Rachel Coleman

Oregon is Beautiful

Oregon is BEAUTIFUL! <--------- I know that is a complete blanket statement and that it is probably not possible for ALL of Oregon to be beautiful, but so far I have no evidence to the contrary. See, I have spent the past few days in Klamath Falls, Oregon.

Lindsey did not come with me since she is busy gallivanting around somewhere in Greece. I imagine she is island hopping, eating Mediterranean food and probably looking for some tall, dark and handsome Greek man. I think she does it to taunt me, see I have never been to Greece and I have been talking about it a lot this year. I have had my eye on Mediterranean Cruises, but have not booked one. She MUST be over paid, I wonder if we can scale that back a bit… Hmmm, I will look into it.

The point is, Lindsey was not in Klamath Falls enjoying the autumn colors and the rain and the beauty, she was in Greece, which I am sure is also beautiful but in a very different, possibly warmer way. When this travel conflict first was noticed, Lindsey asked me to pick her “runner up” or shall we say understudy? Well, there are only about 8 people who work at Signing Time, (I am not kidding) and three of them are related to me, so I see enough of them.

This Klamath trip was a bit longer than usual do to the fact that there is one tiny airport with one gate with only one flight each day <——-that might not be true). I would be there 4 days <—-that IS true). I drew a name out of a hat, (no I didn’t) and that person was Jessica. Jessica is a lot like Lindsey, (not at all) in that she is single – (sort of), her “boyfriend” lives in “England” (yeah right) and I have never met him, (fishy) but whatever. So, Jessica handed over her Frequent Flyer number and I checked to see if she had a preference of sharing a bed with me or not – since Lindsey always wants to snuggle. (You know I am teasing right?) And Jessica gave up her FF digits and I booked our weekend+ in Oregon.

We arrived at one of the world’s smallest airports and were met by Lisa. Lisa is really the reason we came to Klamath Falls. One of her boys has autism and his communication and world opened up through Signing Time. Lisa was determined to get me to Klamath Falls. Most people on her committee thought she was certifiable, I mean, there are plenty of people around who can talk about sign language, why bring in this, “Rachel Coleman” chick? Lisa was undeterred. She heard “no” – “No” – “NO” – “NO!” and she still didn’t stop. Lisa just answered, “We WILL have Rachel.”

Lisa came to the airport bearing chocolate covered strawberries. Thank you very much! She and her family took us out for dinner and gave us maps with our complete trip highlighted – to our hotel – to the elementary school – to the community college. After dinner, Jessica and I set out to the Running Y Ranch, where we were staying. IF by chance you are ever in or near Klamath… stay at the Running Y! It was STUNNING!

They have an ice skating rink which Jessica and I were ALL for, except it was set to open the day after we left The restaurant, The Ranch House was some of the best food I have had in my life, and let me tell you I care a lot about good food. It was so good we ate dinner there two nights in a row. Plus as we were eating, deer came prancing by! So, I say A+ for atmosphere.

On Halloween I performed at a Literacy Fair. I sang, signed and told stories. I even slaughtered the “Happy Birthday” songs that I wrote for Signing Time as I burst into a cappella versions per request! Ha! I think I sang something like this:

“Today you will have presents, today you’ll get a cake, today you will have something, today you’ll get a snake! Today it is your birthday, your birthday all day long. Happy, Happy Birthday and here’s your birthday song!” (Then I had to stop because I had excitedly started it in a key that was way too high and I was laughing too hard!)

And that my friends is the beauty of my live performances, not only do YOU never know what is going to happen, quite honestly, I have NO idea either. See, the cute family who requested “Happy Birthday” had come to my Salem event, driving 4+ hours to be there AND came to this event, driving 2+ hours to be there, so how could I say no?

The following day I spoke at the Klamath Falls Chapter of The Oregon Association for the Education of Young Children (OAEYC) – I have to say that Steve the sound/tech guy was GREAT. It looked like we were going to have some technical issues, but that guy, just didn’t stop until I got what I wanted. He said that he doesn’t have kids yet, but his wife is a fan, because even though they do not have kids, she has been looking into signing and plans on signing with their some-day kids. So, Steve sort of shyly asked for a picture with me (for his wife) and admitted that he hates asking people for pictures. But let me just clear the air on that one people – Don’t even worry about asking to take pictures with me. I feel like it sort of comes with the territory… most the time. It’s just when I barely roll out of bed, pull back a pony tail, throw on flip flops, cut-offs and make a quick Costco run that I am sort of like, “Uh… really? You want a picture with this?” Marcus of course says it’s my own fault and he would DIE – DIE – DIE if he even knew that sometimes I leave the house undone… I think he believes that paparazzi care about me… which they don’t. He would also be completely undone to see pictures of me taken on different days wearing the same outfit (ST! costume excluded). Marcus cares… a lot!

Ok, back to Klamath. I gave the keynote presentation. Immediately after the presentation a woman approached me and said she had driven more than 100 miles to be at the event and if it had ended right after my presentation, she felt it would have been completely worth her time, drive and money. (How cool is that?)

Jessica and I started to head back to The Running Y and I missed my turn-off toward Medford and instead kept driving toward Keno, unbeknownst to us. After quite some time we noticed this road had more houses than our road. I don’t believe in “lost” I mean, really, taking one wrong turn is not the same as being lost! And I think EVERY trip I take includes at least one or two wrong turns and Lindsey always jumps to, “We are TOTALLY lost!” And I am like, “No we are not TOTALLY lost, we are almost right on track, we are just a little off.” And then Lindsey launches into how she is going to buy a portable GPS because she hates Google Maps. Then I say she just needs to read a few more lines of the directions at once, because those directions are always TOO detailed. Then she rolls her eyes at me. Then I remind her that my iPhone has maps and GPS so why buy another GPS. And then she tells me to learn how to use my own phone for heaven’s sake! And I say, I would, except I am the one driving!

