Could you guys let me know please what you think of this new format that I like to call "skipping the crap" I'm just getting to the heart of what would happen in the chapters and not dragging them on and putting two or three days in each to make them longer. Steff xx
Wednesday 3rd July 2013
I am so excited today because we get to find out when exactly Shrimp is due and get to see his first picture! We're doing everything like we did with India hopefully, we've already been in touch with Swedish and I am using the same midwife and Doula and hopefully I will get to give birth naturally once again. I can't wait for shrimp to be here or choose his or her name and find out whether it will be a him or a her. Christian can't either, he's just like he was with India recording everything in a pregnancy book!
After my sonogram where we find out that Shrimp is fit and healthy for the moment we sit down to find out the date our baby will be due from the calculations Doctor Greene has said. We know approximate, we're just wondering how right we are.
I still can't believe how emotional Christian is about the picture, he has barely blinked since he's been given my scan in his hand and his eyes are full of joyous tears!
"I would say you're due on the fifth of January." Doctor Greene smiles as she writes it in my file for me. "New Year baby."
"Ok. Thank you." I grin, I can't believe that we're at month three already with India it seemed to go by so slow but with this baby it seems so quick!
On our way out we book an appointment for exactly four weeks from today, the day where we will get to find out if our little shrimp is a boy or a girl which is even more exciting. I can't wait to find out if India will have a little brother or sister and then choose a name for him or her and begin thinking of the nursery, which room, which colours and that sort of thing.
Until then though there is so much else to do and sadly Christian has to go off to work and me too.
Friday 5th July 2013
We're only a day away now from the big charity concert. Everyone has gathered at Safeco Stadium for the sound checks and run through and it's mad.
I get up onto the stage on my own and look out. This is what dreams are really made of. How many people out there want to stand up on a stage like this with lights, pyro technics, big screens behind them showing their face off to the people sitting way up high right in the back? The strange design of the stage is even bigger than I thought it would be. From the main stage it's possible to walk thirty feet out into the crowd in the middle and fifteen just off to the left and right. At the end of the middle catwalk as I like to call it is a long T bar going ten feet in either direction.
I walk along it on my own while everyone else is getting ready for the first sound check. There are huge metal banisters surrounding the seats so no one will be able to get too close to the stage where I know pyrotechnics line up for different acts.
Tomorrow over forty six thousand people will fill this stadium all in aide of Carla's Cancer Trust, stars will sing their hearts out and yes something will go wrong. Like my biggest fear at the moment is that someone will get trapped under the stage where everything will really be going on.
For example, in one of my parts I have to come off the stage then hop on what I call a skateboard and ride through the catwalk, beneath it, while someone is performing as at the end of it is an elevator only about five feet up but it's a tiny box that I have to crouch in until it's about a foot away from the top of the stage and then slowly stand as it brings me up. It's exciting but my fear is that the skateboard will stop in the middle of the catwalk and I'll have to crawl the rest of the way in my dress and heels.
It's taken so long to put everything together. Chris Laurence who has directed this entire thing is clearly a genius and he knows his stuff, how he still has hair on his head I don't know!
"Ana come get your mic and ear piece." Christian calls from half way up the catwalk as I stand on the end of it trying to visualise the crowd. I go back and I'm quickly given my blinged up mic and my earpiece which is tucked into the back of my jeans for now.
"Ok so guys opening number Beneath Your Beautiful, Christian you're ok with opening the show from the piano, Ana will enter from the back stairs (the wide five foot long very steep steps that I will be using a lot during the show) for her piece with you, when you're done kiss your wife quick and get down the steps, Ana small hello, rally the crowed up and your dancers will come on for Fly on the Wall, remember the band does not stop just sort of wind down before going into There You'll be then straight into Cinderella, on the last Pyro introduce Carly Rose and while the music is still playing you'll greet her at the top of the stairs, she'll come forward you'll go downstairs and change ok?"
"Yes Sir." I say almost mockingly, I know Chris is passionate but we know this stuff, we did the two day rehearsal in a garage with mock stages which are only like five inches off the floor.
Beneath Your Beautiful goes off without a problem as expected but Fly on the wall is a different story.
The song is electric and it feels amazing to perform even in heels I run up the catwalk with my crazy dancers behind me but the crazy side head banging hurts my neck and head and by the end of the song I can barely sing a sentence then on top of that I forgot about the pyros going off and they scare the living hell out of me!
"Ok Ana." LeRoy smiles, yes Christian stole him as soon as Britain's Got Talent was finished seeing as his Mom is American he had no problems. "Keep the head banging till the last chorus, when you jump don't jump so enthusiastically it will still look good and remember it's fine to drop a few words to grasp a breath no one is going to care."
"Ok." I nod exhausted and covered in sweat.
"Can we do that one again!" Chris yells and we go through it again a second time with a little less hiccups.
After Fly on the wall it's There You'll be and I just sit on a stool at the end of the catwalk with my microphone on a blinged stand that has been made just for me to my sitting height, it's perfect. I don't like singing it after singing fly on the wall because I'm exhausted but apparently it works best bringing the tempo down after something so upbeat. There you'll be again, no issues except for the mild choking from the smoke machine that they're debating using because of the close proximity of the audience.
The last song of my set is Cinderella which brings the dancers back to the stage and I perform most of this on the catwalk with LeRoy's choreographer, I'm no dancer but he's made it so it looks like I can dance just like he did at BGT.
After Cinderella, while the music is still playing I announce Carla Rose Sonenclar before I disappear down the steps, during the show tomorrow I'll be doing a damn costume change in six minutes as Carly is only performing two songs. Today though, at the bottom of the stage the stars are all gathered singing the charity t-shirts in their bucket load, they'll be available to buy tomorrow during the show before and after to raise even more money.
In between each performance tomorrow after Carly has been I will be introducing the acts and saying something small each time. It's a lot to remember but I've got little tiny flash cards to take up to the stage with me, for that I'll be wearing a mic head piece rather than a hand held one which will make things good, thankfully today though I stay backstage just signing the t-shirts with everyone else. Gail is here keeping up the line and Hannah is at the end packing the t-shirts up and making sure they have everyone's autographs so that we don't get any complaints.
After everyone's individual rehearsal and sound check we run the finale without the firework display before we head home exhausted knowing that tomorrow really is the big day we've all been waiting for.