Tuesday morning I was hard at work putting the finishing touches on an epic Substack post when Lucy texted us that her water broke, three weeks before her due date!
Some impatient little bugger just couldn’t wait to see her new family.
Lucy and her partner Ernesto were determined not to reveal name or gender until delivery. We tried everything. Bribery. Trickery. Tickling. Nothing worked. I got used to calling it Fetus, even suggested that for a catchy name. Nope.
So, yesterday afternoon, at long last, we got to meet Lidia.
Female.
Future Knicks fan.
Interestingly, in terms of how the universe works, my editor on The Kids Grow Up, and great friend, Maeve O’Boyle was in town from Dublin for a few days. On Monday night, I met her for dinner along with Karen O’Connor — co-director (with Maeve and Miri Navasky) of the fantastic doc Joan Baez: I Am A Noise.1
For those who haven’t seen it, The Kids Grow Up is largely about Lucy’s last year at home before leaving for college (mixed in with considerable footage I shot with her over the years). At one point, I mentioned Lucy was on the verge of giving birth, and that I’ve hardly videotaped anything with her since I finished filming back in 2007.
Maeve and Karen spent the next half hour sweetly haranguing me that I HAD to do some filming with her at this pivotal moment of transition for the family. That it’s what I’m known for, and this is what i do. I replied that I write for Substack now, but they didn’t even smile. “Don’t think about how to use it for a film or for your Substack or anything,” Karen urged me. “If nothing else, just do it for posterity.”
Tuesday night sometime after midnight, while Lucy was in labor but remarkably chill, I mentioned this conversation to her and to my vast surprise she said she’d be ok with it. Seizing the opportunity, I did a spur-of-the-moment interview that lasted only seven minutes, but it was remarkable. She’s still a natural on camera.
I know exactly how I want to use it, and it’s exciting to think about (and I’m pretty sure Lucy will be fine about it). But I know for a fact that I wouldn’t have shot it without Maeve and Karen’s urging.
In documentary, timing really is everything.
Anyway, whatever form it shows in the world will emerge in due time. For now, there’s this little bundle of joy to attend to.
And my epic post — all about funding, or lack thereof — can wait ‘til next week.2
For full disclosure, I was consulting producer on the Joan doc. But I can say with complete objectivity that it’s a stunning work of art, and a must-see.
I’ve been working on my cliffhangers.
Mazel Tov! Another tiny branch on the tree of our lives!
Incredible! What a gift to you all; Lucy looks so beautiful and serene, and big congratulations as well to Ernesto. You and Marge look so happy. Very exciting news. Your granddaughter will have a wonderful life with all of you around her.