Total Pageviews

Pages

Thursday, November 3, 2011

Decision 2011: L.A. or New York

   Settling in. So, Eric and I have spent a lot of time mulling over the possibility of staying in LA for a while, when the tour ends. It seems that Eric has some excitement about his availability for working with his agents out here. We did the old fashioned pros and cons list. Then we looked to our gut. In this business, there is no guarantee of work wherever you are, so we just are trying to make the best decision based on projections. My agent in NYC had just began calling me about auditions, since the baby, and with knowing we were to be returning to NYC in a few weeks. Her excitement felt good to me and like a fresh start would be waiting. My first call was to come in for Bring It On. The popular movie, turned musical was beginning a tour that was to begin in LA for a long sit down and then headed out on the road. This led us to the realization that our criteria for touring was now extremely different than ever before. The money had to be good enough that it was worth it to bring Soph. The thought of a lifestyle that had us not seeing each other that much was why we toured together with Shrek. Secondly, Eric needed to really work off of the steam that he had from doing Shrek in L.A.. As most mommies find out and cannot predict, going back to work has different stipulations than you can imagine. You have to factor in the cost of childcare, the emotional cost of being away, and how much you will actually be bringing home. I called my agent and told her what I had recently discovered about myself...I was no longer interested in touring. Touring is what makes up half of our viable jobs in the theatre world, but now was just not the time. Soon after, Eric was met with the same question concerning Les Mis and came to the same difficult conclusion. If we hadn't just come off of over a year if touring, we would all feel differently about it.

   One of the main factors for our decision was the thought that the springboard of Shrek would only happen once in LA. Eric had always wanted to try LA and it seemed as if all signs pointed to now being the perfect time. Eric was set up with meetings with casting executives from almost every major network, as a result of playing Shrek and playing it well. His agency was bi-coastal, so he already had a team of guys in place working to get his career off the ground here.

   I felt a bit sad myself. Just as I had finished the commitment to tour for a year with a newborn and was ready to make a comeback after losing my baby weight and spending the first year as the primary care-taker. It looked as if we I was going to have to rethink my plan. My agent was only in NYC so I was left with no representation on the West Coast. The difference is in NYC, there are auditions you can go to without an agent and here in L.A. you can't get into an audition without representation. It seemed as if my career was starting back at square one. Theatrical credits don't mean as much in Los Angeles.

   I did decide that if this is what Eric wanted and if his dream to be a series regular on a sit-com was to ever happen, we needed to be here. So, I retained my realistic outlook on what my situation was, but decided to look to what I needed to do to get things rolling for me.  I took registered for some imrov classes and reached out to the few actors I knew to get representation. My friend Jane, from Mamma Mia recommended me to her agent and we began a series if meetings. I was told by a huge agency that they only work with celebrities and another big agency that they work only with people with reels. We'll, the LA experience just wouldn't be complete without a touch of rejection. Here we go!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Monday, October 3, 2011

The Dating Game

The Dating Game

    Eric and I held to each other a little tighter as we chomped popcorn and listened to the horror stories of our friend's big city dating lives, as if they were brilliant works of fiction.  We moved to NYC together and avoided the online dating that our friends had became subject to.  We couldn't believe our luck...that we had somehow skated past the awkward intros and getting to know you's that remind us of those gangly legged, crooked teeth years of changing into a teenager.
Well, I'm here to tell you mommies...It ain't over yet!

    We were the first of our friends in this city to have a child.  Having spent the first year on tour.  I found my mom friendships thru blogs, stories...a virtual world.  As Sophie's 1st birthday came and went, I began to realize the need for socialization among other mom/kid pairs.  I put my self respect, judgments, and reservations on the shelf and put my fingers to the keyboard.  There were more than a few "groups" on line for moms in the L.A. area, but they dwindle down to 2 or 3 once you factor in location and age of your child.  Some mom groups were for parents over 35 or 40, which I understand wanting to be with people that have your age-experience, but I felt so isolated and outcast.  So, I finally found a group to join.  The way it works is that you request to be a part of the group and wait to be accepted. I poured over a message to the group leader explaining how awesome we were at participating and planning.  ..... Days went by...Accepted!  Phew.

     Now to go to our first outing.  There was a group date in a park that was a few minutes drive away from our place.  Sophie and I packed up and headed out.  We were early, so I set up the blanket that they suggested to bring and and began to play with Soph.  I looked at the other moms, eager and open, trying to see if anyone else looked as lost as I felt.  Nope.  Everybody seemed to be in there element, with their clique, and not wanting any part of our blanket.

     Finally, there she was... In slow motion, she approached, my new best mom friend.  She was kind and smart and sweet and her baby was sweet too.  Never mind that we were the only two to show up.  The organizer never even came.  We were both a little tentative, but decided to meet again at a Mall for music time.  She was going through the same thing we were...being new to town for her husband's work.  We met a few more times, but the relationship sort of just dwindled away with changing nap times and schedules.  But what more can be expected of two...moms, drawn together by the internet.  It was a fling.  Nothing more, nothing less.