So, since Lindsey wasn’t there to start the “We are TOTALLY lost!” conversation, the drive went like this: So, Jessica and I noticed we made a wrong turn, so we started pulling over and taking pictures of things, like bald eagles that we believe were planning on carrying off unsuspecting cows…

… and Red Tailed Hawks on power poles.

Oregonians burning piles of leaves, sticks and brush in the rain…

…we even saw a gaggle of deer playing in the woods. (I KNOW it’s not a gaggle, but how cool if they were called that?)

We saw “For Sale” signs and drove down gravel roads and looked at A-frame houses and talked about how great it would be to live off the grid. Even though technically we were still ON the grid.

We turned around and righted our ONE wrong turn and decided this time to drive PAST the Running Y and see what there was to see that way. Turned out to be a brilliant idea, because we found a lake and we pulled over and jumped out of the car to take pictures of each other in the gorgeous fall colors in the rain.

The trip was great and it was nice to have a few extra days of relaxation. Usually I fly in, sleep, sing and fly out and sometimes help deliver a baby or two The odd thing is that the very first time I went to Oregon, I went in the Fall, with my best friend Jessica. That was a good 15 years ago, but even back then, my friend Jessica and I couldn’t help but jump out of the car and take pictures of each other in the gorgeous Fall leaves.

P.S. The white tailed deer in Oregon are WAY cuter than the mule deer we have in Utah. I know because there is a gaggle of mule deer that eat the leaves off the tree in front of Lucy’s and Leah’s bedroom windows all winter, each year.

For some reason THIS POST won’t let me upload any more of our Web-Bathers. For a minute there I thought I killed the internet, though I am pretty sure I am not THAT powerful.

I must say I have been cracking up as the photos have come in. You people ARE unreasonable! You are crazy!

My own mother emailed me asking if I would come take a picture of her in the tub. My employees and past employees are sending pictures. I am dying to know if it was “no biggie” or if you had to deal with something to join in. Would you have done it even if there was no prize to win?

Feel free to share your process in the comments, because I just have to know!

I was first thinking about taping my fingers and just having my hands coming out of the bubbles. Then I thought, No, I am too branded (as in a product) to have “Rachel’s” taped fingers and be in the bath. I even thought I should get in with my ST! clothes on, but I knew Marcus would never forgive that.

So, I got Lucy in The Bath as my security blanket at least for the photo. Besides, she needed a bath anyway.

Rachel C.
Salt Lake City, UT
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“That was just so much darned fun. My bath was so full of suds that my hair is all bubbly now. Great challenge! I’m excited to see the results!”
Sarah A.
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“I’m sending this after midnight, but I was IN the bath before
midnight. You can’t really tell from the picture, but it was the
best I could do when I was taking it myself. I wish I could have had
a far-away shot where I was buried in bubbles! Maybe it would have
been a little more flattering…:)”
Geneve F.
Eagle Mountain, UT!
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“Hey Ray,
I thought I would join in the fun!”
LeeAnn M.
Utah
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“Rachel,
Well, it was very late when I was finally able to get the bathtub to myself. I couldn’t find any non-kiddie bubble bath but I did find Stress Relief Bath Salts, bath gel, two candles and some good quiet music. As you can see by the photo, the lights were out and the steam was coming off the water. I wasn’t going to have anyone intruding on my quiet time, so I took the picture myself and after several tries to get the camera to focus, I gave up with just this poor shot. But I must say it was relaxing!
Thanks”
Lisa S.
Bel Air, Maryland
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“I was a little hesitant about taking a photo of me in the bath, I don’t even like photos of me clothed. The bath itself was splendiferous! I haven’t taken the time for a relaxing bath in months, thank you! Yes, I would have participated in the National Virtual Mass Bubble Bath Day without the possibility of a prize!

PS. You may have had Lucy join you for your bath, my husband jumped in after he took photos. Thank you for that extra little spark!”
Thyra N.
Yucca Valley, CA
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“Ground Hog Day is a frequent phrase in our house so when your challenge came up this morning I thought… hey why not? I got my little one ready for bath time and put her in… then jumped in myself. She, of course, looked at me like I was crazy! All in all she loved the new toys I brought to the bath tub… my toes! We laughed and got clean all while PRAYING that my camera didn’t get wet. (my last camera died by water) Thanks for stirring the idea of having a little fun in the bath with my little one. It may not have been a romantic serene moment, but it was quite the gift to see her excitement!”
Holly B.
Winchester, CA
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“No candles, but you can’t pass up a starbucks and a good book!”
Sally S.
West Jordan UT

WINNERS
Jackie K. wins my bar of soap!
Geneve F. wins my body wash!
~Winners were drawn using a random number generator.

You may have noticed, if you have been reading my blog for any amount of time, that I love, Love, LOVE being a little unreasonable. Sometimes, a lot unreasonable.

Many of my friends complain that their lives are like “Groundhog’s Day.” You wake up. Put the pot of coffee on. Get the kids out the door. Go to work. Rinse and repeat. Day in and day out. And… then… there are these rare, random breakthrough moments of aliveness that seem to pop up and you remember what it feels like to be alive.

Do you know what I mean when I say “alive”…? No? Well, let’s think back a bit. Do you remember the first time (or the last time) you were in love? Or how about when you wanted to do something that scared you to death, you stopped, and then you did it anyway? Still could have been love For me, cliff jumping into the lake freaks me out AND I love it. It might take me 30 minutes to actually get myself to jump into the nothingness, but I am grinning. Yes, grinning all the way down to the icy smack below.

