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Alyson Hannigan Talks Pregnancy & Why She Doesn't Have a Nanny

Related: Celeb Spotlight, Alyson Hannigan
Wonderwall, Monday, February 27, 2012, 3:47pm (PST)

  • By Rebecca Silverstein

    While we love watching Alyson Hannigan every week on "How I Met Your Mother" and we can't wait to see her in "American Reunion," our favorite of her many roles is mom to her daughter, Satyana. And this weekend, motherhood took center stage for the actress as she helped Pull-Ups Training Pants to show parents the fun and easy way to potty train -- with the Potty Dance! Keep reading as we chat with Alyson about her latest pregnancy, why she doesn't have a nanny, and more.

    Wonderwall: Congrats on your pregnancy! How is your daughter, Satyana, dealing with the idea of having a new brother or sister?

    Alyson Hannigan: Oh, she's super, super excited! She is already a great big sister, and she's very excited about the baby. She rubs lotion on my belly and talks to the baby, and it's very sweet.

    WW: How did you and your husband, Alexis Denisof, break the news to her?

    AH: We were all emotional. I don't know what we said, but basically we told her she was going to get to be a big sister. She was like, "OK! Can we read a book?" We were like, that was bigger for us then it was for her. It took her a little while to process, but then she was really on board. The next day, she was like, "Mommy, do you still have the baby in your belly?" She would ask me that for a few weeks.

    WW: Are you guys hoping for a boy or girl?

    AH: Honestly, I did not care one way or the other. As long as the baby's healthy and happy, I'm very, very happy. We do know what it is -- we haven't said yet, but we do know.

    WW: How do you balance motherhood and filming "How I Met Your Mother"?

    AH: My husband is incredibly supportive, and that's wonderful because we don't have a nanny, so it's just the two of us doing it. It's definitely hard to balance at times, but we make it work. We have a big chalkboard that's divided into calendar dates, and that's how we live. We're like, "OK, let's not over-schedule things." We still want to have enough time to have our family time. We just try to balance it as best we can. We have days where it's like, "OK, that day wasn't so balanced," but then we'll make up for it by not having anything during the weekend or just having "us" time.

  • WW: How is this pregnancy different from your first one?

    AH: It's good! I'm more tired, mainly because I have an almost-3-year-old that won't let me nap, but actually it's going pretty well after the first trimester. The first trimester was not terrible, but it was definitely harder then the first [time]. I had stronger cravings the first time around. I feel like this baby is very mellow. I have more likes than I normally do -- like, things that didn't really appeal to me before, I like now. But with my first child, I would get a craving, and it was like, "Get out of my way; I am going to find this food!" But with this time, it's more like, "Oh yeah, that would be nice."

    WW: What's your favorite time of day with Satyana?

    AH: I love all of it really. She's just such a fun person to hang out with. I just love when we are playing, and she's so creative and imaginative. She'll make up games and songs and dances. It's a joy to be around her.

    WW: What's the best motherhood tip you've been given?

    AH: The best motherhood tip would probably be to make things fun. That's why the Potty Dance Party is right up my alley, because if you can make a task fun, then it's just going to be a lot easier to get it done for all of you: for Mom, Dad and the kid. It's just being creative about things you to need to accomplish and how to make them fun.

    WW: That's very un-Hollywood of you to not have a nanny.

    AH: Boy, have there been times where we are like, "What are we doing? We need a nanny!" We have one person that will babysit once a week for us, so we can still have date night. But we love it! Luckily, as two actors, we are in the position where we can do that. A lot of people don't have that option. Both parents do have to go to work, but fortunately for us, it's OK, and he was willing to take a backseat for his career so that we could all three go to my work and do it ourselves. We'll see what happens with the second one, though. We'll definitely need somebody!

    WW: On Saturday, you threw a Pull-Ups Potty Dance Party to help show how easy potty training can be. How did you get involved with Pull-Ups Training Pants?

  • AH: Well, Pull-Ups have saved me! My daughter absolutely adores them, so it was just a natural partnership. And when they asked my to host the Potty Dance Party, I was thrilled, because who doesn't love a party? And my daughter absolutely loves to dance, so it was just a great way for parents to pick a day and start potty training. It can be daunting!

    WW: Does your daughter do the Potty Dance?

    AH: She was doing it this morning, and hopefully she'll want to do it today. Her dancing is anything from, yes, a choreographed dance, but also she will say, "Oh, mommy, I'm dancing," but will be doing something a lot more like yoga, where she's just basically stretching her legs in weird positions. But she thinks that's dance, so I encourage it.

    WW: You also have "American Reunion" coming up. When you started the series, did you think it would turn into four movies?

    AH: I had no idea! No, not at all. And even if there was talk of the sequel in the contract of the first one, I said, "Well, my character wouldn't be in the sequel," and they agreed, so they took my sequel clause out. She leaves in the first movie, so there wouldn't be any more. And here we are, four films later, still doing it. I think it's fantastic! It's just as good as the first one, if not better.

    WW: Who do you think has changed most in the cast?

    AH: I feel like I've changed the most, because I've gone from my early 20s to now. I'm just a complete mom, and I love it so much. I feel like I'm the most boring one, because I really just get a kick out of being a mom and "Hey, anybody want to go to a potty dance party?" This is what gets me excited.

    WW: Well, the Potty Dance Party is kind of like a dance club.

    AH: It is a dance club! It's the dance club I want to be at!

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