   

Friday, September 30, 2011

Pukeville

Well, I guess it's a right of passage, as a mommy. The entire family has the pukes and poops. I came down with it first and I think that was good. While Sophie can't express herself with words yet, at least I knew how she was feeling, when she started her round of it the next day. I spent the first night puking and the second night with puke all over me. You come into the power of not giving a care that your baby is just clutching you and puking directly onto you. In theory, that would bother you. When it's actually happening, you just want to take the sickness away from them. It's just so sad to see them struggle with sickness like that cause they just don't understand. The next morning, just as Soph was coming out of the darkest part of it, Eric started feeling it. He made it through his morning audition and called me on the way home. "This road is like really winding,"he said, referring to the highway on which he was driving home. That was my first clue that he was headed to Pukeville. He made it home, but quickly spiraled into sickness. I had already let my class know I would be missing, as we were supposed to go to a dinner with friends, but now would be manning the sick ship instead. There was no going anywhere. An already spent mommy was now taking care of sick daddy and Soph. We have all been in that slow-mo, moving-thru-water after sick mode, but forget how miserable it is until you are in it once again. Now, on the other side of it, I feel a strange sense of accomplishment. You sort of think for a minute of dramatics that you're doing something terribly wrong, you're the worst mom, it's my fault, and I don't know what to do, but you have no choice but to just figure it out. I'm sure many years, sicknesses, and broken bones later I will laugh at the triviality of our first family stomach virus crisis. For now, I'm just grateful it's over. Phew.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Monday, August 29, 2011

Disney Days: 1st of Many

With our plans leading us to stay in L.A. for a while, we decided to go the annual pass route for Disneyland. Best decision ever. Maybe not ever or best, but definately a good call.











-



This ride seemed like a good idea. All babies Soph's age in line and riding. However, when you take a close look to the actual ride, it looks like she can barely keep her head up. This is no Dumbo, people.



Had the most fun at the live Disney Junior show! She loved seeing all the characters in person. She laid a giant kiss on Mickey's nose when we saw him. Good thing Minnie wasn't around.
Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Friday, July 15, 2011

Happy First Birthday, Sophia!

We were so excited about Sophie's 1st birthday. As most of you know, Sophie loves Winnie the Pooh. Inexplicable how babies are handed so many options and gravitate to one thing. Sophie's one thing is Winnie the Pooh. They are best friends. So, her party has all her favorite things...Winnie the Pooh decorations, strawberries, milk, and funfetti cupcakes! Now that's a party!



We got our first taste of Christmases and birthdays to come as we put together toys and set up decorations into the wee hours.
Eric's parents flew out for Soph's birthday, to see Kyle (Eric's brother) and to see the show one last time. They arrived the night before and it was so great to have them. Soph was excited to see them too!
Sophie had a ball. She loved having everyone around. We had read a lot about being careful not to overload your child's party with too many guest, but our social butterfly wouldn't have it any different. She thrives around people. The more, the merrier! We put her in the highchair to open presents and she had a ball.



Once she started getting the hang of it, she would open one present, throw it over her shoulder, and reach out the next. Everyone laughed uncomfortably as she chucked their carefully chosen gift over her shoulder. We paused for a minute to try to get her to play with each gift for a moment before moving on to the next, but...alas, she is 1, so.... Soph wasn't into eating the cake really, but enjoyed playing with it and squishing it around in her hands. It almost looked like she was washing hands with it.
A big group of the cast had come for the party, but everyone had a huge press event at The Grove (A huge outdoor shopping/nainsook street USA/ LA's answer to Time Square) in LA. If you know anything about these actors schedule, its backwards from most people, with late nights and late mornings, so we were so happy that so many of them showed up for Sophie's party. Eric had to be there at 11, so we wrapped up the party in the morning and headed over to support the cast and crew. Soph loved seeing them perform and loved seeing Daddy Shrek.



Most people are still amazed that seeing Daddy as Shrek and going to him lights her up. It's leaving him that sends her into a frenzy. That was the only birthday meltdown she had though, so I feel it was an overall success.
We went to the theatre to see Eric before the show and so his visiting family could get some time with him.



Finally, we were headed home, after a long day out, and Soph was able to play with her new toys. We had turned our living room into a children's museum and she couldn't ave been happier.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Thursday, July 14, 2011