Last weekend Aaron and I went to a Spook Alley, without our kids. We haven’t done that in more than 10 years! We were cracking up. I admit, I screamed, held onto Aaron and hid my face. Aaron said he wished he had known I was going to react that way, he would have taken me there more often! The point is, we were screaming and laughing, we were feeling alive.

Last week in the Wednesday Signing Time Chat some of us were wishing for a Calgon moment. Didn’t seem a good idea for everyone to hop in their respective baths and be on an internet chat at the same time… a little too dangerous. Electricity + Water= Bad idea eh? So we came up with this:

Today is NATIONAL VIRTUAL MASS BUBBLE BATH DAY!!! –

SO GET IN THE BATH!

Here’s how it works. You have just over 24 hours to light some candles, pour a beverage and relax in the bubble bath flavor of your choice. Now here comes the “ALIVE” part: Have someone capture your bath moment and send me the picture. LOL… Seriously! Be sure it is a good, clean picture, (no pun intended) lots of bubbles for privacy! Or else I am NOT posting it. As the pictures come in I will add them here on my blog, so we can know who is “in the bath” and each web-bather will be entered to win prizes!

To enter: Send your picture, your blog link or web-site, your first name, last initial, city and state to me. Subject: I’M IN THE BATH
Please don’t send me a bunch of other stuff there. Just enter the contest.

Are you laughing? Are you a little freaked out? Are you confronted? Ah, good! You have 24 hours to get over it and get in the bath with us!

What are the prizes?
There are 2 prizes.
1. One random bather will win my favorite bar of soap… not MY bar of soap, but a brand new one. I have to warn you, I thought $12 for a bar of soap was a little ridiculous, until I tried it. It is the Body Focus Toning Soap Scrub from The Body Shop, and once you try this, you will never go back. I might throw in some autographed Signing Time stuff too, since I can get a really good deal on it.

2. Another random bather will receive my favorite body wash/bubble bath. Again, it’s not the bottle I pour from!! Puh-lease, you don’t want that! But it is the same flavor I will be using tonight. I will send you a Bath & Body Works Mandarin Lime Body Wash & Foam Bath. Plus some random autographed Signing Time stuff.

I crack myself up, especially because my prizes are from two competing companies! But I don’t care, I sent Aaron out to buy them today with our own money, so I figure I can do whatever I want, there is no promotional consideration here, just good clean fun… so GET IN THE BATH! And check back often to see who else is in the bath.

The winners will be announced here tomorrow at 7:30PM MST.

Look Who’s in the Bath!!

“SO, my bubble bath didn’t go as planned. There was no candle light and soft
music. There was Jack, his sister Janson, the Official Bath Pelican, the
Baby Eczema wash… We did however tape our fingers so we’d be channeling
our inner Rachel’s!!!”
Heather P.
Savannah Georgia
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“Okay, you may really really be sorry you started down this path, but after careful cropping you may get by without being TOTALLY grossed out. And yes, I am holding an ice cream cone–figured if I was going to humiliate myself I might as well get a sweet treat out of the deal. I couldn’t find any matches to light candles and was sure wishing I had a bigger tub and WAY more bubbles but here you go…
P.S. My husband thinks I have completely lost my mind!”
Vickie W
Norman, OK
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“Chloee took the pictures, and the whole time she kept telling me, Mommy, act like the bubbles are attacking you!! So if they are goofy, and you are thinking once again…..What the H&!! is Pam doing!?!? Just know that I was having fun with my 6 year old.”
Pam B.
Utah
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“We are Signing Time! fans here, and you should have seen the
enthusiasm on my husband’s face when I told him I needed his help
taking my picture in the tub to post online. Now he is a lifetime
fan of Rachel’s! It was his idea we put the ST! book in the
picture. We came to know ST! because of my daughter, Mia, and we
are delighted in how it has helped her to communicate with us.
Forget Calgon, I too am a fan of Bath and Body Works products.
Tonight’s fragrance was Coconut Lime Verbena.”
Anita P.
Chantilly, VA
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Melissa R.
Millers Creek, NC
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“I can’t believe I am actually sending you a bath picture! I feel so naughty! So my bath was relaxing…as relaxing as you can get with a camera woman (my 5 year old) and a director (my 1 year old). The producer (my 2 year old) had fallen asleep! The director was trying her hardest to not keep me modest! I was stealing her bubbles. I had Bath and Body Works Sun Ripened Raspberry. Thank goodness I had some stashed away, because I can no longer find it. And then scrub scrub scrub with Victoria Secrets Body Scrub. Thanks Rachel for making it National Bubble Bath Day! So what crazy thing is next?”
Donna R
Olathe, Kansas
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“Hi Rachel!
Here is my “bubble bath picture”. I wish I could relax and give myself a bubble bath!!!
Thanks for the idea ”
Gisele F. P.
Tarzana, CA.
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“Hi!
Thanks so much for the encouragement and inspiration you give every day!
Come today…after getting the kids to bed and Sorsha was overtired so it wasn’t the easiest process; I cleared the tub of various toys…turtles, duckies, Dora Bathtime doll…you get the picture! … and I filled the tub with lovely hot water with Bath and body works’ Grapefruit Jasmine scented Bubble Bath. In I went and enjoyed a nice relaxing bath. After taking the obligatory picture, Matt turned down the lights, lit a Cranberry Orange candle (okay so I had a bit of some competing scents, but they were both citrusy) and then made my favorite tea (Teavana White Peach tea..yummy!)

Yes, I have work to be done, yes I have housework to be done, yes I have a preschool press to layout, yes I have a slideshow for Girl Scouts to be working on, but Instead I chose to RELAX and take a bath!”
Jackie K.
Glendale, CA

Believe it or not, it is only on rare occasion that I travel with Alex and Leah. Most of the time when I head out for an outreach event, it is with my trusty sidekick Lindsey. (She loves it when I call her a “Trusty Sidekick!”)

