so are my worries just a first born tendency to make mountains out of mole hills? maybe. all i really know is that huffmania has never had a "real" family portrait taken, so i guess this summer is the time to bite the bullet. i wonder if i can get it mounted on a big piece of burnt wood...

other spt bloggers here. thanks kath for the great theme!