We've had a lot going on lately.
Here's a recap:

The morning of July 4th our town had a celebration on the town green. Willa had a great time.

She loved when everyone was singing.

She also enjoyed playing with the older kids.

July 4th is a special day for us- my husband and I met 12 years ago on July 4th.

That night we were supposed to go out to dinner and then see the fireworks, but both Willa and my husband weren't feeling well, so we had to stay home. I was disappointed because the 4th of July is my favorite holiday, and I was really looking forward to the fireworks- but, lucky me because the next town over has a great fireworks show, and we could see them perfectly from our front stoop.

The following Monday the husband and I drove to the Catskills and stayed in a little bed and breakfast BY OURSELVES for two nights. It was my first time being away from Willa, and it was actually much easier than I thought it would be. Maybe that's because she was with my mother, or maybe it's because it was the right time. Either way, we had a great time. The grounds of the Bed and Breakfast were beautiful.

We also went to my favorite place in the world for the day, Mohonk.

The day after we got back, we went into the city and Willa got to go to Central Park with her father while I had a newborn photo shoot.

Then on Saturday we went to my cousin's little girl's birthday party. Willa pretty much thought it was the best thing ever because she got to wear a crown and get a tattoo.

She also got to dance with a ribbon streamer. I'm not sure if I've even seen her so happy.

After the party, we went over to my in-laws house. Willa always has a great time there because they have guitars and a piano, which she loves to play.

Yesterday, we went to our first game at the Mets' new stadium Citi Field. I have mixed feelings about it because I'm very sentimental about Shea stadium.

But, I got to meet Cow Bell Man, so I can't complain.

Posted by torrie at 09:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)

Normally a post like this would include pictures, but
a) I was so busy in Boston I only took about 5 pictures
and
b) Our laptop isn't feeling well and one of the symptoms is not letting me upload any pictures. I am dropping it at the Apple store today, and hopefully it will be returned to us in a few days good as new.

Things that happened in Boston:

-On the way there we sat in a ton of traffic. Cranky toddler wanted out of the car and kept screaming things like "GO!" and "All done driving!" and "All done car!" and "Get out!"

-We stayed in a big beautiful yellow mansion within walking distance of Harvard Square. It was awesome, as was our hostess.

-We met David Sedaris, my favorite author. He was just as strange as I had imagined he would be. We talked to him about sinks you can't stop up, airport hotels, and drinking breast milk.

-We met a 20 year old who didn't know what blogging was.

-The husband backed the rental car in to a tree and smashed the bumper and a light.

-We ate ice cream with friends on one of the coldest June nights.

-We ate ourselves silly at the following places:
Burdick's (I used to be the manager there-Try the milk hot chocolate)
Zaftigs (Try the banana stuffed french toast and the potato pancakes)
Centre Street Cafe (Best brunch place in the Boston area- everything on the menu is good)
Upstairs on the Square (Try the grilled cheese with tomato soup)
Grasshopper (Everything on the menu is good)

-We walked by Jessica Biel and drove by Jennifer Garner and Violet Affleck (adorable!)

-I took two naps

-We met with several old friends.

-I bought two purses includingthis one in the tree print.

-We met a former MIT PHD financial genius who basically gave us a crash course in all things financial.

- I didn't watch TV and didn't miss it.

-I wore more heels in 5 days than I have in 5 months.

-I considered moving back.

-I relaxed.

Posted by torrie at 02:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)

I got to interview three of the most outspoken (and awesome) Daddy Bloggers about Father's Day.
They were amazingly honest (and funny).

Check it out!

Posted by torrie at 01:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

My husband just got the following email:

Congratulations! You have been selected for a follow-up appointment at an upcoming Jeopardy! contestant search for the New York City area, exclusively for those who successfully passed the online test. This is the next step in becoming a Jeopardy! contestant.

Iiiiiiiiiiieeeeeeeeeee!

