Photo Shoot Paranoia (updated with photos)

Guys, I'm in agony.  A couple months ago Paul saw a Groupon for a family photo shoot with a local photographer for a good deal and he bought it for us since we haven't had somebody take "real" photos in, well, pretty much since Clara was born.  Anyway, for some reason I have been sort of nervous about these photos for the last week or so (somehow it feels like there is a lot riding on these photos - which there is not, at least, not really - because we plan on hopefully putting one up on a wall and that sort of thing) and have been making constant mental notes to myself to do things like make sure my eyes were open (rather than squinty like I feel like I normally am in photos) and angle my shoulders just-so to make my waist look a little thinner and squeeze this area and tighten that area and don't smile like a fool but to try for a confident but casual smile, etc. to look my very best.  Ugh.  Why do I do things like this?  Please tell me I am not the only one.  And of course the day we have photos is the day that Clara shortens her nap by well over an hour so she was tired and totally not interested in having pictures taken by the time we started (and promptly fell asleep again as soon as we got home, which is why I have time to type this now). 

And I know that I totally forgot every single thing I wanted to remember and implement and before I knew it, photos were over and I'm fretting that I will not like any of the pictures and sort of dreading the results.  Like right after a law school exam when I realized I had missed 37 glaring torts that were so obvious and I was kicking myself over it.  (Granted, the stakes are much lower with a little photo shoot and true, I actually rocked my torts final, but really, it took me right back there and it was a weird feeling.)  At least I love how our clothes looked and Clara's hair looked so, so darling with a little navy blue and white polka dot headband in it. 

It didn't help that the photographer didn't talk or give direction or suggestions and hadn't really paid any attention to the explanation of the type of setting I wanted for the photo shoot when we arranged everything (I was hoping for a grassy field type setting with wildflowers or something).  I guess that is what we get for going with somebody random through a Groupon deal where he is super cheap and we get what we pay for, right? 

Please, oh please, just let there be one good shot of all three of us.

*UPDATED:  We got the unedited photos back tonight, so I did the editing myself and I feel like there are a couple that are okay but none that were what I was really hoping for.  Oh well.  It is so hard to convey artistic vision.  But they weren't as bad as I had feared, at least.  Anyway, here are the ones that made the cut.  There is really only one where all three of us were looking at the camera (the first one).  You can tell by the end that Clarabelle had just about had it.  In the first picture of the lot Clara is doing her favorite pose that cracks us up every time where she grabs us both around the neck and squeezes us in close to her while tilting her head against mine. 

In case anyone is wondering about our clothing (because that is one of the first things I always wonder about when I see other people's photo shoots), Clara's sweater and shirt were from the Janie & Jack outlet store, her pants are from Baby Gap, her shoes are from Crazy 8, and her headband is from the Gymboree outlet store; my pants are from Ann Taylor Loft, my shirt is from The Limited (although the exact same shirt was at the J. Crew outlet store but for $20 more - crazy, huh?!), and my necklace is from Francesca's Boutique; and Paul's shirt is from the J. Crew outlet store and his pants are from Banana Republic.