Hooray for Hollywood

The last three weeks in Los Angeles were every bit as exciting as we hoped it would be. We knew the first week would be intense and we were going to need a babysitter for opening night. Again, not knowing anyone available to babysit in L.A., we called on my mom to come out from FL. She was a lifesaver, as she bought all Sophie's 1st birthday party decor in FL and brought it with her, cause she knew our time was tight here.
Los Angeles was a big stop for the tour! There was so much publicity. Big banners lined Hollywood Boulevard and billboards and flyers were all over town. Eric had a ton of press in addition to his show schedule, so it really helped to have an extra set of hands. He was in the final stretch and it was back to the ole 24/7 schedule. Eric was in a mental, emotional, and physical push as he was tired from over a year on the road, but wanted to go out with a bang. L.A., being the home town of producers Dreamworks, was one of the most important cities on the schedule. It was a three week roller coaster. The anxiety of not having work to do anymore, the sadness of leaving a job and company of people you've grown to love, and the push to "make it count" and enjoy the ride. No one could have handled it all better than Eric. Not only is he an exceptional leader for our family, but he also was a great leader in his company. I'm so proud of him.
The company housing had us in an apartrment in Burbank. Again, this was an Oakwood housing complex. They specialize in company housing and do pretty awesome corporate living. We were in a two bedroom town home that was so awesome for Sophie. There was plenty of room for her toys AND room for her to run around. Over the three weeks, you could see her settle in and become comfortable with her new home. She was thriving in a setting that was more like a home. It was definitely time for us to be done touring and staying in hotels. Like I've said all along, she did great in hotels, cause that's all she'd ever known. However, we were all ready to have some space.
We had barely unpacked a suitcase and it was time for the opening night and the opening night party. Eric and I were looking forward to a night out. With my mom there, I was able to run to the store easily for last minute things and go on quick errands for Eric. You really take for granted the brevity of a drugstore pitstop, until you have a baby and realize that where you used to be able to make 3 stops and get errands done in a set amount of time, you now could do 1 stop. I guess this is why people like Walmart.
Opening night was so fun!



I got to see the show again and Eric and I had fun hanging out with friends afterwards. With the show still running and everyone having a 5:30am press call in the morning, it was a fun, but relatively short night out.
During the days, my mom and I took Sophie to shop for her presents. When we went into Potterybarn, Sophie's life was changed when she met her new best friend, the arm chair for babies. Once she sat in that chair, she did not want to get up. It fit her perfectly.



She made he way over to the children's kitchen set and another love was born. Tearing her away from that kitchen was nearly impossible. We left with the arm chair, but that kitchen was a staggering amount of money. I could have bought the child an actual working stove for that amount of money. So the answer on that was to get a toddler kitchen set, just not THAT one. We found an awesome one made by Fischer price that starts out small and grows with your child. It's called....grow with me kitchen. Highly recommended. Another highlight for us that week was finally choosing a high chair. Sitting in the stroller to eat at home just wasn't going to cut it anymore. She's always loved sitting in high chairs in restaurants on tour, so you can imagine her excitement at getting one of her very own. If you can't imagine it...here's a picture to help you go there with us.







- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Monday, July 11, 2011

Stay Classy, San Diego

San Diego was our favorite city. The weather was beautiful. There were a million things to do and we had a good time there. Point Loma was our favorite excursion. We rented a car and drive out there to get the most beautiful view of San Diego, the bay, Navy ships, and the ocean. Just beautiful .



We also did the Old Town trolley tour from downtown.



That took us over to Coronado, which is an absolute must. Walking around the famous Hotel Del Coronado was such fun, as you can see the movie "Some Like It Hot" reminiscent in every corner of this historic, family friendly, beach hotel. The movie was filmed there and being there makes you feel like you are on a magical MGM movie set.







Had lunch at a place called Burger Lounge that was super yummy. Friends had raved that this would be the best burger we ever ate. High expectations were hard to exceed, but that being said, I'd go back. In the afternoon that day, the trolley brought us to the zoo. The highlight of that trip was the Panda exhibit. It's a narrated exhibit, where the Pandas seem fairly close. Sophie loved seeing the baby Panda so much that she cried, when our turn in the line was over and we headed away from the baby Panda.



The Children's Museum in San Diego was the best one we'd been to.