You have no idea how exciting this is for me. I grew up watching Jeopardy.

And now I am going to go run around the block 40 times to burn off all of this excited energy!
I'm never going to sleep! I'm going to clean the whole house! I can see through time!

Iiiiiiiiiieeeeeeeeeeeee!

Why don't you watch this while I bounce off the walls:

Posted by torrie at 11:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Dear Willa,

Today is a new day.

Last night Barack Obama became the president elect.

I don't know if I can properly convey to you what this means to me.

Never have I been so invested in a political race.

Having you has made what happens in this country so important to me. As your mother it is my duty to fight for your rights.

I have tried very hard to educate myself. I have done a ton of reading. I hope you will learn from me, that knowledge equals power.

For the last eight years we have had a president who is an embarrassment. He has made terrible decisions and refuses to hold himself accountable. He has disregarded science. He has made choices based on who his friends are. He has let his personal beliefs interfere with government policies.
I'm sorry that he was the president when you were born.

When I was pregnant with you your father and I met Barack Obama. He was friendly and personable, and we had a lovely chat with him. I asked him to run for president so that we would have someone we would feel good voting for.

Even the rest of the world wants Obama to be President of the United States. Polls show that as many as 90% of the people in the rest of the world wanted him to win the election.

Barack Obama is an amazing man. He is intelligent. He unites people. He surrounds himself with good, smart people. He inspires people.

He is not perfect. He will make mistakes. We will not agree with all of his decisions. But, from what I've seen of him, I believe he will admit his mistakes, he will make decisions with the country's best interest at heart, and he will be calm and decisive.

He is exactly what this country needs.

For the past eight years I have not been proud to be an American. In fact, I have been embarrassed.
But, now things will be different.

I really, truly believe that Obama will lead this country in a new direction.

Last night history was made. Barack Obama became the first African-American president elect. Now, you might not understand the importance of that, because you are being raised in a household where people are not judged based on their skin color, but it is a major accomplishment for this country. I wish that it wasn't even an issue, but it is. However, Obama becoming president elect shows that this country is changing for the better. We are moving forward.

He was the right man for the job regardless of his skin color, but the fact that he's African-American is the cherry on top.

I only wish your grand father, and your great grandmother Winnie, who you were named after, were alive to see this. They would have been so happy. They always fought prejudice.

More people than ever voted. Please know that if the people lead, eventually the leaders will follow. We really can make a difference. I believe that now. Never stop fighting for what you beleive in. Never give up the fight. Amazing things can happen.

Today, when I woke up, the world felt different. I am filled with hope- which is a pretty amazing thing considering what a cynic I can be.

I see the light at the end of this long, dark, eight year tunnel.

I cry tears of joy when I think that you will grow up with this amazing man as president.

I am excited for your future.

Love,

Mama

Posted by torrie at 01:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (15)

Several of you have asked me to update about Willa's modeling career so here goes-

Oh internet. The lessons I have learned from this experience.

I hope that when someone does a search for "should my baby model?" or "baby modeling" or "child modeling" they will find this post so I can tell them why it is a horrible idea.

Here's what no one tells you about the child modeling industry- IT SUCKS.

Here's how it works-
You are at the clients beck and call.
Every day between 3-6pm the agency would call to tell us if we had any go-sees (auditions) for the next day. This means that you can't schedule anything.
THEN, if your child gets the job they don't tell you that you have a photo shoot until the day before.
So basically, you have no idea what you will be doing the next day until the night before.
For someone like me, who like to make plans, this will make your head explode.

Another problem- go-sees and photo shoots are scheduled for all different times, and they very often would screw with Willa's nap schedule. Willa is about a thousand times more enjoyable when she gets a good nap, so it always sucks when she is thrown off her schedule. There are kids who are good at going with the flow, and do well even without a nap. Willa is not one of those kids.