Last weekend we were invited to perform at the Triangle Down Syndrome Network of North Carolina’s Buddy Walk. Now I know that some of you reading this are in NC and wondering why you did not hear about this event. Well let me tell you why, you have not signed up for our Signing Time Newsletter. Did you know that each time we have a Signing Time event we will shoot you off an email if you are in the general vicinity? I even tell my friends and family members to sign up, if they want to know when I am traveling near them, because, really… do you think I can keep it all straight? Well I can’t and I don’t.

Last weekend was one of those rare occasions when Alex and Leah were traveling with us. If Leah is booked with me, no problem! If Alex is booked too, still, no problem but that does require an additional adult to manage the kiddos, so Alex’s dad, Derek came too.

There is a big difference between traveling with Just Lindsey (She loves it when I call her “Just Lindsey”) versus traveling with the kids. Differences like more bathroom breaks, not skipping meals and a constant state of torture giggling from wherever A&L happen to be, which is reminiscent of Ghana.

Here are some other differences. Lindsey, though probably tempted has yet to take pictures of me sleeping on the plane… Leah on the other hand took my iPhone and had a hey-day!

At one point, Leah looked out the window and started laughing, “Mom, LOOK!! (giggle, giggle) Scattered clouds!!”

Unreasonable Requests
Our layover was in Las Vegas. Leah was puzzled, “Isn’t that the WRONG direction?” Yeah, well she can take that up with Southwest Airlines. But, our first layover was in VEGAS Baby! Do you know what Vegas has got that Salt Lake City does not? Nope, not gambling… I mean YES it does, but THAT is not what I am looking for and let’s just stop the guessing right there, since this is a child’s show.

The answer my friends: In-N-Out Burgers! We had an hour and a half layover and I put out the tweet. My tweet was answered and my dear friend Cathy loaded her triplets and adorable daughter into their minivan, drove through In-N-Out and delivered burgers curbside!! Are you kidding me?

I love that woman. I grabbed the burgers and ran. (Do you get the feeling I do a lot of running through airports? Well I do!) I ran and ran and ran. The train was not working so I just hoofed it, making it to the farthest possible C gate (of course) arriving 10 minutes before the flight left. I was huffing and puffing and laughing as I spotted Lindsey, spotting me. We handed out burgers and Leah looked at me and said, “This is the best lunch ever!”
Be careful you never know where my next layover will be and what wacky request I might send out. You could be next!

We arrived in North Carolina, checked in to our hotel and went out to meet our hosts for dinner. As we arrived at a Country Club I reminded Alex and Leah to please use their best manners. Heh-heh. Right.

Note to self: the time to instill manners is from toddlerhood on, NOT right before dinner at ages 10 and 11 respectively.

Remember my last outreach post about trying to find Lindsey a man? Well we were only so-so successful. This is TJ.

Lindsey helped him cut his steak. He offered her his vegetables. They whispered secrets to each other throughout dinner. And that is all I am saying about THAT!

All pool, no swim!
That should be the title of all outreach events with Alex and Leah. Neither one can comprehend how it is possible that they are staying in hotels and not swimming at all. Every time they passed the pool they gazed at it with want. (sigh)

Sunday morning, the kids and Derek slept in. Lindsey and I went to an interview. After breakfast we all got ready for the show. We arrived at The Buddy Walk. My eyes immediately went to the blow up bounce houses and giant slides. Most Buddy Walks have these, and Lindsey and I NEVER get to play in them. See, by the time I am finished signing autographs, taking pictures and performing, all of the inflatables are being packed up! Not this time. Not on my watch! Besides, we had arrived a little early!! “Come on!” I hollered at Alex and Leah and as I sprinted across the grass toward the giant slide. We threw off our shoes and ran up the slide.

“One at a time!!! One at a time!” The teenagers standing guard shouted at us.

We had a great Meet & Greet prior to the performance. Again many families mentioning that they usually watching Signing Time on PBS on Saturdays, but it hadn’t been on the past few weeks. (Yeah, that blog is still coming)

It was a beautiful day, 78 degrees and I was the only one wearing jeans and a jacket!

Now it was time for dinner. Alex and Leah had been requesting sushi for days. Well, in my mind they had earned it. We found a sushi joint and ordered up. I have to admit there is a smug satisfaction in watching my daughter devour raw fish like a Grizzly Bear after salmon.

Derek, Lindsey and I watched as the kids piled up their plates with nigiri and rolls, then we ordered another full round. While waiting for round two, Alex and Leah had the brilliant idea to have a wasabi challenge. Each takes a mound of wasabi and on the count of 3 they eat it. Whoever reaches for water first loses. “Loses what?” you ask… nothing… remember when you were 10 and it was just about winning and losing… with nothing at stake other than that? So simple. And here it is…
“It’s wasabi time with Alex and Leah”

Here comes the sad part. After dinner Leah and I dropped the rest of the gang off at the hotel and we drove 2 hours to Wilmington. Are you wondering what is sad about that? Well, I am not sure, but those kids were crushed. You’d think they didn’t live 10 minutes away from each other 365 days a year.

In Wilmington we stayed with our friends Kelly and Caroline and their kids, Jacob and Carly… oh and their 5 dogs. Count them!

I am not a dog person. We have had two dogs and it was not my thing and we found each of ours a new home. There is just something about coming home and having to scout out puppy puddles, puppy poop, puppy barf or potential doggy damage that doesn’t work for me. And then there is shedding, see I am fond of wearing black and our dalamation… ugh! So, we got a maltese poodle thinking small, non-shedding dog, but alas.. no that wasn’t it. What IT is, is this. I am NOT a dog person!!!

But I love my friends and I put up with the pups and they know I am putting up with the dogs.

