One day in Hobby Lobby...

...a lady came up to me and handed me her card. She is a 'baby wrangler' and talent agent for Boppy, Baby Einstein, and Bright Stars brands. If you've ever had a child or attended a baby shower, you are very familiar with these brands. She told me to bring Avery to their next casting where they photograph babies to go on the packages of these products.

Flattered, (and a little embarrassed because Avery was chewing on my dirty car keys while we talked), I went home and told Michael. His first response was, "How much is it going to cost us?" After emailing the lady back, we found out it was completely 'legit' and Avery would actually get around $200 if they choose her. Hey, that might cover the cost of one book in college!

This morning was the big day and I took Avery to Atlanta for the shoot. I had no idea what to expect. All I knew was that she was supposed to wear a white, short sleeved onesie. We slicked her 'fuzz head' down last night with baby oil after her bath because we all know what kind of hair-do she's got! Before we left, I got Michael's hair stuff called "Rewind" and tried once again to tame the mane. She was in the car ready to go at 8:00 this morning. I layered bibs on her because she has a history of getting car sick in the morning and I have a history of pulling over at the nearest exit to clean up the mess.

I even covered her seat so she couldn't see any motion in hopes of avoiding another messy, and smelly, accident. I don't think this was what "Boppy" had in mind when they made that shopping cart cover.
It obviously worked because baby girl slept the whole way, no throw up...whew! On the way there, it was 24 degrees and snow flurries were coming down...and the wind was fierce! Literally, it was freezing cold. There were about 8-9 babies total that I saw come and go. Before we stripped her down into her onesie...we did one last hair and makeup check (except there was no makeup involved, just a cool dressing room mirror).

Look at that slick head! Before they started shooting, the lady walked over with a wet paper towel and asked if she could smooth away some of the frizzes. I laughed inside and thought, "If you only knew what it looked like before."
"I'm ready for my close up!" How cute is she:) They took pictures for maybe 3 minutes, it was very quick. They let her play with a toy and the baby wrangler and myself did everything we could to get that winning smile. There were a lot of blank stares, some tears, and a few good smiles. Avery was definitely the 'healthiest' baby there. I swear (if I did really swear), that the other babies were malnourished or something! They were soooo skinny and looked at least two months younger than what they really were. Either every single baby there needed a cheeseburger...or Avery needs to lay off them!
When she would get fussy or seem scared, they let me pick her up and make her feel better. It was really laid back and went by extremely fast. The wet paper towel made a few more appearances during the shoot to 'smooth away the frizz'.
After it was all said and done, I think they got at least one good picture. She looks like a "Baby Einstein" to me, but I'm a little partial! What happens now is we wait....If the company does a shoot for the packaging this month and they want to use her...they will call us. If there is not a shoot this month, they will ask her to come back in March and do another casting. Maybe you'll see her face in Wal-Mart the next time you go down the baby aisle. If not, you can always find that beautiful smile waiting for you right here!