There are so many other stressful aspects to child modeling-
The logistics can be a nightmare.
Because most subway stations are not stroller friendly I usually take a cab or my car to the auditions and shoots. I've spent countless hours driving around in circles trying to find a parking space. I've gotten so excited about finding a space only to discover I didn't have any quarters for the meter. I once paid $32 for 31 minutes of parking.
I can't tell you how many go-sees or photo shoots we have shown up to only to discover that the building has stairs. I've had to beg strange men to help me haul the stroller up and down stairs.
Until recently we lived all the way on the east Side of Manhattan, uptown, and 90% of the go-sees and photo shoots were down town and on the west side.

I once dragged Willa and my husband to a go-see on a Sunday and sat there for an hour only to be told that Willa didn't qualify because she couldn't stand unassisted(she was 10 months old).

Another time we went all the way down town for a go-see for a company Willa had worked for three weeks earlier. I assumed it was for a fitting, but instead, we walked in and all they did was take a polaroid of her.
I was super pissed- a company who had booked her three weeks ago and had head shots of her needed me to screw up Willa's nap schedule and make a two hour round trip so they could take a polaroid? I don't think so.

These companies have no respect for you or your child. They don't care about your child's schedule. They just schedule everything and expect you to be there.

Recently, a company called my agency at 6 pm and told them that they wanted 5 kids (including Willa) at 8am the next morning, all the way out on Long Island. I refused (as did most of the mothers of the other kids). I would have had to wake Willa up at 5am to get there on time, when she usually wakes up at 7-8am.
The woman from Willa's agency was practically in tears because this particular company did shit like this all the time, and here she was at 8pm making phone calls. The company gets away with it because there are plenty of parents who are willing to do ANYTHING to make their child a successful model. I am not one of those parents.

Another aspect that's weird, for lack of a better word, is that you very rarely get to see the pictures from the shoots. They don't send you copies. I've had to search them out. I spent a while last night searching the internet for pictures of Willa. It's kind of odd to know that there are picture out there in the world of my kid that I haven't even seen.

Willa doesn't get every job that she auditions for. I handle this really well because we're not doing this for the fame and fortune. But, some parents get very upset when their child doesn't get a job. If you are going to be disappointed every time your kid doesn't book something, then child modeling is not the business for you.

The modeling industry is a strange word. Once, when Willa was shooting for the cover of a major parenting magazine (they shoot 4-5 kids and then pick the picture they like best), they changed her outfit because they thought her arms looked chubby in the sleeveless top she was wearing. She was 11 months old at the time.

So, where do we stand now?

Well, Willa is still technically a model, but we do very little work.

She is now on "by request only" which means that I only take her to auditions for companies who have specifically requested to see her because they have seen her headshot. I don't take her on any more huge auditions, or as I like to call them "cattle calls". You have to work for a while and book several shoots before most agencies will let you do that.
Lately we've only been working 1-2 days a month, compared to a few months ago when there were weeks when we were working 4 days.
Also, to be honest, when Willa was younger she booked a lot, but now that she's a toddler, and still pretty bald, she's not booking as much. People expect a child of Willa's age to have a full head of hair.
We're in a good situation now because I feel comfortable saying no and picking and choosing what we do.

So to sum up- The baby and child modeling industry has a lot of flaws. It's a ton of work for very little reward.

Posted by torrie at 03:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (16)

I'm not going to get into a whole diatribe about politics, but I will say this-
This country has been in a downward spiral for the past several years.
We have the power to change it
Please vote.
I unfortunately can't vote in the primary because I am registered as an independent.

If I could, I would vote for Obama.
He is just what this country needs right now.
Also, I've met him, and he seems like the kind of guy that I would love to hang out with and isn't that what we all really want in a president- someone we can relate to?

Please watch this video. It brought tears to my eyes.

Posted by torrie at 08:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (23)

I've been hesitant to write about this because I'm sure I'll get lots of lovely emails from some judgmental assholes, but here goes nothing.