Leah and I visited Jacob’s old school the Child Development Center and did two signing, singing story time performances. We had a couple of interviews and then we went to the beach. We had to go! Do you know how many times I am at incredible destinations and must refrain? Well, most of the time.

We had 20 minutes at the beach and then turned around for a Meet & Greet at the library. I couldn’t just stand there and meet and greet. I had to sing! Plus it’s a library, so I signed some stories too. I just can’t help myself.

Then they took me out for a birthday dinner. Hey, I am not opposed to dragging my birthday out for weeks… I mean really! For dessert we had key lime pie, which is a green colored pie in Utah, but it is a cream colored pie here in North Carolina.

Leah and I flew home to Salt Lake City the following morning. At the airport we had ice cream for breakfast.

Maybe Leah should come with me more often. Maybe we should all let our kids inspire us to play more often. I mean, every kid just wants to play with the biggest kid on the block and guess what… You are the biggest kid on the block. Your kids just want to play with you!

I don’t know where to start. I am so glad that I signed up for a Twitter account right before leaving for Oregon and Colorado, because those “tweets” are now my mile markers through the blur of the past few days.

The evening of Thursday, September 25 Lindsey and I flew to Salem, Oregon. Lindsey, is the Two Little Hands Communications Manager, she also coordinates, executes and assists on my outreach events. If you want me to come speak or perform at an event or conference in the future, contact Lindsey. She sometimes refers to herself as, “Rachel’s Handler” which makes me crazy. I think animals have handlers, not people, but whatever. I like to call her my assistant.

Another character in this cast is Natalie. Nat and I have been friends for 20 years. We went on our first dates together.

In the past 20 years we’ve gotten into a bit of trouble together, like when I accidentally lit her hair on fire or when we were sledding down freeway embankments, when the freeway was under construction, and then there was that time I broke my ankle when I was chasing a goose and a rooster was chasing me! (All true stories I swear) We met in 8th grade. Her locker was two down from mine. Somehow we had 7 out of 9 classes together that first year and we became fast friends. Natalie is officially my #1 Fan. (Sorry! I know a lot of you think you are it… nope, it’s Natalie)

When I began writing songs, I would tape record them and give them to her. She keeps everything, even all of our notes passed back and forth through the years. She is practically my personal archivist! (Nat should we release a “Rachel Unplugged”?? .. nah better not I was sort of grumpy in high school, mostly to try and hide how shy I was) So, if there ever is a True Hollywood Story in the works, they should just go straight to Natalie’s house.

Sometime around, oh… 9 months ago, Natalie and I had a conversation. It was a conversation about the future, her future and how it looked like she was going to become a mother. At that time it also looked like she would be taking on motherhood, for the most part, alone. She asked if I would be her Birth Coach. I said, “Yes!” Her due date was September 21st.

Fast forward to THIS weekend.
Lindsey and I landed in Salem and made our way to the hotel. When we got to our room there was only one bed. I called to see if we could get two beds and they said none were unavailable. We considered two rooms, but decided that is not as much fun as one room. Sometimes I think I am reliving the sleepover days. Those of you who have volunteered at ST! events can attest. We stay up late talk, eat, have pillow fights (not really) and laugh (yes really hard). Two rooms would not do! Plus what if one of us slept in, missed the wake-up call, or had no idea what time the events were scheduled! I offered Lindsey the sofa bed, (nice of me eh?) but she said she doesn’t mind sleeping with her boss… err, not how it sounds AT ALL.

We hit the sack, with a serious “pillow barrier” between us. There is nothing more freaky then stretching out and touching a strange someone, in a strange hotel room, in a strange city. Thus, the “pillow barrier.”

In the morning we met Cory and her kids. Cory came bearing gifts! She brought breakfast scones, drinks, candles, a scarf, jam and other fun stuff.

Cory must read my blog. (Hi Cory!) Because the woman brought me cannoli!! FYI, I also love chocolate covered strawberries, English toffee, anything coconut, lemon or lime, The Cheesecake Factory and massages…(hee hee) Oh, Lindsey is single and is looking for a “tall, dark, handsome, funny, smart, single man.” Just thought I’d put that out there. If someone wants to deliver that to her sometime she would be very appreciative! You can even check out her blog first.

We got ready and went to Salem Heights Elementary. I did a signing, story time with one of the kindergarten classes.

After story time, I got ready for an assembly for the whole school. I had a great time, that’s what counts right? The kids had a great time too.

I have to thank Nacho Cordova! Nacho was our photographer and he did a superb job. (Nacho, how’d you make me look so good?) Checkout our Salem days on his site. Here I am with Nacho’s adorable daughter.

After the school visit, Lindsey and I went shopping. I needed to buy PJ’s, since we were down to one bed, and that’s all I am going to say about that. We went to Macys and I did a quick change in the car. I have a fear of getting busted, no pun intended, because I always have to change in the car.

When we finished shopping, we got lost, like we always do. Lindsey gets so mad at Google Maps, and I think it is sort of funny. I mean how lost can we get? We made a few calls, got our bearings and arrived for the Willamette Valley Down Syndrome Association fundraising concert, starring, yours truly. We had another great show! THAT was a “Silly Pizza” that I will never forget!

After the performance we held a “Meet & Greet” so that I get to meet, chat, share, take pictures with and give autographs to all who want it. I knew it was great show because while I was performing, I could see Lindsey cracking up at the back of the hall as she ran some of the technical aspects. And Lindsey has heard all of my jokes a hundred times. Later she said, “Rachel you are way more fun to travel with when you are sleep deprived!”
We grabbed dinner and went back to the hotel.

