Stepping Out With My Baby

I have to start by saying that I'm so proud of my kids.  No matter what age, it has to be somewhat intimidating to be on stage in front of an auditorium full of strangers.  My kids are shy but that didn't stop them at all.  They were awesome.

So, yes, photography of any kind is not allowed during the recital (it is professionally taped and you can purchase a copy, which we do) but when you're backstage or offstage, the photography rules don't apply. 

 



My girls comprised 50% of their dance class so while another mom had volunteered to be the backstage mom, I still stayed back there ("there" being the cafeteria) to assist.  The table next to us was a class mainly of 1st and 2nd graders but there were two girls in kindergarten with my girls and no backstage mom at all so I ended up adopting them.  You could hear my blades whirring a mile away because yes, I am a helicopter mom.  But in all seriousness, I didn't want my kids freaking out over something ridiculous (like needing to use the bathroom) or Anna slipping and falling with her tap shoes on, which she was nervous about.  I did ask them if they wanted me to stay and they said yes.  So stay (and help) I did. 











After the recital, I had about an hour to eat a late lunch, help with the kids/around the house and change clothes before my friend, Tina, was to arrive for our NKOTB reunion.  I had offered to drive into Boston and we were picking up two of our friends on the way in.  When I went to a concert at 16 years old, I spent months finding the perfect outfit, which is hysterical to think about now as an adult.  Last week, I had about 10 minutes left to get ready and I still didn't know what I was wearing.  My main issue was deciding between jeans or shorts or capris.  And I needed to do laundry so clothing was limited.  It was hot but the temperature was expected to drop.  I came downstairs to do something and found Emily with one eye swollen almost shut.  What the....?  "I just saw you 10 minutes ago.  How did your eye swell up that quickly?"  Rich had driven to the ATM to withdraw funds for my "excursion" so I starting rinsing Emily's eye out with water and applying ice.  Tina showed up and I was half dressed and ended up changing three times, which was funny because the reasons for the outfit changes were completely unrelated to the outfit decisions of 20+ years ago.  Although, there's always the chance of Joey McIntyre seeing me all the way up in the top balcony.

As for Emily's eye, the doctor looked at it Monday morning and concluded that the swelling was from a bug bite or an allergic reaction.  She had worn some make-up (eyebrows, blush and lipstick) but nothing on her eyes.  Plus, it was only one eye.  Odd.  After three days of Benadryl and anti-itch eye drops, she was back to normal.  At least it happened after the recital.  

And I can't end without pointing out the awesomeness of this little one.



It isn't always easy for her but she's showing spina bifida who's in charge.  (And she posed like that for me without me even asking her to.)  My perfect little ballerina.