Back in the beginning of November we were in Bloomingdale's returning some stuff, when we saw that they were having a baby model search. So, we decided it would be fun to enter Willa. We filled out a form and then she sat in my lap and they snapped a couple of pictures of her. She gave them a huge smile and that was it. We went home and forgot about it. Then, a couple of weeks later, the phone rang. It was the people from Bloomingdale's calling to tell us that Willa had won the contest. I was dumbfounded.
The prize was a full page ad in The New York Times.
So, a few weeks later Willa had her photo shoot. She had a GREAT time. There were other kids there- they were shooting another ad. She loved meeting everyone and seeing everything.
She gets really bored when we stay at home. She's happiest meeting new people and seeing new things.
Willa's turn came and they plopped her down on a pillow in the middle of this big set in from of ten strangers (photographer, photographer's assistants, buyers, stylists, etc.) and she just looked up at the camera and laughed and smiled. She was awesome.

After the shoot we were talking to one of the women from Bloomingdale's and she said that Willa should model. I said that I thought she might have fun doing it, but I didn't know how to get started. So, she picked up her phone and called her contact at one of the top modeling agencies in the world. She told them that Willa was great and that they should sign her. They asked me to email them a picture. The next morning (a Tuesday) I emailed them and less than two hours later they emailed me back and said they wanted to meet her on Thursday. We met with the agency on Thursday and we were there for about five minutes before they offered her a contract. It was all very surreal.

Now, my husband and I debated this and discussed every aspect. I honestly felt kind of weird about the whole thing. We also had 5 different lawyers read the contract (including two who work in the entertainment industry).
We decided to go for it for the following reasons:

1) As I stated above, Willa LOVES meeting new people and experiencing new things. She lights up whenever someone pays attention to her. On the few go-sees and photo shoots we've been on Willa starts bouncing up and down and screeching happily when she sees the other kids.
2) I looked into mommy and me classes in my neighborhood. They cost about $500-$700 (yes, REALLY) and they only meet once a week. We can't afford that. Even the libraries in my area make you register weeks in advance for story time and most of them only let you go once a month.
3) Willa modeling means people will pay her to have fun. We can put the money in an account for her and if anything ever happens to us at least she'll have a little bit of a cushion. Also, we are just getting by these days and we can't afford to set aside money to put in a college fund for Willa. I am super paranoid about Willa having money for school because I almost wasn't allowed to graduate from culinary school because my parents couldn't afford to pay the bill. It would be great if Willa made enough money to pay for her own college tuition. (Although, I highly doubt it because tuition will probably be a bout a million dollars a year by the time she goes to college.)
4) Once she is actually old enough to understand what modeling is she won't be doing it any more. We don't want her to turn into Jon Bennet Ramsey or Lindsay Lohan.
5) We will be donating a portion of Willa's money to charity.
6)We rarely focus on Willa's beauty. Sure, we occasionally tell her that she is cute or pretty, but mostly we focus on how smart and well behaved she is.
7) We will not compromise our morals. Willa will not model for anything that we don't support such as pharmaceuticals or meat and she won't have to wear any animal products. Her agency is really supportive about this.
8) It's also good for me to get out of the house and meet new people. Plus, I may pick up a few photography tips at the photo shoots.
9) The minute Willa stops having fun we stop.

If you are interested in seeing Willa's ads I will be posting updates on Twitter.

Posted by torrie at 02:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (64)

I was less than thrilled.
My back has gotten so bad that almost nothing is worth sitting in an uncomfortable chair for hours on end. Not even Martha.

Posted by torrie at 11:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

If you don't read Sarah Brown's blog you are missing out on some of the most clever writing on the internet.

She's also the creator of bershon.

