Bringing Up Bella Eveline

I LOVE PICTURES. Is anyone surprised by this ? Hardly. I have been accused in the past of being an over-sharer, but honestly I say “whatever.”

Hey Bella - Say CHEESE !

In this greatly expanded world, our friends and relatives are located across the United States and even on several different continents. Things like email and Facebook have really helped us stay in closer touch, even if there is no time to pick up the phone and make a call. I love how I can see real-time pictures from my mother, vacationing in Italy, within moments of her capturing them. It shrinks our vast world and binds us all a little closer together. Or at least I think so.

Now that Bella is in the picture, I feel compelled to capture every little moment of her life. I don’t want it to go by too quickly and lord knows I don’t want to miss a thing. Not a smile, a moment in the bath, a toe grab, a crawl. You get the picture. Literally. So, fairly regularly (OK, I admit EVERY MORNING), I send the “photo of the day” to our family members and also post it on Facebook. Cute outfits, cute poses, she’s just so darn CUTE! And I am not biased! It lets her grandparents and aunts/uncles/cousins see how our newest addition is progressing.

But, the other day, I was wondering… although I could look at Bella 24/7/365 and take pictures and videos of her constantly, did everyone else feel the same? Or, perhaps were they having Bella-overload? Did they find the impulse to hit DELETE as soon as they saw an email or text from me without even opening it? Or, like me, do they love to see that drooly, smiling face every morning? When it comes to photos and sharing, how much is too much?

I know there is no set definition or answer to that question. I know no one will tell me that they don’t want any more pictures of Bella. I also know no one has enthusiastically said “send more, I don’t get enough.” So, I will err on the side of assuming I am sending the PERFECT amount of Bella-Spam until I am told otherwise. With that… Hey Bella, say CHEESE !