Bryce Dallas Howard reveals Theo’s full name and more
Bryce Dallas Howard gave an in-depth interview to Movies Online and discussed everything from being a new parent to son Theo, 2 months, with husband Seth Gabel, her parents reactions, the birth (she wanted a homebirth) and the little guy’s full name. Here are some highlights:
On Theo’s name: His full name is Theodore Norman Howard Gabel, so Bryce technically wasn’t off when she stated, ‘Theo’ means ‘gift from God.’ Bryce and Seth didn’t name him for three days.
When he was born, we didn’t have his name yet and we named him when he was three days old. We wanted to just kind of look at him and see, ‘Who is this person?’ Of course, I was very emotional. You just have a child and I kept crying, ‘Oh, he’s a gift from God, a gift from God.’ And I was looking through a name book and I saw the meaning of one of the names and it was ‘gift of God’ and that’s the name Theo and so that’s what we named him.
While her parents, Ron Howard and Cheryl Alley, named their four children after their places of conception, Bryce steered clear of that tradition.
Oh no, no, no. I’m very conventional compared to my parents. His middle name is after my husband’s grandfather. It’s pretty much as conventional as you can get.
On the birth: Bryce had planned for a homebirth, but ended up giving birth at the hospital and leaving just 90 minutes later.
I left the hospital an hour and a half after I gave birth because I had intended to do a homebirth and I had to transport to the hospital. My dad actually drove me there and everything ended up being totally fine and natural and great but I didn’t want to stay there, although I have a lot of respect for them and I’m really grateful that we could use them when we needed them.
The actress says Ron was "pretty calm" chauffeuring her to the hospital.
I was really surprised. He was really calm but we have a great midwife and she said, ‘This is okay. I’m just taking extra precautions,’ so we felt very safe and it was. It was a wonderful birth. I also have to say it was very short. The whole birth was four hours and 45 minutes. So, I can’t judge anybody who would ever have an epidural. The entire pregnancy, I was all hippy dippy about it then the first contraction came and I was like, ‘Are you kidding me? Is this really what this feels like?’ So, whatever a woman needs to do to get through that and make it the best experience for her is exactly what needs to happen.
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On her parents reactions: Ron and Cheryl are thrilled to be first-time grandparents, with Cheryl even claiming Theo as her own.
Oh, [laughs a lot]. My mom has literally referred to him as ‘my son.’ She said ‘my son.’ I’m like, ‘No, no [laughs]. I didn’t go through this for him to be your son.’ But, they’re just so happy, so, so happy. Because, my brother also just left the house. I’m the eldest of four kids and he just left and it’s been a year and they were at first really excited about it and now they’re just kind of like, ‘Oooooh, where are the kids?’ So, now is the perfect time.
Her father also breaks out some rhymes for Theo.
He’s just so happy. It’s really cute too, to see him walking around the house holding Theo and doing, kind of like these weird, goofy raps for him and stuff like that. It’s so sweet.
On returning to work: Bryce’s next film, The Loss of a Teardrop Diamond, starts filming in August and she says she’s in no rush to get back into shape for it just yet.
Well, honestly, yeah but this is very brand new right now and my primary responsibility is Theo, feeding him and making sure that he’s growing and that he’s healthy. My focus is not my physique right now. Although, in terms of my health, it will be. And, I’ll know when it’s the right time to start focusing on that more.
Her parents also imparted some advice on balancing a family and a career.
They said, ‘With children,’ they have four kids, ‘you really have to be adaptable,’ especially if you’re going to have more than one child which, hopefully, I do, I have to see, kid by kid, what their needs are and what kind of a parent I need to be for them. So, of course, I’m re-assessing everything right now. I want to work and, simply put, I need to work and so I will. I’ll be a working mother but what kind of a working mother I am will be dictated by him as he grows.
On the hardest and best parts of motherhood: The Spider-Man 3 star says the lack of sleep was tough at first.
At the beginning, the sleeping thing was definitely something to get used to absolutely because he was sleeping with us in our bed…So, I went home very early and it was initially my husband and I and this brand new little baby and right after the new birth you’re kind of busted. You’re just like, ‘Oh my God.’ That was a little thing to get used to, to be like, ‘Okay, I have to walk over to change your diaper but do I really have to walk?’
Still, nothing can blunt the joy she feels as a new mom.
I’m one of those people that, if there’s something that’s even slightly challenging, I put a positive slant on it because, I’m just so happy right now. What’s been the most fun is literally the feeling of…[starts to tear up] every single…oh my God, I’m going to get emotional. Like I said, I just had a baby so forgive me. Just every day falling deeper and deeper in love. Today he’s nine weeks old. So, you meet your soul mate and you’re like, ‘Well, this is it. This is the feeling of falling in love and this is the most intense that it can ever be.’ Then you have a child and it’s just like…it’s huge…I think [Seth]’s feeling those same feelings for our son and it’s another thing that joins us even closer together if that’s even possible.
Source: Movies Online
April 30th, 2007 at 4:40 pm
What a gorgeous, gorgeous interview. She’s displaying all the insecurities and amazement that comes with being a first time mother. I like her more after reading this interview. I love her honesty and candidness, much better than the canned answers we get from other stars like J. Garner who only say what needs to be said without really intimating anything emotional.