Posted by torrie at 12:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)

So, on Saturday the husband was playing a show for World Peace Day/Hiroshima Remembrance Day. It was at a big, beautiful church in New York City. There were many religious leaders and performers there. I was supposed to sing with the husband, so along with all of the other performers, I was sitting on stage. Actually, it was more like the altar. The performers were on one side of the altar and the religious leaders sat on the other side.
Sitting directly across from us was a monk who looked like Odd Job. He never cracked a smile once during the two-hour performance.

*Side note- The husband was supposed to perform three songs. I was supposed to sing on the last one. They cut him off after two songs because the show was running long, so I didn't end up singing. But, I didn't mind because I got to see Josh White Junior perform.

Anyway, so the husband and I are sitting up there, and it's kind of a somber event, when all of a sudden someone's cell phone goes off. I'm thinking to myself "what a dick" when I notice that the monk sitting across from me is fumbling under his robe. It was the monk's cell phone. I shit you not.

Even monks have cell phones???

What's next? Bushmen with Tivo?

Posted by torrie at 12:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

I went to this last night.
Afterwards I had drinks with a few lovely people.
I almost NEVER have a drink in a bar in Manhattan. It is soooo overpriced, Last night was no exception.
One Cosmo= $14.00
One Beer= $8.00

No dinner+ two Cosmos+one Malibu with pineapple juice= DRUNK TORRIE.

My wallet might be empty, but I had a great time with some great people, so it was worth it.

Posted by torrie at 02:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)

