EXCLUSIVE: Ms. Rachel Opens up About Life With a New Baby ... And 'Potty Talk'
Ms. Rachel's newborn daughter Susannah, now 3 months old, is one lucky little lady. Instead of watching "Ms. Rachel" episodes on YouTube or Netflix, she gets a private show.
"I had (Susannah) in front of me, and I was like, 'I want to sing her a song. Hmm, what should I sing?' And then I was like, 'Wait, this is my area,'" Ms. Rachel, whose real name is Rachel Griffin Accurso, tells TODAY.com. "I've been doing full episodes for her, just as myself!"
Rachel and her husband, Aron Accurso announced the newest addition to her family on April 8. The couple and their 7-year-old son Thomas, whose speech delay as a young child was the catalyst for Accurso's YouTube empire, have been in baby heaven ... when Susannah gives them a good stretch of sleep, that is.
"She's such a smiley, happy baby," Rachel shares. "Thomas is even changing diapers sometimes — except for no poopy ones. He's given her a bottle, he's burped her. He's just the sweetest with her."
Though Rachel officially hung up her overalls and headband for maternity leave, she and her husband have been working on a very special episode on their most-requested topic: potty training.
"I was thinking back to my own potty training journey with Thomas, and it's really refreshing to bring some joy to it, and some fun and some dancing and singing," Rachel says. "I joke that it's like a Broadway show about poop and pee."
The pair released one of the songs on Instagram and we must warn you: it's a BOP. The full episode is available on YouTube now.
"We brought in several Broadway friends to perform in the show and also help with arranging and the underscoring and live playing," says Aron, who has held multiple roles in the orchestras of Broadway shows. They filmed the episode in January, before the new baby arrived. "There's a lot of beautiful musical moments in the episode," he adds.
As anyone who has ever potty trained a child will tell you, the process could use some light-hearted beauty.
"As parents, we we want to succeed," says Rachel, "so we probably put too much pressure on ourselves." They hope this effort and the accompanying guide will eliminate some of that pressure.
The episode doesn't necessarily adhere to one type of potty training method. Rachel gives a lot of grace to parents who can't take off three days of work in a row to potty train, or are raising kids on their own. "I grew up with a single mom, so I always kind of have that perspective," she says.
Rachel and Aron were side by side when they potty trained Thomas, as they are with all things. In fact, Rachel takes a beat in the interview to "convey how equal our partnership is."
She adds earnestly, "Often, you know, I'm kind of the face of things, and Aron just worked so hard and made such brilliant music, and he's been at the computer so much, because I'm on maternity leave." Aron tries to stop his wife but reluctantly lets her complete her thought. Rachel and Aron seem to be each other's number one fans.
The pair joke that now that they have a song for kids called, "I Listen to My Body," they should make one for grownups about listening to our bodies and going to sleep when we're tired rather than doomscrolling.
Rachel laughs, "We're telling the kids to listen to their bodies, but sometimes as adults — "
"We need that reminder, too," says Aron.
This article was originally published on TODAY.com
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