It’s happening…

She’s starting to notice things around her and reach for them…

p.s. Yes, that’s a GIANT plastic bowl for my salad. We stay in hotels and rarely have bowls other than those for cereal. And, well, I like my salads, and I like ‘em supersized!

Words you never want to hear

Post by: Dee

He’s sick, and had to be put in the Hospital….
That was the phone call I received when our cat, Bosco, had to be taken to the vet yesterday.

Bosco is a big lovable grey and white ball of hair. He and Rio, or female cat, were our first “babies”. They are our family. Any animal person knows that the term “pet” doesn’t cover it. They are more than that, they are family.

Last year when I joined Nate on the Mamma Mia tour, our whole family came. That included myself, and Bosco and Rio. The cats did awesome, and became road warriors like the rest of us. It was wonderful having our whole family together.

Then Lilia came along (yay!), and decisions had to be made. We knew there was no way to travel with a baby and two cats. But Nate’s job required travel, and without his job we didn’t have health insurance or his income. Both necessities.

The difficult decision was made to continue on the road, but find someone to take care of our beloved kits. (my lingo for furry kids). We toyed with the idea of having someone stay in our home and also take on the job of being cat parents. But I would only trust certain people to do that, and they weren’t available.

Then, to my relief, my parents agreed to be temporary guardians for our kits. I cannot tell you what a generous gift and blessing this was! Not only are my parents animal people, but Bosco and Rio consider them their second home. We’ve stayed with them often, and the cats Love, LOve, LOVE it there! They get to romp around the house, and watch their birds, go outside in their amazing backyard, and spend quality time in my parents laps or stealing their chairs.

There’s no question in my mind that the cats are happy there. I know they miss us, and not a night goes by that I don’t say a prayer for them and will them to know how much I miss them and love them… but I know they are happy, loved and well taken care of.

(Yes, I agree - it’s not fair that I had a baby and then left them to go on tour with my husband. It’s not fair to them at all. But I was between a rock and a hard place and a decision one way or the other had to be made. We chose to stay afloat and have income and insurance, and part of our family together. But, we eagerly await being reunited with the kits.)

Fast forward to now and Bosco gets sick..again. Yes, you see he’s had this problem previously and they warned me it could reoccur. It's like this - his plumping was backed up. Yep, he was impacted. As silly as that sounds it’s very dangerous for a cat. Thanks to very observant guardians they saw he wasn’t well and took him to the vet right away. Still, the call wasn’t an easy one to get. I felt even more guilt for not being there, and that he wasn’t well. Top that off with the fact that Rio seemed to miss him while he was in the hospital and I was a mess.

The good news came today when I found out Bosco was ok. He’s back at home with my parents and Rio and he’s almost his old self. He'll have to be on medicine, and may have to switch to some other food but at least he was already begging for food even though he’d just ate. Ata boy Bosco. Hang in there buddy, I’ll be home to visit you soon. I miss you both more than words or tears could ever relay.

Thanks for taking care of my babies Mom and Dad. I owe you much more than I can ever repay.

Vancouver, Before Christ (BC)

A. Chicago B. Appleton C. Detroit D. Kalamazoo E. Omaha F. Fresno G. Seattle H. Spokane I. Vancouver

Post by: Nate

It appears that I've let my blogging duties go to the wayside again. I'm quite possibly the worst blogger ever or at least a high ranking candidate on that list.

Okay, let me recap since we last heard from our intrepid hero when he re-joined the tour in Appleton, WI. The first day back in Appleton I had a quick brush-up with the assistant dance captain and then I was shot out of the canon and back into the show. My first week back was good, it felt great to be back on stage. After the closing the Sunday night performance, I drove back to Chicago and slept in my own bed for 2 nights before heading off to Detroit the following Tuesday. The Mia played Detroit for 2 weeks during that time I stayed with my buddy Derek and his wife Aili in Riverview. I think you'd be hard-pressed to find anyone in our cast that "loved" playing Detroit but staying with Derek and Aili was great; definitely a highlight of my tour life. I was able to spend quality time with Derek having a few beers and showing him how to play darts.

After Detroit was Kalamazoo, MI where we saw a changeover of principle cast members; 9 to be specific. The week was full of rehearsals and put-ins and more winter weather. At the end of the week we said our "goodbyes" to old friends leaving the cast and the next week in Omaha we said our collective "hellos" to all our new friends starting. But the icing on the cake was when the girls, DeeAnn and Lilia, joined the tour with me in Omaha. What a relief to finally all be back together again. We stayed at a nice Residence Inn in Omaha and started to get acclimated to tour with baby on board. Like any parent will tell you, it's always a chore with a new baby but touring with a little one isn't much different. We have our Pack-n-Play for Lilia and many other items that make her life on the road comfortable. It's a good thing we own an SUV otherwise, Dee would be hell-bent on already having a minivan. Getting everything into our Explorer is a little like playing Tetris but it all fits and we've made this far without too many bumps along the way. Speaking of new parents, we have some fellow Chicago friends that recently joined the tour with a new baby as well. It's been very helpful sharing the transitions of parenthood and touring with a baby with them.

