Homesick. Bear with me here....

Fall 2017. Did that year go by fast?

SATURDAY 22ND 6PM:

I miss Hayden. I chose to take this film far away, so it feels wrong to now complain. I enjoy getting to work and am grateful. Perhaps complaining is not the right word.

Joel and I can talk all the time… communicate as often as we want (until recently, but that’s due to weather, see below). Huck has two homes. We don’t see him all the time; that’s our reality right now as a blended family. But, Hayden is just a toddler. We spend an incredible amount of time together. This time apart is out of the ordinary for us.

Question for parents: how old were your kids the first time you left them for an extended amount of time?

The days are long, but the years are short. A year ago this month, @Ographr took this shot.

I think if I’m honest with myself, it feels like I’m missing out on these days with him; I feel guilty. Did I make the wrong choice? Every time I find myself missing him, it translates to guilt in the pit of my stomach. Serious separation anxiety. Hayden IS with my parents and sister. That part is the good news. He is bonding with them and literally having a blast: walking in the rain (fully clad with the cutest frog rain gear you’ve ever seen-see below), searching for lizards, playing with Betty the Bunny. My family is keeping him stimulated and smothered with love! But, I am up here in Canada far away from him. Hearing him say “Hold you, Mama…hold you” through the phone breaks my heart. For months he’s heard me say, “Want me to hold you?” Hence the “Hold you, mama.” 

I was kind of doing ok emotionally until today. Last night, a tornado hit Ottawa. Our production is right in the middle of it. I was downstairs near the hotel lobby waiting for one my producers and wardrobe for an intense, long fitting where we would decide on outfits for each remaining scene for my character Connie. There were other visitors in the lobby around the same time. In a chorus type melody, each phone began to sing the chime of a weather alert. One after another updating each of us of the danger heading our way. The news had a headline saying: TAKE COVER. STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS. A TORNADO IS YOUR NEAR VICINITY. What??? The other locals and desk clerks laughed. They said authorities loves to alarm citizens about tornados, but nothing ever happens. 

About five minutes later, through the large glass entry way doors, we saw the tree across the street leaning so far over on its side, it looked like a cartoon. The street lights flickered, then went out. Inside our hotel, the same thing happened. Zap! Darkness. It seemed surreal for a second. I thought to myself… oh geez, we’ll have to wait for a few minutes before the power returns. Well, that was over 24 hours ago.

While we are all safe, we have been without electricity. No one knows how long till it resumes. It’s mayhem here. Few stores or restaurants are open. The ones that are up and running are packed with lines out the door. Once I was able to charge my phone, cell service has been so spotty (and forget trying to get wifi), it’s been very hard to communicate with my husband and family. Currently, I am in a different section of the city writing this, charging my phone and hoping to get some food. Unfortunately, nothing is available near my hotel and since the refrigerator is out…you get the picture. Some of the headlines on the news say this area looks like a WAR ZONE. It’s sad. I feel for these people that are having to rebuild their lives and homes. And my understanding is that many are injured. The school where we’ve been shooting this film caught on fire and has extensive damage. 

No one has died, at least no reports I’ve heard. I thank God for that. And our production crew is safe and sound. So, all in all…. there is nothing more to say. 

Except, I always have one more thing to say, so… I guess it feels as though things can happen anywhere at anytime. My phone isn’t working- I can’t get the videos my parents are sending of Hayden. I know it sounds silly in the grand scheme of things. It’s only been 24 hours. People and families go through real troubles everyday.

I was scheduled to have five days off starting today. My plan was to be on a plane to Texas to see Hayden. And Joel was looking into meeting us there briefly until he was back in LA with Huck. But, alas, this force majeure has altered schedules and I am now shooting during part of that time. 

Hug your loved ones extra tight tonight. 

UPDATE SUNDAY 23rd 11AM:

Power is back on!! Wifi is still spotty, but I can find certain spots now to FaceTime with Joel and Hayden. I got a flutter of photos and videos from Joel (he is visiting his 89 year old grandmother!) and my family. 

The schedule had to be altered for production, but they’re on top of that figuring out new locations, a new school, what needs to be reshot… a lot of juggling. 

Thanks for letting me vent. I’ve received a few DMs or comments from people responding to instastories/posts about being away from Hayden. Your encouraging words help! I especially appreciate personal stories of your own experiences. Working mom stories, travels, etc. I

SECOND UPDATE: Omgoodness!!!! As I was finishing the update above, the fire alarm in this building went off! We were all evacuated temporarily. Kinda crazy. All was taken care of and we are back in our rooms, but wow. (see instagram stories)

SO…. I repeat. Hug your loved ones. Call your loved ones. And also—- I appreciate you all for reading this far! Much much love.

xo

AAJ

My last update..! I saw notes on instagram asking where to get this frog rain gear from the instastory….so, I said I’d add it to the blog post. He is 2 years and 5 months and the 2T fits perfectly. Size 7 shoe.

#Blowout Blues: the World of Poop

This post is thoughtfully brought to you by Triple Paste, but if you know me at all, you know these thoughts are all my own.  

I remember the first time it happened. As a brand new mom, I was warned (even by some of you!), but for sure wasn't prepared. Hayden was about two months old. We had taken him out on his first real all-family event to Travel Town. Clad in the cutest overall outfit with a conductor hat, he nailed the occasion, if I do say so myself.

I was just beginning to supplement breast milk with a tiny bit of formula and his little system was adjusting to it. I pick him up and cuddle him closely for a photo opp (and of course, I choose to wear all white- again, new mom! eye roll!!) when I  hear something awful. I slowly walk toward Joel to see if anything was running down my shirt....and sure enough, by the look on his face, I just knew. There was dark "mustard" all over the back of his overalls and his legs, a ridiculously large amount transferred to my shirt and my arm where I was holding him. Then, suddenly, the smell. My goodness, that smell! It just seemed to bake in the summer California sun. As overwhelming as it can be, poop happens to the best of us. We set up a makeshift station in the car and did our best to remedy the situation.

That's when I first realized Hayden had pretty sensitive skin, so I needed to be on top of potential diaper rashes. At one point, right before the one year mark, he was teething and got pretty bad diarrhea, which I learned can also cause diaper rashes. Even though I changed him immediately, at times, it would flare up anyway. It was upsetting hearing him cry when we changed him. The skin would get so irritated so quickly, I felt helpless. I was about to leave to shoot 12 DAYS OF GIVING in Nebraska and was worried about traveling with him with a rash. To heal it, we did frequent baths, naked-time, etc. We even used prescription (expensive, not covered by insurance) compound, medicated diaper cream every time I even barely suspected one creeping up. My good friends Bill and Scout Masterson-Horn (The "Guncles")  told me they would slather Triple Paste every change to prevent diaper rashes and I should save the money and try it. So, I did.

Cut to today... this is a staple in our changing kits. I can see potty training on the horizon, but we are not quite there. I'll rephrase that. Joel and I are not quite there. I know we need a good few days to a week to completely commit to the initial endeavor in order to be successful. But seriously, I don't think he's fully ready. It's just an ongoing conversation in the house. Boys love to discuss poop. I mean.... good grief!

Hayden does come announce when there will be a "diaper change" happening soon, that is, if Huck doesn’t beat him to it. And I have the emergency kit upstairs, downstairs and in the to-go bag. Hayden knows he wants Triple Paste because it makes it "not hurt." I catch him grabbing it even before I do sometimes. It's a juggling act-- a slight cat and mouse game now with him! Anyone near the little stinker (pun intended) can sense it's time to change him (especially Huck!), but he plays hard to get. Likes a good chase. He is not loving diaper changes right now, but lemme tell you, when he's rash free, it's so much easier.  I know it's nearing the time for potty training, but what I didn't know is that diaper rash paste will be entering that phase with us, too. Our doctor recommends putting a it on at night and in the morning, just to protect Hayden's sensitive skin.

So when Triple Paste wanted to do a collaboration, I was excited. If I could share my frustration with diaper rashes to help even one other mom out there going through it, that would be great. First of all, please know you didn't cause this! Let's get rid of the #momguilt. Obviously, change your little one as soon as possible every time, but occasionally that's not enough. What DOES HELP is prevention. All the time. Cover their area with Triple Paste and let me know if it helps;) And if you're in this diaper phase, share your own #BlowoutBlues stories with me. If you're way past it (congrats!), I bet you remember one or two big ones!!