Ah, Wilderness!

Our fabulous adventure has come to an end and my God, it was an amazing opportunity.  We had such a blast with a little mild drama mixed in, just a typical family vacation!

So, Dunton is very hard to get to.  We flew into Denver then waited for a flight to Durango, which was delayed, then had a 2 hour drive to Dunton.  We got in around 2 am with the 2 hour time difference.  It was a little concerning when the driver turned onto a red dirt road and told us it was another 10 miles of switchback turns with no guardrails.  However, when we woke up the next morning and had a look around, it was worth it.  This place is gorgeous.  Way up in the mountains with log cabins dotted around.  The views are incredible and the food is to die for.

The first day of shooting were these fake saw horses that the kids got to sit on.  All the boys wore boots and spurs, the girls in cowboy hats.  Wyatt ran up with a carrot trying to feed this fake horse with a lampshade head.  Considering he got about 5 hours of sleep the night before, he did great.  But he most definitely had more fun running around with the kids then shooting pictures.  The next day was robots.  I told him to go fix the robot.  He grabbed a tool out of the spare parts bucket and got to work.  However, every time the photographer gave him direction he insisted that he was fixing the robot and refused to move from his spot.  He is 3 going on 80.  A little old man stuck in his ways.  And he is just so stubborn.  (Which is probably genetic.  I am not sure who is more stubborn, Terry or I.)  I was slightly embarrassed about his lack of cooperation but at the same time, I wasn't going to make him do something that he didn't want to.  This is suppose to be fun, for myself and him, and I will always strive for that no matter who I am upsetting.  So, I didn't force it which I think got the photographer (and company) a little upset with me.

The natural hot springs very relaxing despite some coaxing and hesitation.  Wyatt just couldn't seem to get past the red water and stone siding.  Plus the 106 degree heat.  I thought it was really exotic.  At the outdoor spring there was, what seemed to me, a run off/over flow stream.  So, while I soaked in the hot spring, Wyatt played contented in the hot stream.  We took a small hike to the frozen waterfall through the snow listening for wildlife.  Our cabin was a little hike from the Saloon area.  We hoofed it several times.  The first time, Wyatt insisted on piggybacking and when we got to the cabin I literally thought I was going to die.  I could barely catch my breath.  It was only later that I found out we were at 9,000 ft and it does funny things to your body.  And here I thought I was entirely out of shape.

A stock photo of our room.  The coyote was right there.

While Wyatt was napping one day and I was reading in bed, I caught a glimpse of something out of the corner of my eye.  A coyote came down from the hills crossed the small frozen trout pond and started digging right outside our french doors. I jumped up, took a ton of pictures, then ran around our cabin trying to find someone to tell.  Of course, almost everyone was napping or with doors closed.  The coyote stayed for about 30 minutes.  When we got home Wyatt told the story over and over.  Funny cause he was sleeping.  A total indication that I talk way to much.

I have to admit, I was a little nervous.  This was the first time I have done anything like this, to this extend, with Wyatt by myself.  He has reached a somewhat challenging age.  He is amazing 90% of the time.  But there are times when he throws fits, or repeatedly tells me 'No', or refuses to listen, or it feels like I have said his name 12 times in the past 10 minutes.  Its totally normal toddler behavior but my patience levels are less then stellar.  6 days, no breaks, 4 planes, long car rides, altitude sickness, new food, best behavior.  Its a little intimidating.  I wasn't sure if I was going to make it without a fight.  Well, of course, we were going to Make it.  I just thought that maybe with one of Wyatt's meltdowns, I might have my own.  Just for good measure.  Stamp my feet a little.  But I didn't.  He didn't.  We didn't.  We survived and had a great time.  I am giving myself a well deserved pat on the back.

Does it Feel Like We're Going in Circles?

Hello out there!  If anyone is still out there.  Sorry I have been missing in action.  Between trips to the city, party planning, Wyatt going to bed at obscene hours, homework, new Mommy and Me classes, traveling to NJ for work, and the rest of life's bumps, I've been having a hard time keeping up blogging.  I promise I will try to be better. 