Following Omaha we had a long trek to Fresno, CA. Dee and Lilia flew with the company, while I caravanned with a friend 1,600 plus miles from Omaha to Fresno. The first day we drove from Nebraska to Beaver, UT driving through Denver, CO and the beautiful Rockies. After 18 hours and over 1000 miles later, we ended our day in Beaver and found a Comfort Inn that fit our budget. The next day we forged our way to Fresno via Las Vegas with a far too short stop at the Cheesecake Factory at Caesar Palace Forum Shops where my sister and her family met us for lunch including a surprise visit from my mother who had found a cheap ticket to Vegas the week before. We had a nice lunch and for good luck we dropped a few bucks in a slot machine in the casino. We rolled into Fresno around 8pm that evening. Dee and Lilia were waiting with open arms. It was nice to be greeted with such big smiles. Our week in Fresno was uneventful: a few rehearsals and nice warm weather.

Seattle was the next stop along the way. Again Dee and Lilia took the company flight while I caravanned with a friend. 16 hours later, we were all reunited. We had a great week in Seattle with visits to Pike Place Market and the Lululemon store. Seattle was great. I would have liked a least another week there. Someday we'll have to go back visit it again.

Next on the schedule was Spokane, WA. The four-hour drive through the mountains from Seattle was nice. We rolled into the Spokane Valley area around 5pm and got settled in for the week. I can't say that I ever need to revisit Spokane.

This brings us to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The Mia parked there for 2 weeks. We shared a high-rise apartment with some friends and enjoyed our time in the city. On our Monday off we drove up to Whistler and enjoyed the beautiful, scenic Sea to Sky Highway drive. Vancouver is crazy busy with construction preparing for the 2010 Winter Olympics. All-in-all, we enjoyed our time there but were excited to get back to the US.

We're being invaded...

by alien babies- eeeek!

Babies = ...

I always thought that babies = cute and fuzzy feelings.

Then today we took off Lilias sox and found this:












Cute, Fuzzy.... Feet!!

Sevens not enough

Seven Weird Things About Me.
(posted by Dee)

1. I like Peanut Butter in nearly everything. I eat it in oatmeal, on my apples, on my bananas, mixed with yogurt, and/or cool whip, on pancakes, or bacon, I'll put it in the bottom of an ice cream cone, melt it and then add the ice cream, it's good on brownies, or mix up a batch of Bisquick muffins with PB, and mixed nuts, It's great on Banana Bread too. Oh, and it has to be JIF peanut butter. Trader Joes is pretty good, but JIF is da best! I was mortified when we arrived in Canada and I found out they didn't carry JIF. I had to buy some crappy brand before I finally found it at a Walmart here. Then I had to by a HUGE jar to make sure I had enough to get me through the two weeks we'd be here.

2. I have to put my toilet paper on so that the loose end is coming towards you. It drives me crazy when it goes the other way.

3. I used to eat my pudding mixed with cool whip and then in an ice cream cone with either Peanut Butter in the bottom, or dry hot cocoa mix.

4. I like my cereals mixed together, 2 different kinds are good, 3 or more is better. I also used to also eat my cereal with a fork.

5. I ran around on my hands and knees and acted like a horse until I was about 16 years old. I plan on doing it again when Lilias old enough and wants me to be her horsie....

6. Long, long ago, in a galaxy far far away... I co-wrote a song about passing gas and it was sung to the tune of "We're Not Gonna Take It " by Twisted Sister. You'll have to tune in for a future post on what the words were. (La Rêveuse that was for you).

7. When I blow my nose, I sound like a fog horn. It tends to scare my brother-in-law.

Ok now I get to tag someone else - Jen at Allen Fieldhouse and LeNae Grandma your it!

Gotchya!

Tag! I'm it....and If you're reading this, YOU'RE IT!! (posted by Dee)

Two names you go by:
1. Dee
2. DeeAnn

Two things you are wearing right now:
1. black yoga pants
2. Workout Tank (heading to the gym next!)

Two of your favorite things to do:
1. My Artwork (sculpting/painting)
2. Exercise

Two things you want very badly at the moment:
1. To be snuggling with my cats in my own bed
2. To be visiting with friends and family that I miss (in person)

Two favorite pets you have had or have now?
1. Bosco
2. Rio

Two people who will fill this out:
1. Ronica
2. Lisa

Two things you ate last night:
1. Peanut Butter
2. Apple

Two things you ate today:
1. oatmeal
2. Peanut Butter

Two people you last talked to:
1. Nate
2. Bethany

Two things you're doing tomorrow:
1. Laundry
2. Starting to pack to travel to our next city (Sacramento, CA)

The longest car rides I've been on:
1. San Francisco to Houston
2. Chicago to North Dakota

Two favorite holidays:
1. Christmas
2. Fourth of July

Two favorite vacations:
1. Florida
2. Cancun

Two Favorite Drinks:
1. Hot Cocoa
2. Chocolate Martini

Birthday:
July 16

Now copy, paste and blog it. I look forward to it!