Dec 3, 2013 5 min read

“Can you get my belly in there?”

In no way, shape or form is that first sentence anything I ever say to anyone with any regularity.

However, about a year ago, I was dead set on preserving some type of image of me, my husband and our roughly 8-months-in-the-making son.

Last Christmas season was such an emotional time for both of us, something I wrote about in this space last December. It was our last Christmas for just the two of us, and the end of the holidays meant that our little boy would soon be here.

I wanted to cherish every moment of still being pregnant, of still carrying that little guy around with me. Everywhere I went, he went and as he continued to grow, I went everywhere a lot less.

My husband and I aren’t exactly picture people. Seriously, we consider ourselves lucky we even have wedding photos. So a formal maternity photo shoot was out of the question.

But if we weren’t doing any photos, how could we best capture this special moment in our lives? As the weeks progressed, I started to resign myself to the fact that we were just going to let this moment in time pass us by.

With Thanksgiving nearing, I turned my focus to helping our committee plan the annual Holiday Open House in Downtown Waynesburg. Presented by Waynesburg Prosperous & Beautiful, the event has consistently been a celebration of the old-time, small-town Christmas spirit, with shopping, music and all sorts of seasonal activities along High Street in the borough.

For the last few years, Greene County Tourism has sponsored several parts of this event, including bringing in local artist Jeff Harris to provide free caricatures right on the sidewalk.

A resident of Washington, Jeff is a supremely talented artist, with an awe-inspiring gift, a friendly ease and the patience of a saint. It doesn’t take him very long to sketch each caricature, but he works to get the littlest details into each picture. He is a true highlight of each event, and you can usually find him by locating the block-long line of people waiting, they, too, not wanting to miss the opportunity to have something so special done.

And it’s always amusing to peek over Jeff’s shoulder as he works, to chuckle as you compare his subjects to what he’s drawing.

As I confirmed with Jeff that he would be attending the Holiday Open House, it clicked: This was my opportunity to get the family portrait I was wanting. Better than a simple photo of how we already know we look, a caricature would be the perfect representation of how we’ve been as a couple and what we would still be as a nuclear family – whimsical and unpretentious – with the special bonus of being seen through someone else’s eyes.

After Jeff arrived that afternoon, I told him my idea and arranged to get our portrait done as his first caricature of the night. After much cajoling, I was able to convince my still somewhat begrudging husband to head over to the Waynesburg Theater, where Jeff was stationed for the evening.

As the sun set and the outdoor lights came on in the winter dusk, we sat for Jeff – actually I sat, and my husband stood behind me – and waited anxiously as he worked. It was then that I uttered the reminder that starts this column, my request to Jeff to include our son in the picture.

Now, I’ll be the first to admit, it’s a little nerve wracking to pose for a caricature. You’re not sure if you should move too much, change your expression or even talk, although I definitely did too much of all three. Plus, the anticipation just continues to build as you wait to find out how Jeff sees you, and you watch as the line of people gets longer and the passersby are peeking over Jeff’s shoulder, and this time, they’re looking at you.

Finally, with a smile, Jeff softly said, “OK,” and turned his easel around.

And there we were, in black and white: Me with long hair, a wide grin, my hand tucked warmly and protectively over my belly. And there was my husband: Dark eyebrows, large nose and no real smile, collectively giving him a somewhat menacing look.

We howled with laughter.

It was a hilariously sweet image of us – the three of us. I proudly showed it off to friends and co-workers that evening, and we sent a cell phone picture of it to our families, everyone agreeing that it was pretty much perfect.

Our caricature is now at home, still rolled up with the same rubber band Jeff gave us (remember when I said we’re not picture people?).

I’m looking forward to this year’s Holiday Open House, set for Dec. 6, to once again sit for a family portrait with Jeff. Only this time, we’ll have our Elijah with us, who’ll be almost 11 months old and ready to celebrate his first Christmas. It is my hope to one day frame these two pieces side-by-side, a special memory made and two points in time we’ll cherish forever.

To you and yours, have a wonderful, blessed holiday season. n