There were plenty of areas for toddlers and then designated areas for older kids. I found out that some parents don't always pay attention to that direction. Sophie was playing in the "For children under the age of 2" area and there was a young buy about 5 or 6 who had walked over to explore. I quickly spotted his parents having lunch in the adjacent area and took note that his play was getting wilder by the second. Sophie and another 1-yr-old were playing with cardboard blocks and mini grocery carts when Wild Child picks up a cardboard box, says to the boy passing by, "Watch this," and kicks said box directly at Soph's face. Thanks to my ninja skills, I stopped the box with my hand, to the little twerps surprise. As I pointed my figure at Wild Child and firmly said 'you have to be careful when babies are around. You cannot kick blocks at them." As he walked over to a chair and sulked, his parents made their way to him, asking if everything was okay. His response was a silent sulk I was poised, ready to tell them everything was NOT okay until I realized that they really didn't care. They sat down in the beach chairs for parents and Dad got on the phone and mom opened her magazine and Wild Child geared up for more. As separate group of children gathered for a birthday party near us, Wild Child made his way to the corner and talked to himself about how he was sad that no one invited him to a birthday party. It was so sad, as I looked into his future and saw him as the classic school bully who acted out to desperately get the attention of parents who had more important things to do. The lesson I took away was to always be ready to use mommy ninja skills and all parents do not think like you would, so be prepared. All that being said, sometimes you just can't avoid your children getting hurt. You can hover all you want, but it happens. Later that night, Soph was working on picking up speed in the hotel, she face planted, bit her tongue, and blood came out of her mouth. Blood!!!!! I, admittedly was super freaked out. My hands and voice were shakey as I told her it was ok and held her tight. She was freaked out and so was I. However, she was just fine. Fast forward to Monday, when we were all set to leave with the company on a bus to LA at 10:30 am. Soph and I headed to the park across from the children's museum around 8:30. The squishy ground there and low ropes and spinning toys hooked onto the structure made it a perfect place for toddlers. There was another toddler, 16 month old, Devon, and his dad there too. Devon, just a few months ahead of Soph was a runner. You see where this is going. As I stood behind Soph, as she played with a rope hooked onto a metal pole. Devil, I mean, Devon, came out of no where and pushed Soph hard. She fell to her hands and knees and her head conked hard against the metal pole. I picked up a crying Sophie and could see the bump beginning to grow. Through Sophie's screams, I could hear the dad behind me telling his son that he couldn't push people and that he had hurt Sophie. As I grabbed the stroller and headed to the first open place for ice, I could hear the dad apologizing from the park. Once I got ice and she had calmed down a bit, I was able to see better. The bump was getting bigger and turning blue. The main thing that worried me was that she seemed dazed and was closing her eyes like she was trying to go to sleep. I asked for a cab and the company I called said they weren't sure how long it would take to get a driver to me. I said forget it and headed in a full stroller sprint to the hotel, where I knew a cab would be. I called Eric and told him to meet me in the lobby with a car seat. We left immediately for Hillcrest UCSD ER. If you need a great ER close to downtown, this is it. The doctors were so great and got us in right away. The long and short of our hospital visit was that after a few hours of evaluation, they and we decided that she was fine. We proceeded to rent the smallest car we could find, pack luggage into every nook and cranny, and head to L.A. Last stop. We made it! A few bumps and bruises, but we arrived safe and sound.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Grand Rapids to Florida to Charleston to Florida to LAX to San Diego. Phew.

This week was a lay-off week for the tour. With no city booked and the trucks having to get from Grand Rapids, MI to San Diego, CA in a week, the cast and crew got some time off. Eric had Monday and Tuesday off, but flew out to L.A. for the rest of the time to do press for the show. We had a great time on Monday and Tuesday just spending some stress-free time together. We drove an hour to The Barn Theatre (where Eric and I met) on Tuesday to introduce Soph and reminisce.









On Wednesday, Soph an I headed to FL and Eric headed out to L.A. He did tons of press in San Diego and Los Angeles. If you haven't seen his show, Shrek:The Musical, yet, these cities are your last chance to see Eric. It ends in 4 short weeks. See it. It's so great!
I got all our business in Orlando taken care of like getting our car packed with our L.A. things and ready for pick up. We are having our car transported to Los Angeles. We've done this a few times on the tour and found it to be a good situation for us. You do cross your fingers that your car won't fall off the truck on the highway though. Here's hopin'! Friday, we drove to Charleston for my cousins wedding.




We were there for the weekend, spending the days exploring downtown followed by the rhsl dinner the first night and the wedding the next night. Fleet's Landing and Hyman's Seafood were my favorite places to eat.




We did stop at Paula Deen's Lady and Sons in Savannah on our way up though and I must say, they had some goooood hoe cakes.  Sophie couldn't be tempted with the fried chicken.




We love Charleston and have been quite a few times. My granddad Turner did 2 tours of duty on the USS Laffey, which sits at Patriots Point. We've toured the ship a few times with him and it's such a cool experience when you have somebody who lived it to show you the ropes. It was being repaired this time, so I guess we have a good excuse to come back. Monday, the 4th of July, we drove back to FL. The very next morning, Soph and I flew to San Diego. She did great, once again. My thighs took a beating from having her stomp on then for hours in the plane ride, but she was a happy baby for the entire almost 5 hours. Wow! On the connector from LAX to San Diego, she got her own big girl seat. I still held her tight, but she loved sitting like an adult.  Safety 1st!!




- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Friday, June 24, 2011

She Walks!!!

Eric, Soph and I had dinner with Morgan and Sarah. Eric headed off to make-up and us girls hung out and played a while. Sophie was having so much fun that she decided to walk about it!!!! And were off!!!

YouTube Video


Soph is currently 11 months and 2 weeks. She will be one on July 15. - Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Reflection

