Getting Ready For Baby

There's three weeks to go until our baby is born, so I've been cramming in the meetings. I know I'll want to take a little time off once he arrives, although I'm sure the phone calls and emails will continue straight through. I enjoy it, so it'll be an interesting challenge. Once again, just finding the balance.

My producing partner and I now have three writers working on scripts for us. The first draft of the first one is supposed to come in this week. We're thrilled to be able to sit down and start working on the rewrite with him. It's a very commercial idea that we're excited to take out to studios. It's definitely weird timing in this tough market (with the potential SAG strike and the economic situation). It'll take some time to get the script in order, so we'll strategize about the best way to sell it once it's ready. The other two scripts are in earlier stages.

We recently teamed up with a director on another project. We found a writer who's interested in the idea. It's been a bit crazy trying to schedule a meeting, since the director spends weeks at a time out of the country. We're hoping to make this happen next week before he leaves again.

After meeting with quite a few agents this fall, we're now starting a round of meetings with studio executives. We're only going to be able to do a few before I have to take some time off, but it's been great to get out there and discuss our projects. Plus we have quite a few ideas that we still need to find writers for, so we've been reading tons of samples and reconnecting with writers we've worked with in the past.

At home, my two and half year old daughter just potty trained herself (woke up one day saying she wanted to wear her big girl panties). It's perfect timing just weeks before the new baby comes. I'm glad to have one out of diapers. Unfortunately, she's also getting in her last few teeth (2nd year molars), so it's been a very tough and fussy week. Between ballet class and preschool (2 mornings a week), we've been busy. My husband owns his own business, so he's been working hard through this tough economic time. We know the baby will bring big changes in the next few weeks, and we can't wait.

Between washing new baby clothes with fragrance-free detergent and decorating the nursery, I'm making business calls, setting lunches and reading scripts. There's never a dull moment. Right now, we only have a nanny one day a week, but my mother-in-law has been a good last minute babysitter when I need her. The two days my daughter is in preschool, I have time as well. I'm still lucky she takes a long afternoon nap, so it's work time every afternoon.

The day to day is lots of fun. I know it'll take some time to rework my schedule this spring, but we'll figure it out.