Wyatt had an audition for the cover of Parenting magazine last week.   He didn't get it but the audition went very well and its always good for him to have new experiences.  Now that he is a little older, I try to make our jaunts into the city a great adventure for him.  Positive reinforcement.  If he goes to the audition then we do something fun like go to the park, out to eat, or to a museum.  He is very easily pleased and I love getting to reconnect with my city a little.  Wandering the streets of Manhattan, even with a stroller, always gets me nostalgic.  There is something about nice weather, the hum of the city, the excitement, that bubbles up happiness in me.

After the audition, Rebecca and I took him to a little pub restaurant where he flirted with the bus boys the entire time.  He was playing peek a boo around the glass partition and laughing his face off.  Then we found this cute, but crowded, playground around 68th and CPW.  Wyatt hijacked some little girls doll stroller and wheeled it all around the playground and then threw it into the sand pit.  I prayed that no one was watching.  He found a ball lying in the middle of Sheeps Meadow and threw it to a round of applause of onlooking mothers.  Of course, once he had an audience, he repeated the act about 12 times.  I never thought I'd get him to leave.  Can you detect a pattern of thievery?

By far, he had the most fun at the carousel.  We sat with him and watched it going around twice before deciding to bring him on it.  I wanted to make sure that he would be comfortable.  I was envisioning Wyatt doing fine until it started moving and then I would have to leap from the ride, mid-turn, with a screaming baby.  Rebecca sat next to him and I was on his other side holding him in place.  He kept on reaching out to pet the horses mane before we started moving.  He sat on that horse, wrapped his little fingers around the poll, and held on for dear life.  He loved it with a mixture of fear.  He would be laughing like crazy and then this look of terror would cross his face only to be replaced by laughing again.  I kept on wondering what part made him scared because it never seemed to be associated with anything.  When I tried to take him off, he lunged back toward the horses.  I gave in and we rode again.  I am going to have to take him on it every time we go to Central Park now.  Of course, I forgot my camera so these pictures were taken on my phone.

Wy's Singing Debut

Every time we sing with Wyatt in our arms he has started trying to sing along.  Well, at least we call it singing.  He is especially fond of "God Bless America".  Please ignore my Dad's singing and try to focus on Wyatt.  I swear he will be destined for Broadway one day.  Although the one career choice that both Terry and I can agree on is Wyatt becoming the next Bob Dylan.  Hey, we can all dream, right?  Enjoy.

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It's the Day of the Show, Y'all

Sorry for the short notice but I just got the phone call a little while ago.  Wyatt will be making his debut on Late Night with Conan O'Brien tonight!!!  It will be on at 12:30am on NBC.  They said that Conan will come on and do his monologue.  Then they will cut to commercial and when they get back Wy should be on.  I was so excited when I got the phone call I almost wet my pants.  If you happen to miss it, I think we have about 12 people that are going to tape it.  I will try to get it posted on here if I am tech savvy enough.

As per usual, he has been in a fabulous mood all day even while cutting his front tooth.  Then during bath time I believe he said his first word in context.  Rebecca was playing peek-a-boo behind the shower curtain.  Every time Rebecca would re-appear he would say "Hi".  He did it about 7 times in a row then Gammy walked in and he greeted her with a "Hi".  Pretty cool.  Oh my, I am so excited about Conan!  Yeah, for Wyatt's TV debut!

The Audition Chronicles

If you haven't seen it our WalMart commercial is up and running since September 9th.  The 30 seconds of fame has been seen on the Food Network, Comedy Central, and Fox. Unfortunately, little man got cut from it.  He is not in it at all.  I was so upset about that.  I am in it for about 2 seconds.  Seriously, if you blink you will miss me.  It is a funny turn of events since I was there only because of Wyatt's audition.

Anyway, his commercial career trudges on.  I was really excited about a Tiffany's print ad he had an audition for about a month ago.  I really thought he was going to get it.  The Tiffany's 

people loved him and took about a million pictures but unfortunately we received no phone call.  I guess what they say is true about going to 10 auditions and only booking one.  After the Tiffany's audition we went for American Baby magazine, Bright Starts toys and cribs, Crayola, and a pharmaceutical company.