Reflection:  As we near the end of the tour, I have a reflective walk home, with Soph in the stroller in front of me.  What a whirlwind our life has been.  Eric and I moved to NYC in 2004, after meeting at The Barn Theatre in Augusta, MI.  We lived at 191st and Wadsworth Ave., which, for those of you who know, can be a rather dangerous neighborhood.  Gunshots ringing out on the street, people running, 40yr-old prostitutes dancing to no music using the building trash den as there base, seeing a man beat up and left in the gutter outside my window.  Thank God, we both booked the same show and were working on the road for a few months right away.  TheatreworksUSA is a children’s theatre company in NYC and Eric and I booked Huck Finn.  I did it for a while myself and then Eric came in as a replacement.   We had a ball together and it was an experience, in and of itself...you may call it, paying your dues.  Eric went back to the Barn and I stayed in NYC.  New York was even more difficult alone and poor.  By the end of the summer 3 girls had been stabbed in the face, in front of our building, and we decided that we’d better move. 
     We received quite the array of reactions as we moved the last of our things from Washington Heights to Sunset Park, Brooklyn, via the subway.  I remember holding curtain rods in one hand and a giant wicker basket filled with blankets and clothes between my legs.  Some faces were entertained and others were seriously disapproving.  If our Brooklyn wasn’t the hipster haven you’ve read about, it was, for us, a fun place to live.  The actual park of Sunset Park was a beautiful escape for us and we loved our neighbors.  Eric booked his first big job on a Bway tour while living there in 2006 and I did a few small shows in town.  It was a step up from where we’d been, but mice and safety were ever the issue though, as I woke one day to find my neighbor hosing blood off the front stoop.  Some of the craziness of these things really don’t register until like...now. 
   In 2007, we stepped up again and moved into a 300 square foot “dream” apartment in Hell’s Kitchen.  We were getting married that year and happy as clams to be living right on top of each other.  We thought we’d hit the jackpot.  In a way, we did.  A week after our “I do’s,” I booked “Mamma Mia” in Las Vegas.  I shipped out and was there until Jan. 2009.  Eric came out to visit every few weeks and I went to see him when I could get a day off here and there.  A lot of people sacrifice there relationship and time together for saving money, so maybe we didn’t save as much as they did, but we had each other in the end.  The year had been good for Eric too, getting his feet wet doing some guest spots on T.V. and booking a pilot for a sitcom.  We decided to stay in our homey Hell’s Kitchen place.  We loved it and wanted the apt. to work.  After accidentally roasting a rat along with our filet mignon, we decided to move that instance. 
     With the markets in free fall, free months of rent and dropped rates were happening everywhere.  We signed a 2 yr lease in a luxury building at 42nd and 10th Ave. snagging the deal of the century and sang “Movin’ on up” as we moved on up.  We returned to the Barn Theatre, in Michigan, where we had met, as part of their Equity Company.  It was a romantic place for us, so super fun to return.  I was directing Eric in a production of “The Full Monty,” wherein he was playing a lead, when he received the phone call to return for an audition for a replacement in Shrek on Broadway.  We had capable, if not age appropriate, understudies in place, but it was not without it’s difficulties.  He and we were left in limbo for a week.  Not knowing whether or not he would be returning to our show or going to Broadway.  Well, as it turned out, he booked the job.  We were so proud.  He headed off to NYC and I stuck out the summer without him.  It was harder than it had ever been to be without him.  We had pledged that whoever booked the next big job, the other would travel with.  We didn’t imagine that it wouldn’t be possible.  I returned in October and we took a month to visit friends and family before Eric returned to the Broadway cast as the Standby for Shrek until their closing on Jan.3, 2010. 
     After our vacation, we returned to our awesome apartment.  I worked out everyday to lose my vacay weight.  I had a sneaking suspicion after seeing “results not typical” at the gym that “vacay” weight might be “babay” weight.  I took a pregnancy test.  I took all three!!!  The first one got the line AS I was peeing on it.  What happened to the “wait for 3 minutes”?  The others did the same.  We’ll, I guess this is happening.  Excitement and fear coursed through me all at the same time.  Now, to tell Eric.  He had just done what was to be his first and only rehearsal of Shrek.  It was for an empty house, but he worked hard preparing and we viewed it as his starring turn even if he never went on for the role.  I was excited to here about his day and knew that this news was going to be the icing on his cake.  He nervously called out my name when he couldn’t open the door because I had it bolted. 
     “Coming” I said as I grabbed the video camera and headed to unlock the door.
     “Hi,” I giggled. 
     “Hi,” he said.  “Why do you have a video camera?” 
     “Just go to the bathroom,” I replied.
      He turned the corner to see a bunch of his shirts hanging on the curtain rod.  “Thanks for doing the laundry,” he said confusedly. 
      I laughed as I pointed to the sink.  “No, look down.” 
      He smirked and smiled and grabbed his head and said, “Are you serious?  Oh My God.  This is crazy.  This is great!  I’m so excited!” 
      His reaction immediately calmed my nerves. 
     We kept the news to ourselves that night until we could confirm it with the doctor.   Excitement made me feel as if I could barely sleep, but the tiredness took over and we headed into sweet dreams.  The next day, I got a phone call from Eric at 10 a.m.  “They just called and said I’m on for Shrek today...both shows.”  My friend Michael and I got tickets to the first show and cried about how proud we were.  Eric was starring on Broadway...with Tony Award winning actress, Sutton Foster, no less.  That night I went by myself and sat a few rows from the front.  I was so happy that Eric was getting to live his dream.  His cast members approached me on the street deeming his performance as “the best first understudy performance ever!”  He came home saying people kept telling him how focused and cool he was, to which he replied...”You have no idea.”  (I just found out I’m going to be a father!, he thought to himself.)
     The 3 month mark of our pregnancy fell on the week the show closed in NYC.  We decided not to tell anyone until then.  A meager 4 people outside of our family knew at that point.  The first week of January, we began to spread the good news.  In other good news, Eric had been notified that he would have the honor of playing Shrek on the First National Tour.  Although paper work had not been drawn and ink certainly was not dry, we were excited, but kept the news to ourselves.  In this business, it’s best not to count your chicken before their hatched. 
     I spent the next few months as Assistant Director to a Director friend of ours and Eric auditioned for commercials and T.V.  We planned for having a new baby on the road.  This was not traditional, so I sort of had to draw up my own rulebook and guidelines.  A different kind of how-to.  As details of the tour got fleshed out, we discovered that Sophie (now named) was going to come sometime around...OPENING!   Not only would this be tricky because of Eric’s work schedule being the star of the show, but also because traveling at the end of the 3rd trimester was not something people typically do.  We’ll, we are anything but typical.  We decided to be prepared.  We had a doctor in NYC for all prenatal care and in the case that she would arrive early.  Getting a doctor to take us at 39 weeks in Chicago was a different story.  I spent hours on the phone being denied by office after office, until finally a doctor affiliated with Northwestern took us in.  She was meant to be.  I visited her once with Eric and a few times on my own leading up to the delivery.  My body swelled from the pregnancy, the travel, and the diet.  We drove to Chicago and still no baby.  We settled into the apartment and still no baby.  The show opened for previews and still no baby.  Finally, on July 14.  She decided it was time.  It was a 2 show day for Eric, so I didn’t bother telling him until he finished his second show.  By then, my contractions were 10 minutes apart.  We headed to the doc when they were just under 4 minutes at around 4 a.m.  There was no room for us, so we waited in Triage for hours.  We finally were moved to a room and I was given an epidural almost immediately.  A few hours later, at 5pm on July 15, 2010, Sophie was born.  Eric was out of the show for that night only and returned to work the next day.   Thank God, the next 6 weeks we were in one place.   I had no idea how much time it takes just breast feeding and changing diapers (mine and babies).  With stitches that didn’t heal quite right, and a procedure to fix it, it took more like 9 weeks to heal.   I hear c-sections are pretty painful though, so I’m glad to have avoided that.  Once we got through Chicago, we felt like we were getting the hang of things.  As we moved to St.Louis, we felt a weight lift off of us.  Eric was feeling a oneness with the show and we were feeling a oneness with baby Sophie.  We could recognize that this is the time of our lives.
     As I came up to the hotel and out of my day dreaming, I remembered that the tour was now coming to an end.   In one week, the traveling will be over for a bit.  The logistics planning can have a rest.  The uncertainty of the actors life is eagerly waiting to nestle itself back into our lives.  It's something we've learned to live with.   Next up...?

