~Soap Opera Magazine 6/23/92~
~Soap Opera Magazine 6/23/92~
Ricky, Ethel, Bear, Lulu, Fluffy, Shorty, Mookie and Pepe have been with them since before they got married. “We consider them to be our babies. We’d die if anything happened to those animals,” says Scott. “We had another Chihuahua, Lucy, who was killed by a huge dog that got into my sister’s backyard one weekend while we were in San Diego. When we came home and learned what had happened, we really cried. It was like the loss of a family member. It took us a long time to get over it.”
For as long as they’ve been awaiting the arrival of their new baby, Scott and Melissa have been renovating their home in the valley where Scott himself grew up. While the rest of their “children” are confined to the backyard and the tiled dining room and kitchen, the baby will be spending much of its time in the nursery, which is decorated in white, their favorite color. The rest of the house has a contry look and lots of lovely antiques Scott and Melissa chose together. In addition to having a huge Jacuzzi, the house is located in a nice quiet neighborhood – perfect for rasing a child.
Although he’s still young himself, fatherhood doesn’t scare Scott at all. “I’m so excited I can’t stand it. I guess a lot of people are shocked because we look so young, but we knew from the beginning what kind of life we wanted. We wanted a family. We wanted to be married. Now that we’ve been married for two years, all we think about is the baby. And the closer it gets, the more excited we get,” he says before pausing for a moment, “It’s just amazing what we’ve done. We’ve made this life and it’s going to be totally dependent on us. But we’ve also gone through four Chihuahuas which can be some hard work, so we figure a baby will be a breeze.”
When asked just how Ricky, Ethel, Bear, Lulu, Fluffy, Shorty, Mookie and Pepe are going to handle having a new baby in the house, Scott reveals he and Melissa don’t expect a problem. “They’ve loved any kids they’ve ever been around, so we have a really good idea they’re going to love the baby,” he says, adding that Pepe can’t wait for them to finally pick a name so he can add it to his repertoire.
As for the expectant father, he knows just how lucky he is. “I have a wonderful job. I have a wonderful wife. And I have a baby on the way.” What more could a guy ask for?
-Lillian Smith