1) Bagels are my favorite food.
2) I am a carbohydrate junkie
3) My husband is two years younger than me. Before I met him I had only dated older men (boys).
4) I am a strict vegetarian. It's like a religion to me.
5) I hate organized religion.
6) I've never thrown up from drinking.
7) I hated high school.
8) I don't wear bras.
9) My favorite books are To Kill a Mocking Bird and The Catcher in the Rye. I've read both of them several times.
10) I love to read.
11) I went to culinary school.
12) I used to be a pastry chef.
13) I've also been a nanny.
14) I can sing, or so I've been told.
15) I love to dance. I've got rythm.
16) In high school I majored in dance, but had to stop because of an injury.
17) The only bone I've ever broken is my pinkie. (Knock on wood)
18) My father offered to pay for me to get a nose job. I refused just to spite him, and now sometimes I regret it.
19) I've never stayed over night in a hospital.
20) I predicted the big earth quake that hit California in the late 80's.
21) I have watched the movie Dirty Dancing too many times to count.
22) I had my first boyfriend when I was nine, but didn't lose my virginity until I was eighteen.
23) I've been pregnant twice, but I don't have any children.
24) I have three cats and one dog.
25) I will not pee in front of anyone. Not even my mother.
26) I grew up in Manhattan.
27) I went to sleep away camp in the Poconos.
28) I love when it rains. I especially love thunderstorms.
29) I have a mild case of OCD. Paintings can't be crooked, things have to be eaten in a certain way, etc.
30) I was in a pageant when I was 12. I won.
31) I am a pack rat.
32) I bruise easily.
33) I have straight pubic hair. The hair on my head is wavy. This makes no sense.
34) I like to write to do lists so I can cross things off.
35) I HATE onions. They are evil.
36) I have a BAD back.
37) I love the smell of fresh cut grass.
38) I have been blogging since August, 2003.
39) I have 42 pairs of shoes. None of them are leather.
40) I am broke.
41) I hate doing the dishes.
42) David Copperfield made me disappear.
43) Jon Bon Jovi laughed at me.
44) I've had sex with two different people in one day.
45) I have a tattoo.
46) My husband has a tongue ring. I *love* it.
47) I was a camp counselor.
48) I once told Scott Hamilton to "Get out on the ice and do a couple of back flips!"
49) Two of my photos were published in the New York Times.
50) I love to learn.
51) I am allergic to cats and dogs.
52) I HATE the cold.
53) I used to be a gymnast
54) I can't watch other people fold clothes because THEY DO IT WRONG.
55) I lived in Boston for five years. It wasn't New York.
56) I have fifty billion medical problems.
57) I like to exaggerate.
58) If you tickle me I will black out and hurt you. I'm dead serious.
59) My wedding was vegetarian. The food was so good, half of the guests didn't even realize it.
60) I had the best wedding EVER.
61) Some of my favorite movies are American Beauty, Garden State, 40 Year Old Virgin, Office Space, Coming to America, and Forrest Gump. I'm sure I'm forgetting a bunch more.
62) Some of my favorite bands/artists are Coldplay, Cake, Indigo Girls, The Beatles, Eminem, Sublime, Billy Joel, Fiona Apple, Miles Davis, Paul Simon, and Radiohead. I am not ashamed.
63) Billy Joel once told me he was too drunk to remember me interrupting his meal.
64) I was flat chested until I was about 19. Now I'm a 36C.
65) I HATE coffee.
66) I LOVE tea.
67) I hate underwear. I wear them reluctantly and am constantly digging them out of my cavernous ass.
68) I hate whistling. It's like nails on a chalk board to me.
69) My father-in-law whistles ALL THE TIME.
70) I have seven nephews and three nieces.
71) I think I'm the only person on the planet who hates the TV show Law and Order.
72) I moved out of the house when I was 19.
73) If I could wish for one secret power it would be to never have to shave my legs again.
74) I am allergic to artichokes.
75) I've never been anywhere in the middle of the country. The closest I've been to the middle is Ohio or Utah.
76) I'm a good driver. I drive like a man.
78) I desperately want to go to England. I don't know why.
79) I used to have waist length blonde hair.
80) I don't chew gum.
81) I don't drink soda.
82) I don't like sex toys. That's how I roll.
83) Sometimes I like to talk like I'm from the hood. WORD.
84) Thanks to blogging, I have friends that live in states and countries I've never been to.
85) My favorite color is blue.
86) I have two half sisters and a half brother.
87) I can't say the word *fart*. It makes me cringe. The fact that I was even able to type it is a miracle.
88) I've had many crushes, but I've only been in love once.
89) I am not good at styling my hair, or anyone else's hair for that matter.
90) I wear SPF on my face every day, even in the winter.
91) I haven't "tanned" since I was 18. I look pale, but I actually have my dad's Sicilain skin and I can get quite dark.
92) Chocolate is my drug of choice.
93) I love book stores. I could spend all day in a book store.
94) I didn't learn how to tie my shoe laces until I was six, and I couldn't ride a bike without training wheels until I was almost ten.
95) I watch entirely too much television.
96) My husband is a genius. Literally. It's like living with a human encyclopedia and dictionary all rolled into one.
97) I got braces my senior year in high school. It sucked.
98) I can't eat spicy food. This is very difficult considering I'm a vegetarian.
99) I try to avoid the topic of politics because I just get upset and frustrated.
100) Writing this list was not easy.

Did you learn anything new about me?

Posted by torrie at 12:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (32)

Last night I had a great time with Sherri and her friends celebrating her 30th birthday.
Sherri's birthday was so rocking that even Horatio Sans showed up. Make sure you check out Sherri's Flickr page to see all the pictures. I'm sure she'll post them after she gets over her hangover.
If you're debating whether or not you should meet someone you've met online, you should.
I've made some really great friends.

Today I have an OB appointment and another sonogram. Maybe this time it will actually look like I'm carrying a baby.

After my appointment we are driving to Hunter Mountain for a ski trip (on which I won't be skiing). There is a blizzard watch. We might get stuck there.
Keep your fingers crossed for us.

Posted by torrie at 09:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

See if you can spot me (and the husband) on tonight's Apprentice.
I'll give you a couple of hints-
We were at Rebecca's task.
I was wearing a grey dress.

*UPDATE: The fuckers are airing the actual tasks on NEXT WEEK'S episode.
All that buildup for nothing.
Now I know how my husband feels.

Posted by torrie at 09:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (11)