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Good Charlotte




"Yes Ma-am, I'd love to sign your baby."- Ricky Bobby, Talledegha Nights. An ode to racing, since we are in the home town of Nascar...Charlotte, N.C.. This is a big week for us because it's Eric's Bday on Tuesday (also Flag Day) and Haven and Denny have their respective Bachelor/Bachelorette Parties on Thursday. My mom is flying in Mon. thru Fri. so that we can throw a party for Eric and attend the wedding festivities, while having a babysitter that we and Soph are comfy with. First of all, let me say that this city has the most walkable, clean, and safe downtown with tons of options. It was a great week for us. There is a place called the Epicenter, directly across from our hotel. You will find everything from Five Guys Burgers to CVS to upscale dining, bowling, and a movie theatre serving fine dining to your loveseat. Now that's what I'm talkin' about people! Monday, Eric and I were able to go on a date where we saw "Super 8" and had wine in said fancy theatre. It was a great date-night. Tuesday was the Black Tie Bowling Birthday Bash! We asked that everyone overdress for bowling because we thought it would be fun and well, we were right. Everyone had a blast!

Eric received a lot of sweet cards and gifts, but I, unabashedly, can say the best one came from me...beauty and necessity rolled into a new, shiny, red and black walker. Class.

He wore it well.
The parties for Haven and Denny were really fun also and because they had the parties meet up, Eric and I got to spend even more time out together. It's nice to have a big ole group of people you really like around.


YouTube Video
The weekend in Charlotte ended with more fun, cause we got to see Meegan, my girlfriend and bridesmaid from NYC who moved to Charlotte that very week. We loved having some time with her and after visiting Charlotte, knew that she would be perfectly fine there. It's a really great city! P.S. I got amazing highlights here and it only cost me $75. Eat your heart out, John Barrett.

From Charlotte, I got to head to L.A. for Haven and Denny's wedding and the cast, along with Eric and Sophie, headed to Grand Rapids, MI. Having anxiety about Eric and Sophie traveling "alone," I proposed to our friend, Sarah Peak (friend and fellow cast member) and asked her to be Eric's wife for the day. She knows Soph really well and I totally trusted that if something went wrong, she would be there for him. I've flown somewhere in the neighborhood of 15 times by myself with Soph, so I knew Daddy would be just fine, but wanted him to have someone there. Thank God everything went smoothly, well almost. With their first flight canceled, they ended up with a 12 hr travel day. Whew! That could have been super trying if it weren't for Sarah and Morgan (also friend and cast member) who were super helpful to Eric and loving on Soph all day. From what I understand, it wasn't just them, but the whole cast was super sweet to her and she, in turn, entertained them. Make 'em laugh, baby! By the end of the day, she was pooped.