On Wednesday, we had a big adventure.  It was the first time that I ventured into the city for an audition without help.  The plan was to go to an audition on Wednesday afternoon, stay overnight, then have another audition in the morning.  A good friend of Rebecca's let us stay at her apartment in Times Square.  It was pretty amazing being that close to all the lights and it really was like a mini-vacation for Wy and I.  He adored the city lights, was astonished by Toys R Us in Times Square, and loved touching everything in Kristal's apartment.  I literally was following him around with Windex.

Then on Thursday, we received a phone call from Wy's agent with a booking for Late Night with Conan O'Brien.  I was so excited I almost wet my pants.  We went down to NBC Studios and filmed this little sketch about a baby workout routine.  This poor guy had to do crunches while holding Wyatt.  I am sure his abs were killing him the next day.  Wyatt was hysterical.  He charmed everyone that walked by the green room and attracted a lot of attention.  When they didn't need him for a scene he would try to crawl back over to the camera.  Everyone on set complimented him on being so well behaved and one of the writers promised to write more skits with babies so that they could have him back.

We were sitting in the green room. I was packing up our stuff to leave after the shoot and there were people everywhere getting ready to rehearse for that night's show.  Wyatt was crawling around checking everything out, I looked over and in walks Sarah Silverman.  She plops herself down on the floor and starts playing with Wy.  He starts smiling and doing his flirty thing.  She told him he was very handsome and made her day.  I was taking it all in thinking how incredibly amazing this week has been.  He has such a natural magnetism that attracts everyone in his path.

I talked to the Conan people yesterday and they said that the skit should air sometime next week.  I will post something as soon as I know.  They filmed a lot of footage of close ups of his face so he should be pretty easy to spot.  I can't wait for his big TV Late Night debut!! 

Princess Tickle Wave

Tuesday was one of the longest, most adrenaline filled days I have experienced in a while. I had a blast doing it but don't think I would be able to hack it everyday. The long hours, unpredictability, and the potential of sudden chaos could wear on a person. I will bring Wyatt on more auditions but I would want to space out his days of shooting.

The shoot was in a residential area in suburban NJ. Upon finding the street, we were met with several large white trucks lining the road, two policemen, two RV campers, lights, director chairs, and people running in every direction. "Well, that's not intimidating" were Rebeccas comforting words of wisdom that motivated me to keep on driving. We circled the block a few times, I took a few deep breaths, and proceeded to join the pandemonium.

I believe there is some saying about never working with animals and children. This commercial contained both. The premise of our vignette was mom, daughter, and infant son going for a walk. They reach home and their family cat is in the picture window, waving at them. Little girl waves back. Mom smiles at the overwhelming love for her family pet. Cut to the kitchen. Little girl and cat sit on stools waiting to be fed by mom who clearly loves to shop at Walmart because of their amazing prices on her favorite premium pet food.

Once they finally needed me on set the director took one look at me with all of my piercings and said "Get rid of all of those. We want a mother not a gypsy." The little girl, who was playing my daughter, told her mother to leave saying "Mom, I need to work now." Meanwhile, the entire scene was taking forever because they were trying to get the 4 year old to look around the bag of cat food while trying to keep a cat on a stool and looking at the bag. Talk about tall order. The cat wanted nothing to do with anything. The poor animal wranglers were sweating more then any of the Olympians. The 4 year old was more interested in licking peanut butter out of the jar while no one was looking or grabbing the cat when the wranglers weren't looking. Every time she got the peanut butter it would get all over her face and then hair and makeup would have to be called in. All I had to do was endure, move the cat bag in and out of the shot, and do my best to follow orders which sounded a lot like this "Bowl, bag. More naturally, show the product. Bowl. Bowl. I said natural. Bowl. Reset. Bowl. We can't see the label. NATURAL!!"