Saturday, September 27, 2008.
I got up and started getting ready. Today I would perform at the WVDSA’s Buddy Walk. I was doing my hair and makeup when my phone rang. It was Natalie, she said, “Rachel, my water just broke!” I didn’t know what to say. Did you know that water breaking at onset of labor is very Hollywood? It rarely happens in real life! How could this happen? No contractions for days, everything quiet and hoping to wait until Sunday when I get back and her water broke? AHHHHHHH! She still wasn’t really having contractions either… hmmm

Lindsey called Cory who happily rearranged my scheduled performance time, so I could sing before the Buddy Walk, instead of after. (Thank you Cory and crew!!!) Lindsey pulled up flights. We were flying out of Portland an hour and a half away. I found a flight and booked it and off we went to the Buddy Walk. Before the event we had to eat our cannoli!

The Buddy Walk was another great event. We had our Meet and Greet before the performance.

And with that, Lindsey and I ran to the car and sped to the airport! If I was going to catch my flight there was no time to change clothes. Colored fingers and all, I RAN through the airport, feeling a bit like a speeding orange traffic cone or a flare.

The plane landed early and I called Natalie, she was still at home. I got my car and made my way to her house. Natalie laughed when I showed up at her door as “Rachel Coleman.”

Now, remember Lindsey? She stayed in Portland to fill up the car, return it and get on the original flight straight to Denver. The plan was, let’s deliver the baby and I could pull an all-nighter and drive the 8+ hours to Denver. As long as the baby came by midnight, this plan would be fine. My sound check at the Oh Baby Expo in Denver was scheduled at 8:30AM. Looking back, that was sort of a silly plan!

Natalie, her mom, friend Emily and I went to The Birth Center at 7PM. They checked her and though she was having contractions, it was still early labor. This was not good. As we approached the 12 hour mark, it was clear this baby was not going to be born within the time frame that The Birth Center could comfortably and legally accommodate, considering the broken membranes. We packed up and went to the hospital.

That alone was frustrating. It didn’t mean Natalie could not necessarily have the ideal delivery she wanted, but we both knew it meant we would all have to work much harder for it. I sat alone in my car and cried in the parking structure outside of the hospital. It was almost mid-night and it appeared I would be facing yet another defeat. I needed to leave for Denver. How could I leave? Especially right now? I felt like I had just barely proven myself as the best friend in the whole wide world, turning my schedule upside down, grabbing a flight home and even showing up in bright orange, and now I would instantly be the biggest jerk. How can I go up there and say, “Natalie, I’m leaving.” As I sobbed, and put off the inevitable, my sister Rebecca called to see how thing were going. I sobbed and yelled and let it all out. “I AM SO MAD! I can’t be EVERYWHERE I need to be and I PROMISED! I promised to be HERE and I promised to be in Denver! I PROMISED!” Rebecca listened to my frustration and said, “Ray, it sounds like you need a replacement, a back up for yourself. Can I come down and support Natalie?”

I was stunned. Rebecca is two years younger than I am. We were the ultimate picture of sibling rivalry for most of our lives. She made me crazy. For many years I had no relationship with her, I couldn’t stand her! Then three years ago, I saw how much of that was really my fault, not hers. I offered to be her sister again. Nine months after we made peace, I was able to be at the home birth of her first child. In the past 3 years we have become more than sisters, we are great friends. So, here is Rebecca, who had given birth just 2 weeks ago, 2 WEEKS ago to her second son and she was offering to come down at midnight so I could go to Denver? I cried even harder, “Thank you, thank you, thank you!” I went up to Labor & Delivery with puffy red eyes, and found the rest of my now puffy, red-eyed team. I asked to have a minute alone with Natalie. “Nat, I have to go.” The tears streamed for both of us. “I have to drive to Denver, I am so sorry. Please forgive me. Don’t hate me.” Natalie looked back at me through tears and said, “Rachel I can’t stand the thought of hundreds of little children being disappointed that you are not there.” I told her Rebecca was coming. We hugged. I kissed her on the head and I cried my way into the hallway, still feeling fairly defeated. Rebecca was already in the hall with Natalie’s mom and Emily. Aaron, my husband was also standing there. Huh?

Aaron and I walked down the hall and he said, “Come on. We’re going to Denver. You are not doing this alone.” I asked where our kids happened to be. Aaron had called my mom, packed the girls’ bags, dropped them off at mom’s house and made it to the hospital in record time, to make sure I didn’t try to go it alone. As we walked out of the hospital we passed this mural on the wall of Starbucks

We picked up a rental car and drove into the night. He took the first shift, since I was exhausted. He blared Rush albums, as I slept. For me it is REALLY hard to sleep through Rush. It is Aaron’s favorite band and… well it’s not at all my favorite band… at all. Geddy Lee’s high pitched voice was piercing through my dreams!! I tossed and turned in the uncomfortable passenger seat and plotted my revenge. What would I listen to while he tried to sleep?

“Hey, wake up. Can you drive?” We were in the middle of nowhere. I sat up. I had slept, on and off, for close to 4 hours. “Yes, I can drive.” We filled up the car and bought some pringles, nibs and a cherry coke for me, a code red for him. I took my turn driving. I sang “The Silly Pizza Song” for 4 straight hours Just kidding. I listened to Shawn Colvin and did my best to out-sing and out-harmonize her on every single song, singing at the top of my lungs. The sun came up. I kept driving. My phone buzzed with a message from my friend Cathy who lives in NV, she had sent me driving directions to the convention center. (Thank you Cathy!) I pulled up to the convention center at 8AM listening to The Pixies, “Where is My Mind?” Fitting.