The wedding was beautiful and I enjoyed a book and a magazine on my way. It had been a while since I read anything beside websites and forums about baby stuff. It was a relaxing flight. L.A. was beautiful and the people were happy and nice and... beautiful...go figure. The wedding. Haven looked radiant and Denny looked dapper.




It was a beautiful backyard wedding. They didn't miss a thing. It was perfectly them. I feel so blessed that our lives have intertwined with this awesome, smart, sweet couple. I got to stay in the awesomely cool house in the hills of our friends and Eric's boss. It was relaxing and fun to be with them , but I missed Sophie more than words can say at the same time. The sound of her "mumumumum"s over the phone made my eyes wet with tears. As a child screamed as if she were being stabbed to death behind me on the plane flight back to the family, I found myself thanking God that Soph is the travel pro she is and hasn't had a complete public meltdown. Yet. They say even the best babies have them, so as I brag about Soph's good demeanor, I can feel her mustering her very first and best blood-curdling scream. Until then, I will continue to thank my lucky stars. When I opened the door in Grand Rapids, I felt like I had been away a year. She looked older, more knowing, her hair looked longer and her face looked more like a toddler and less like a baby and that was just two days. I'm a mess.

Saturday, June 18, 2011

Sophie: The Make-Up Artist



YouTube Video


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

She's Ready For Her Close Up

Sophie's Project Runway.

YouTube Video

Soph shows off her bear crawl in the breakfast lounge at Springhill Suites.

YouTube Video

Kazoo skills! A born musician!

YouTube Video

Sophie accompanies the Tony Awards show.

YouTube Video

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Friday, June 10, 2011

Louisville Sluggers

Louisville was yet another cool city. We stayed at the Springhill Suites, but moved over to the Fairfield after a few days so that we could have a bathtub. I filled a storage tub from the shower spout for a few days and decided that was too much when it came to hair washing.













I found our cruise ship sink kinda funny. It's a nice hotel and all the Marriots at this level have a great comp breakfast. Soph doesn't care that it is comp...she just likes to socialize in the morning. We normally spend about an hour in the breakfast area, as Soph likes to strike up conversations with the other children staying at the hotel. In the evening, Soph and I go back and bring our dinner to the lounge area. The table and high chairs make it an ideal place for meals.
The Louisville Slugger museum and factory tour were awesome. It was one of the best tours we have been on because the factory is THE working factory and there are batting cages, a really cool pitching exhibit, and an exhibit where you cam hold Mickey Mantle's bat. You can also have a bat made and engraved on the spot. Eric got one that said "Shrek: The Musical.". It's going to be a cool memory along side his Shrek Cubs jersey.






Our friend Kelley, whom Eric and I met at The Barn Theatre our first year, now lives in Louisville with her husband and son, Mack. Mack was born the week after Soph. They visited us for the day on Thursday and we had a great time. The babies really liked being around each other. One of my favorite moments was when they got into chasing each other. Sophie would crawl away and then look over her shoulder to see if he was following. Then she would just crack up laughing. Classic.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Sunday, June 5, 2011

Who Dat?!

Who Dat?! New Orleans, LA. So, we were not exactly looking forward to NO before we got here. It marked the end of our vacay with family and we had been down Bourbon St. before. After we did the riverwalk, ate beignets at Cafe Du Monde, went to an amazing dress shop selling vintage cuts named Trashy Diva, and ate Pineapple Basil popsicles from the organic popsicle shop Meltdown...we felt differently. We saw beauty in the ironwork balconies and heard music in every nook and crany.
YouTube Video
We were charmed! The French Quarter felt very, well...French.
We stayed at The Chateau Le Monte. It is a historic hotel, like most everything in NO. The set-up of our room is awesome aside from the mouse who shacked up with us the last few nights. I don't mind...as long as he pitches in.
There was a Turtle Pond right outside our room and Soph visited them everyday. They used to jump in the water from their perch on the higher rock, when we came up. By the time we left, they we swimming over to us or just continued to stretch and sun themselves. We are going to miss those guys.


Sophie took four consecutive independent steps on Sunday, June 5. We are so proud of her and you could tell she was so proud of herself. It was about 4:30, so Eric was just wrapping up the first show, Soph and I were playing at the foot of the bed and I had the key in my hand. She got excited and distracted and before she knew it...she was walking!!! We tried for more steps, like the first, all day, but to no avail. She kept trying for about 2hrs though. We explored every inch of this hotel. Sophie is going to sleep hard tonight.
The record high temps and heat advisory that weighed on the city this week made it difficult for the cast. Their Tony Award winning costumes are crazy amazing, but with a heat index of 110 on some days, it was extremely hot. Across the country, record temperatures were being shattered. It was hot everywhere. The show must go on though. That's the biz, as they say.
Sophie waves goodbye to New Orleans.

YouTube Video


Here's a few photos of Soph from this week that are keepers.
First up...Miss Pris


Next up...That Face!




- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:Bienville St,New Orleans,United States

Friday, June 3, 2011

Orlando Magic

Home Orlando. Most of you know, but for those who don't...I grew up in Winter Garden. It's a relatively small town just West of Orlando.
We had about 300 people we knew go see Eric's show, Shrek:The Musical , while we were in Orlando. Just over 100 of that group where students and teachers from The First Academy, where I went to school. It made for a pretty busy, but super fun wk 1 in Orlando.
The wk of shows in Orlando was followed by a week layoff. No work, no pay, but the time off was soooo welcomed. These past 10 months, a day off, when we are not traveling to a new city on said day, has been few and far between. We felt a huge relief to have some time to breathe. My family totally helped out so that Eric and I could do our taxes and go thru all our stuff. Eric did have to fly to L.A. for a day to do some press and sweet Sophie talked to his picture on the phone.










Over the past 10 months, we have sent about 20 boxes of stuff to my parents house. Baby clothes that Soph grew out of, Shrek memorabilia, nursing clothes, and out-of-season clothes. It felt like a huge weight off our shoulders to get our life organized. And not having to do it when Soph was sleeping, gave us time to rest AND get stuff done. Phew. Eric and I even got a 2 day vacay at a nearby Hotel while my parents watched Soph. It was rejuvenating, but by the second morning, we were missing Soph and were so ready to get back to baby.








We spent a lot of time in the pool at my parents house. Soph learned to go under water all the way there, this time. She was startled at most, but was totally into it. We had heard a lot about people who just toss the babies in at this stage and they are good to go, as far as swimming goes. Not quite sure I could subscribe to that. Going under water with her at this point was more our speed. Once again, something that everyone gauges with their own family and decides what is right for them.
If you saw Sophie in action in Winter Garden, you would have thought she was running for mayor. This child is the biggest charmer I've ever seen. She just thrives being around people. She just waves and smiles at everyone she meets. She's "never met a stranger," as they say. Eventually, we'll have to have a convo about that. Don't want her just skipping off with anyone, although, right now, I'm really grateful for her super friendly demeanor. It makes close quarters and new people everyday as easy as can be.
Every day here, Soph is getting better at walking. She can stand for a few seconds on her own and walk comfortably holding only one adult hand. We are so excited and our cameras re always within arms reach. Don't want to miss those first steps.
And let's not forget that her top 4 front teeth cut during our two weeks here in FL. Thanks God for all the happy distractions. She was an angel thru it. Alright...I don't want to be one of THOSE people, so I will say that she let us know when her teeth hurt.
The final day of Orlando was the much anticipated Disney day! We were headed to the Magic Kingdom! After years of Eric and I having experienced this place as children, it was surreal to be playing the role of parent. I never imagined that it would be better than being the kid, but it was. Watching Sophie take in all this magic was one of the coolest things I've ever seen. You could see her brain


growing! She has always enjoyed being in parks and zoos and such, where there are other chldren to look at andintera t with. So we had that going for us from the top of the morning. As we walked down Main Street U.S.A. , we took pics in front of the castle just in time for the show to begin. Sophie watched and clapped along to the music as she perched on daddy's shoulders. Mia got us in to a Winnie the Pooh and Friends character lunch right as the castle show finished. Pooh and Piglet sleep with Soph every night, so she is super familiar with them, as they are her BFFs.






The first time around Soph was not sure how she felt about the giant versions of her friends, but by the second go around, she had warmed up to the idea and was her friendly ole self. It was the best way, hands down, to have a baby meet characters. No waiting in line, no 5 seconds if throw your child in a pic and get out, but an actual lunch where the babies can see them interacting and around the whole time. Soph was able to comfortable sit in her own space and have the characters come to her. The Crystal Palace at The Magic Kingdom by reservation. Do it.
While Sophie napped for a good 2 hrs, my parents watched her and Eric, Trey, Ariana, and me went to Big Thunder and Hall of Presidents. We were all too excited to join back up when Sophie woke up.
We headed straight to The Country Bear Jamboree, which she loved....almost as much as the ho down that Daddy and she got to participate in directly after with all the country bear characters out in the street. We couldn't have planned it better ourselves. Heading over to fantasy land, we hit Small World. I have never seen such wonder in a child's eyes, as with Soph's on Small World. I'm fairly confident we could have stayed on that all day and she would have been pleased as punch. We had to ride Dumbo and Peter Pan though. These are two of our faves, but you can't really rife Dumbo without a child, so Eric and I were glad to have an excuse to get back on the elephant. We ate dinner at Pinnochios and went back to Pirates of the Caribbean. I couldn't believe how much she actually liked the ride. I hid her eyes from the images of the skeletons cause I didn't want those images in her mind, but she didn't seem to mind as she smiled and laughed thru the whole thing. They arghhh pretty friendly pirates. As we herded out of the park, we stopped to watch the fireworks. It was so cool to see her eyes light up with the sky upon seeing her first fireworks show. By the time we walked out of the gates, she was out cold...Minnie Mouse ears still on her head.





And she lived happily ever after.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone