Outside of the tank in my new maternity tail by the Mertailor at 4 months pregnant
Giving my husband a kiss through the glass
Inspiring the next little mermaid....
I was delighted to be invited to be a part of PirateFest 2014 in Greenville, NC. Most of the time I work alone, so when I was able to work with my favorite mermaids from "The Real Mermaids" and "NC Merfolk" I was beyond thrilled! You would think that there would be a lot of competition between us, and I know that is so and in some circles it can be ruthless (maybe I will post about that sometime..boy do I have some stories!), but there is none of that in this group. We really support and help each other. I'm so blessed to have wonderful merfriends as these!
For the first time I performed in a tail I've never worn before. My friend and amazing tail maker, the Mertailor created my maternity tail. It is an innovative tail that can be taken apart in two pieces (perfect for when I'm huge and can't see my feet), and it is lined with neoprene. I could not wear my traditional silicone tail while pregnant, and even if I could, greasing myself up and going through the acrobatics to put it on just would not do in my condition. He added extra fabric to the seams so that as I got bigger I could let it out myself. The scales on it look as real as my silicone ones (they are silicone, just on top of neoprene), and putting on my tail in the tank was an easy task. I'm really glad that he suggested this for me. He's making me a custom painted one for my epic photo shoot at 7 months pregnant in July, but until then, this one will do perfectly for my work. On a side note, when I'm smaller again after my daughter is born, I can easily take it in and add it to my regular rotation of tails...or keep it as it is for baby #2....
The mermaids and I had fun rotating in and out of the tank. When we weren't swimming we were painting faces and taking pictures with our fans. Being in the tank felt like I was at home-I just love being underwater! People look hazy as they walk up to me, as if they're surrounded by glowing halos. I interacted with the children by playing with my light up crystals and blowing bubble hearts and kisses. I got really hot outside when working at the pirate show, so being in that water was a huge relief for me and baby. I overdid it and my merfriends were super compassionate as I rested in the tent. I am really grateful to them for taking such good care of me. I do look forward to returning the favor when one of them becomes a mermomma. Here's a video of me in the tank:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmEhnNpro0A
Getting fatigued is something that any pregnant woman has to prepare for. I used to work long hours with hardly any breaks, so getting tired for me is something very new. I am glad that I did get tired at this festival because it taught me that I need to have another mermaid work with me at long events just in case from now on. In talking with Mermaid Jessica I found out that she lives an hour away from my next gig in Charlotte, and after watching her performance and spending time with her I knew she would be the perfect mersister to join me in this gig. Isn't it wonderful when everything happens for a reason?
After the festival, we had a celebratory dinner thanks to our generous MerKing, Christomer Starfish, and a business meeting (this is a business after all :). I shared with everyone that as a new mother, I will be taking time away from the business part of mermaiding. I will still be mermaiding because it is a part of me, but I will not be traveling all over to do appearances and working as a mermaid. I will just be swimming for the fun of it. For every mother this choice is a hard one, and everyone is different, but for me, because this may be my only chance to be a mother, I want to be there with my daughter every second of it. I will do maybe a handful of appearances a year, and make a few custom sequined tails, but other than that, I will not be working. It's good to know that I have a strong group of mermaids and mermen to take care of my clients, and if you're reading this and thinking about hiring a professional mermaid, these are the best people to choose from!
Maybe it was the pregnancy hormones, but I wanted to cry when we left for the airport. It's just so hard to leave such beautiful, sweet, and amazing friends. At least my soul was rejuvenated :) My body was so tired I slept a lot of the flight back to Nashville. When we got home it all felt like a dream....
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