Sound check was set for 8:30AM. Whew, that was close! I re-did my hair, and put new make-up on top of old make-up, taped my fingers and put my Signing Time clothes on. I called Natalie. She had finally progressed to 6cm after more than 24 hours of labor. A c-section was on hold. Are you kidding me? I might make it back for the birth? Aaron found a flight back to Salt Lake City and we booked it. I hit the stage. Were my eyes red? Was my voice haggard from dueling with Shawn Colvin for 4 hours? I don’t know. Was my brain foggy from lack of sleep, well yes. I smiled, sang, and told them the truth. “My best friend is in labor and I am her coach. I flew home from Oregon yesterday and then drove straight here all night. Natalie said she couldn’t stand the thought of causing such disappointment for your families, if I did not come.” The Signing Time families in the audience signed “Thank you.” I stayed just long enough to take a handful of pictures and sign a handful of autographs.

Aaron and I ran to the car and sped off to catch our flight back to Salt Lake. He had filled the tank while I was singing.

If I hadn’t gone to Ghana, Africa twice this year, I don’t think we would have made the flight. We did not check-in in time. The computer would not let us check-in, but I have Gold Medallion status because of those Africa miles with Delta and they made and exception and we ran through the Denver airport, me in my bright orange again. As I ran passed, people looked bewildered at my taped fingers and outfit and asked, “Go Broncos?” I had no idea what they meant. Then Aaron explained the Broncos colors are orange and blue and he started laughing. Ok, “Go Broncos!” When we got on the plane I happened to be seated next to a woman who was also wearing orange.

I slept on the plane. This plane landed early too! I ran to my car, dragging my carry-on bag behind me. I imagine Aaron walked to his. I twittered my landing and one of my dear friends, twittered back, “Go! Hurry to hospital! All cake and eating it too!” I had to smile, everyone around me, friends from coast to coast, fans across the country, they were all pulling for me to be there with Natalie.

I called Natalie, “I am back and I am wearing orange again!” While I was gone she had pitocin and an epidural, she had been laboring for over 36 hours and was exhausted.

I returned to Labor & Delivery and got the details. Since Nat was still at 6cm, we were all hoping that 7 to 10cm would happen quickly. The nurses came in and updated me. Emily and Nat’s mom fell asleep. Then the nurse came back in and asked for my autograph. I looked at Natalie and we both started laughing. Then a bunch of nurses came in, all fans of the show. They apologized to Natalie, saying, “Our kids, love Rachel. They’ll never believe we met her!” Natalie said she was used to it, she’d known me forever and it was part of the deal. Besides, we all know how Natalie feels, “There’s no way I am going to disappoint a bunch of little kids.” I handed out Signing Time temporary tattoos and I autographed pictures of me and Alex and Leah.

The evening wore on, Natalie rested. The nurse midwife came to check the progress. Bad news. Still at 6cm. The last 8 hours she had stayed at 6 and now her cervix was swelling and the baby’s head was moulding to try to come through at 6cm. I put on scrubs, so did Natalie’s mom. I kept telling myself, “breathe and don’t pass out.” Technically had two c-sections with Lucy, but had never been the one standing up through it, being supportive, I got to experience the other side of the table.

At 6:38PM my best friend Natalie became a mom. When they brought Baby Nicholas into the world, everybody in the OR room gasped variations of “What a beautiful baby!”

I spent the night in the hospital with Natalie and Nicholas, even changed his first diapers. I help Nat figure out the whole breastfeeding thing. We all slept a little.

The following morning was Monday, I drove home. The house was empty, the girls were in school. Aaron was at work. I autographed 300 Baby Signing Time covers for the upcoming release.

I put them in a box on my front porch and called my Two Little Hands office, “The covers are done. But someone needs to pick them up. They are on my porch. I am going to sleep. Please don’t knock.”

I slept. Around 4:00PM Leah and Lucy woke me up. “Mommy!! You are home!!” My eyes had headaches. My head felt heavy. I squinted at my girls, reminding myself, “Oh yeah, that’s right I am a mom too.” I sort of unpacked. I sort of helped the girls with their homework. I felt like I had been gone for ages. Was there even food in the fridge? Leah came down the hall around 6:00PM and said, “Something smells weird in the hall!” I was too foggy to care. Besides a lot of things could smell “weird” in a hall. Awhile later I walked down the hall and noticed, “Hey something smells weird!” It smelled like something was burning. “AARON I SMELL FIRE!!! COME HERE!” Aaron ran down the hall and we went from room to room. It was strongest in Leah’s room. I double checked outlets to see if a plug had gone crazy, but found nothing. Aaron ran downstairs to see if it was coming from the basement. We couldn’t find it! No smoke, just that smell. Some of our neighbors had an electrical fire in their wall a few months ago and I was not going to risk it. “I AM CALLING 911!” I yelled as Aaron came back up stairs and put his hands on the attic ceiling entrance in our closet, to see if it was hot.

The 911 operator told us to “Get out of the house.” I grabbed Lucy, put her in her power wheel chair, and we went across the street. Aaron and Leah followed us out. We could already hear the fire engines coming. I guess our neighbors heard it too because they all came pouring out. They could see I had been, tired, crying, upset but they didn’t know it had not been about the “fire.” A simple, “Are you okay?” was answered with a flood of tears. “I am so tired!” Is all I could get out… and then, “See I flew to Oregon…” and then I stopped. I mean really! Really? Did all of that really even happen? Who would believe it. “I’m just really, really tired.” I repeated.

The firefighters could smell the burning, but they couldn’t find the source. Aaron finally went in with them and came out holding Leah’s favorite hat.

And then he turned it around.

The sweet smell of burnt acrylic. Leah burst into tears, “That’s my favorite hat!” Yep, her favorite hat that accidentally got tossed on top of her desk lamp and ended up with a lightbulb shaped hole burnt right through it. So, if any of you are going to Disneyland anytime soon, I would sure appreciate it if you kept an eye out for a new “Grumpy Hat” for my daughter. See… I am tired. Really, really tired.
Go Broncos!

