Gillian: When Piper was born I was so naive. I thought, How does anybody do this? How does anybody stay sane? Fortunately, she wasn't colicky for more than a couple of days, but I was getting no sleep as it was. Now, I am a single mom and working, but I am not battling what that normally implies because luckily I can afford to have full-time help. -Redbook Gillian: Her father and I have worked very hard at being friends. Everything comes back to what is in Piper's best interest. She understands that we live in two separate places and that we are not married anymore, but that we both love her very much. -Redbook Gillian: There was a period of time where I went through a tremendous amount of guilt. I was trying to figure out what would be best for her. It was incredibly painful and difficult and stressful. Now I try to have her on the set with me whenever I can. I try to take her to school. I'll ask the production people, "If you can just start this scene a little later then I can pick up Piper." But whatever else I have to deal with or whatever bad mood I'm in, I try to push it away until after she's asleep or when she's with her dad. It doesn't work all the time. Some days I come in and I'm like, "You know what, sweetie, I really don't want to get down on my hands and knees right now-I'm tired." -Redbook Gillian: But I've known her since the seventh month of my pregnancy, can you believe that? That's when I connected with Piper. She is the person that I felt in my stomach. I felt her personality and she is all that I knew - alive and unique and strong and independent and kind and compassionate. She has so much energy and life, and she's fearless. She's very straightforward. I see a lot of myself in Piper, and there's more to come. I know that I'll pay for that - I was notoriously difficult in high school and I guess she'll get her turn when she's in her teens. -Redbook Gillian: [Piper]'s so inquisitive. She asks the most amazing questions. She wants to know everything - why the waves don't stop, what's inside trees, what's inside umbrellas, how we see. I answer the ones that I can and the others I say, "You know what sweetie, I really don't know, but maybe we can find out together." -Redbook David: Piper's cuter. But Blue [his dog] has nicer hair. Blue used to be smarter, but Piper has eclipsed her in that area. I don't see Blue gaining. -Rolling Stone Gillian: I could have heard more [from my parents] that I was okay just the way I was, that I was enough. My daughter knows that she's okay. I let her make mistakes. You get to learn a lot as a mom. I can see clearly that what is most difficult for me is relinquishing control. Piper and I were sitting out on the porch making drawings with glue and sand. It took everything in my power not to scrape around corners of the panda and lion that she was making so they would look more perfect. But then it wouldn't have been hers. That's how I get to learn to let go and allow her to be a child. I'm not saying that she has to be perfect, but that she's perfect just the way she is. -Redbook