Several people came up to us and told us that Wyatt was the most well behaved person on set. He was amazing and obviously made for this business. He was chilling the entire time with his favorite Aunt B and Lizzy. The scene that he was in he had to sit in a stroller, looking adorable, while the little girl waved at the cat. The girl was way past her nap time by the time we got to that scene and she was not waving. Her mother was trying to bribe her with barbies but nothing was working. Most of the time she was throwing her hands around rather than waving. Her mom described the wave that she should do as the Princess Tickle Wave. I guess that means you have to wave like a Princess being tickled or pretend your tickling a Princess while waving. I am not really sure. As all of this craziness is going on with people yelling "Do the Princess Tickled Wave!" I happened to look down and Wyatt is waving. Kid you not, the child is a genius. Everyone on set was impressed. Boys got skill.

Most of the morning had a hurry up and wait quality but classic Kate making the most out of every moment I worked on honing my public nursing skills. I was in full costume and needed on set any moment but Wyatt had other plans. We had set up a blanket, picnic style, on the side of the road to be near everything but far enough away to keep the noise level down. I took off part of my costume and nursed him on the street, cars and all. The police man walked over to us at one point and I thought he was going to arrest me. Seriously. Then, we were nursing later on the porch while they set up another scene inside. I guess they needed me. The PA runs out and sees what I am doing but doesn't want to report over the walkies because he thinks it will make everyone look. All I hear is my name being called in every direction. Finally, the director runs out looking like he is about to pitch a fit, sees us, doesn't say anything, and walks back inside. When I made it onto set, in about two minutes, they were all apologies. I guess they don't have many nursing moms on set.

The entire commercial is 30 seconds. Wyatt will probably be in about 2 seconds, my butt about 2 seconds, my hands 3 seconds, and my face about 1 second. Yet, we were there for a good 9 hours. I am not sure when it is going to air. Hopefully, I will get a copy of our big debut to show at family gatherings when we air the episode of Blues Clues that Lizzy and I were in ages ago. All in all it was a memorable day!

Starts with a "W"

We have had a very excited week at our household and it's only Monday.  To catch everyone up, on Wednesday Wyatt had a callback for a Walmart audition.  I had been very hush hush about the audition because I didn't want to jinx anything.  My Dad had the day off so he played chauffeur and Rebecca, Wyatt, and I packed the car.   I would hope with some more practice I would be able to do this by myself but for now, Wyatt rolls with an entourage.

Rebecca, Wy, and I proceed to the third floor stopping only to buy a bubble gun for when we get home.  We wait around for a bit.  They call Wy in and I hand him over to the actress mom.  He is a champ, of course, looking around and taking it all in.  There are about 4 executives from Walmart, the casting agent, and some of the production staff.  After they are done, I take Wyatt, say thank you, and go back in the lobby.  They tell us that we are all done.  I am mildly upset that we drove over an hour for about 3 minutes but I guess thats show biz.

That's when things got interesting.  The casting person comes out and asks Wyatt and his mom back in.  They have us both stand in front of the camera and a Walmart man says "So we are thinking of using both of you."  My palms immediately start sweating and I totally clam up.  I am in jeans and flip-flops.  I am totally not ready to be put on the spot.  They ask me to do some acting which I rely heavily on all my high school drama classes.  Looking back I have no idea why I was so nervous.  I was taken by such surprise.

I received a call on Thursday confirming the booking for Wyatt and, wait for it, ME!!  I figured that Wyatt was going to get the job but there were seven women auditioning for this mom role.  I didn't have a shot in hell.  I didn't have a resume, my headshot was a Polaroid at the audition, and I have no experience.   The best part is Wyatt has an understudy just in case he is cranky.  There is a possibility that I will have to do the commercial with another baby.  I guess I failed to mention that I don't do well with kids.

We had a fitting today and we are shooting tomorrow in NJ.  The fitting was pretty uneventfully.  The costume designer had clothes for Wyatt but took one look at him and said "Why mess with perfection?"  I had to try on a few things.  They had a lot of jewelry, accessories to make the outfit and of course my choice of wedding bands.  As soon as it was mentioned Rebecca chimed in "Oh, she has never had one of those before."  Leave it to Rebecca to have the perfect zinger at my expense.  Stay tuned for the shoot story.  