Last Thursday, I became a Bradley Birth Coach.  Twelve weeks of 2 hour classes and it’s official.  ;) I even have a card to prove it.  I told my friend Natalie that I would flash my card around The Birth Center so there would be no question of who is the boss.  Our birth class teacher said, “Rachel if you plan on showing that card to anyone, I am not going to give it to you!”  She ended up giving it to me and now I am going to show it to all of you!

The good news is that I had a great event in Oklahoma last weekend AND Natalie did not go into labor!  Whew!  (So far there is no bad news) Natalie was due on September 21st, so, she could be having a baby any time now.  (Cue dramatic music)  I leave for Oregon tomorrow afternoon.  I fly from Oregon to Colorado on Saturday.  I return home Sunday night.  If she goes into labor this weekend, it will be interesting.  I have saved miles on Delta and on Southwest, and I am not afraid to use them.

My friend Brooke told me that her friend Brandy knows Natalie, small world.  They came to that realization through an odd conversation that went something like this.

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Brandy: “My friend Natalie is pregnant and she asked the Signing Time lady to be her birth coach.”     

Brooke: “How random!  Do they know each other or is Natalie just a fan of the show?”

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This cracks me up.  I imagine an email that goes like this, “Dear Rachel, Our family loves Signing Time. You are such a big part of our lives.  We feel like we practically know you.  I know you believe that children should be introduced to ASL as early as possible so, we would like to invite you to the birth of our next child.  Please wear your orange sweater and colored tape on your fingers.”  

For all of you wondering if I am now providing labor support services in addition to entertaining sign language DVD’s the answer is: Yes, I will do that for you, if you have been my friend for 20 years. Why not?!

This morning my brother Christian called to say his wife, Rachael, had a 7 lbs 12 oz baby boy, their second boy.  I believe the count is now 14 unmedicated/natural births of nieces and nephews in my family, which is 100%.  (Again, if I just count nieces and nephew I don’t have to count the 2 c-sections that I had with Lucy… Yes, two with Lucy.)  Today is Christian’s 27th birthday.  Christian is in the army somewhere in Georgia.  He played the bass guitar on “Show Me A Sign.”  He also speaks Arabic, thanks to his fabulous Army training.  Now you know.  How’s that for random trivia?  I will post baby pictures as soon as I see some.

I called Natalie and told her that there is no race.  It’s over.  Everyone I know has had their babies and she is last.  I also said that there is no hurry.  Please wait until Sunday.  

I do have a layover in Salt Lake City on Saturday night, when I fly from Oregon to Denver.  If she goes into labor Saturday I could skip the Denver leg, help deliver the baby and then drive to Denver before my performance on Sunday, maybe even catch a flight.  Never a dull moment!  Stay tuned…..

We spent Saturday afternoon at Bounce U for my nephew Owen’s birthday.  My sister Rebecca was not there, she was resting at home and had been having contractions all morning.  On Labor Day, she was having good, strong contractions and was a little disappointed when they stopped cold leaving her dilated at 3 for the past 2 weeks.  Rebecca’s son Shawn and husband Robi were with us at the birthday party yesterday.  Rebecca called me around 3:30 to say her contractions had been 10 minutes apart all morning… (sound familiar?)  But they had just jumped to 3 minutes apart and were getting stronger.  Her midwife was on the way.  I asked if she wanted her husband Robi and son, Shawn home.  She said, “Not yet.  I am just letting you all know.  It could take a while.”  I talked to Robi and he said he had just received a text from her too.  We kept playing and bouncing and went in for cake and ice cream.  

The party ended at 5.  I loaded Alex, Zak, Leah and Lucy in my car.  Robi stopped me and said, Rebecca had called and she felt like this labor was going much faster than Shawn’s.  He was heading straight home and he asked if Shawn could come with me.  I loaded Shawn in my car and finally loaded Lucy’s power wheelchair on the back.  We got to my house around 5:30.  The older kids unloaded and ran downstairs to play video games.  Lucy “babysat” Shawn, reading stories to him and letting him play the ukelele for her.  Around 6:30 Shawn, started saying, “Mommy!  Mommy? Mommy!”  I teasingly answered “Yes?”  Lucy told him, “My mommy is the only mommy here.”  We had just started watching the movie “Robots” and Shawn, looked at me and said, “The baby is crying!” This caught me off guard, then I realized the baby Robot had been put together and had started crying.  When he said, “The baby is crying,” I reached for my phone.  It was now 6:40 and I realized I didn’t have my phone on me, it was plugged in to the charger.  I ran down the hall (sound familiar) to my bedroom and saw that at 6:40 I had missed two calls from Robi!  I called him back and heard a baby crying in the background!   “Is that your baby?”  I asked in disbelief.  ”Yeah,” he answered, “It’s a boy!”  I ran back to the TV room, “It’s a boy!  Rebecca had a boy!!”  Lucy was thrilled, Aaron was shocked and Shawn seemed confused.  I loaded Shawn in my car and we talked about the baby.  At first he just said, “No baby.”  I explained again, that now his family was mom, dad, Shawn and baby.  To which he insisted, “No baby.  Baby cries!”  He had seen Asher a few days earlier and did not like the whole crying part.  I told him, “Babies cry and babies sleep and babies nurse and babies poop and pee and that’s pretty much it.  Sometimes they cry and sometimes they are quiet.  Let’s go to your house and see your mom and dad.”  ”And baby!” Shawn reminded me.  

Rebecca looked beautiful and relieved, she said her hips no longer ached, she felt great.  When we came in she was already nursing her 9 lbs 8 oz baby boy.  He takes the title for the heaviest baby born into our family so far.  He is 21.75 inches long.  Rebecca had her second successful water birth at home.