"Can I get a doctorate in acting?"

This kiddo was bitten by the acting bug this summer and she has been scratching that itch ever since.

Even though it was stage make-up and over done for a reason,
she's still just a little girl to me. I made her wash it off right after.

Abby was part of a 2 week acting camp over the summer. We had two options for her camp: either the two weeks before Emily and Jerad's wedding (with the performance on the night of their rehearsal dinner) or the two weeks around the time the baby was due. I wanted to call and request they schedule a camp in August, but that might have been a little forward of me since they probably didn't really know what a big deal I am. The first session was obviously out as I was not about to miss a minute of Emily's wedding. Uriah and I debated the logic of scheduling the second session, knowing that we would probably be having a baby sometime during that two week time frame, but in the end we forked over the cash and crossed our fingers that we would be able to make it work if and when the baby came during the week.
And besides, Abby deserved acting camp. After all, we'd moved to a new neighborhood, she was going to have to start a new school in the fall and there was going to be a new sibling in the house - it was no longer going to be All About Abby in the Hefter house, and that was a bitter pill to swallow. Her doctor had just told us that she's got a slight spine curve that we need to watch (read: scoliosis possibility) and she needed to start using a prescription acne medicine. Then her dentist told us to start saving for braces next year. Talk about being smacked from all sides when you're 10 years old!

This camp was probably the best thing for her. She had to learn songs and dances and she had to work in a group. Abby's not so good at working in a group. She tends to get a little bossy. Okay, she tends to get a lot bossy! She likes things to go her way and sometimes has a hard time going along with other people's ideas. It's a struggle she's been working on for the past decade. She had to audition for a part in the play. She had to audition for a spot in the talent show. Both of these auditions meant that not only did she have to come up with a talent, she also had to practice singing and dancing for both auditions. Every. Single. Day. I relegated her to the basement because I couldn't listen to The Little Mermaid soundtrack one more time and remain sane. While she did not get the part that she wanted in the performance, she got a small speaking role, so she was still excited. She did not get a spot in the talent show, but she had friends that did and she cheered them on.
Her performance - her grand stage debut - was the night we brought Finn home from the hospital. I missed her performance because not only was it too hot to take Finn out, but we also had to keep him attached to a portable UV lamp to combat the jaundice.We are very lucky, though, because everyone - and I mean, literally, every important person in her life! - showed up to support her! She loved the attention! She loved the applause! And she has wanted nothing more than to audition ever since. She searches the internet for plays and movies and commercials to audition for. She wants head-shots for her birthday and I had to tell her that we would not be flying to Los Angeles so that she can audition for Disney.

This year she has a college prep class once a week where they talk about colleges and majors. Their first assignment was to figure out what they want to be when they grow up. I guess these are decisions best made in 6th grade. If that were the case, I'd be a cardiologist right now. Abby told her teacher that she is going to be an actress and she has been searching diligently. She has found schools that offer acting programs and the other night she asked Uriah and me if she could get a doctorate in acting.

After I laughed and sputtered something about acting not paying the bills and to find a real job like becoming a lawyer or an accountant, I realized that I should really just be glad that she wants to go to college at all and hasn't mentioned a plan to fly off to LA the millisecond she turns 18 to find her fame and fortune the hard way - without an education to fall back on. But really, if anyone has the guts and the determination to become an actress, it's Abby Hefter. I just hope she remembers me when she wins her Oscar.