A Star is Almost Born

Ok, who was wondering why I was in a trailer mentioned in the previous post? Maybe no one picked up on it. I will spare you the suspense. Our smart and gorgeous Wyatt landed himself a commercial. Before you get all excited he was booked as the understudy baby so you won't be seeing him on the TV anytime soon. I got the call on Monday that the agency already had a baby booked for the commercial but it is customary to hire another one in case of fussiness. It is not the big time quite yet but I thought it was pretty cool. My secret hope is that Wyatt will be able to make enough money so that I can quit my job, Terry can quit the Army, Rebecca will go to Grad School on her nephew, and our addition will be paid in full. Yeah, I'll keep dreaming.

I took off from work and Rebecca, Wyatt, and I sprang into action. The residential set was only 15 minutes away from home so the 8:30 call time was no problem. Our entire roll for the day was to sit in a trailer, keep Wyatt entertained, and get paid doing it. Easy enough. It was exhilarating being around all the hustle and bustle, reminiscent of my days in theatre and Rebeccas days as a production assistant. We both felt fairly at home. I am not going to lie I was disappointed that baby 1 was able to shoot the commercial. It would have been a blast to see Wy on TV. But I am not loosing hope. He has got 3 agents/managers looking out for him now. He is bound to be in a Gap ad soon enough. Kids got talent! I swear!

It was on set that I took my whopping nose dive. Honestly, it would have been hysterical if I fell. Not so funny with Wyatt in my arms. Rebecca and I did have a chuckle once we got back in the trailer and realized that I was covered in grass. I didn't even know. I was so caught up in Wyatt. I had been talking to other mothers and production staff with twigs sticking out of my braided pigtails. Probably looked like a scene out of the "Magic School Bus" with me playing Ms. Frizzle. Fitting, no?

Star Mile

We had a very exciting day yesterday. Through various contacts from my former life as an assistant talent agent, Wyatt had his first audition in Manhattan for a TV commercial. I bet you weren't expecting that, right?! Don't get nervous. I am certainly not going to become one of those crazy stage moms. It is fine for now when I am doing most of the leg work and Wyatt is just looking cute and perfect. Once he gets old enough to understand what is going on then we are stopping. As Lizzy said "it's like breastfeeding. Once he knows its your boob, you should stop."

Anyway, Mom, Lizzy, Wyatt, and I pack ourselves up and headed off into the city. I was expecting Wyatt to sleep most of the way in but, of course, the trucks and bustle of the LIE kept him occupied. Besides his favorite Lizzy was in the back seat. If it wasn't a truck distracting him it was Lizzy. Mom waited in the car while Lizzy, Wyatt and I went up for our appointment. It was PACKED with kids. They were casting for 3 commercials at the same time so there were about 50 kids ranging from 6 months to 6 years. No air conditioning, no place to sit, it was insanity and they were behind schedule.

Wyatt was by far the cutest kid there. I know I am bias but honestly on the cute factor he won hands down. However, I don't know if the casting agents were going for the cutest, most perfect baby ever. Lizzy and Wyatt were champs, waiting patiently, and without crying once. After waiting about half hour Wyatt decided it was time for a snooze. Kid knocked out amid all the ruckus until it they called us in and I had to wake him up. Even then he was happy. They took his picture, took some video, and he charmed the pants off of the director. When I walked out Lizzy had made friends with twin 3 year-olds who were calling Lizzy their girlfriend and were very upset when she had to leave.

Overall, it was a bizarre experience. I can't image doing it all the time. Driving into the city, taking the entire day off work, and waiting in a hot room for an hour is not the best way to spend a Wednesday. However, I did get the afternoon to lounge in the AC with my main man. I think it would be really cool to get Wyatt some print jobs, see his cute face on posters and magazines but I am not going to put much stock in anything quite yet. I know, first hand, how finicky show business can be and am hesitant to immerse my child in it. Besides those show parents are Crazy! I will let you know if anything comes of it.