MARCIA CROSS

‘DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES’ STAR MARCIA CROSS HAPPY AT LAST AS SHE AND HUSBAND TOM MAHONEY WELCOME TWINS SAVANNAH AND EDEN
‘Desperate Housewives’ star Marcia Cross, a first-time mother at age 44, is the glowing picture of perfect bliss. Competently cradling a twin in each arm, she also looks made for motherhood. Savannah and Eden, her fraternal twin daughters with husband Tom Mahoney, 49, were due on March 21 but born by cesarean section on February 20th.
By Sue Russell

Just hours earlier, Marcia was diagnosed with preeclampsia, a condition threatening mother and babies. So, as Tom held Marcia’s hand, 6 lb. 7 oz. Savannah arrived first, then 5 lb. 10 oz. Eden moments later. Now, life is nothing short of miraculous and one long series of special moments to be treasured.

“My favourite thing is when I breastfeed them both at the same time,” says Marcia, the striking redhead who plays perfectionist housewife, Bree Van De Kamp. “I’m looking down and I’ve got them both in my arms, and I see their little heads suckling my breast. That picture, that feeling, is just bliss for me. I don’t even want to talk, it’s like I’m in heaven.”

And Tom, her financial planner husband, is equally ecstatic about becoming a first-time father. Marcia’s contentment with her new family is all the sweeter because it was so hard won. It’s hard to believe that just two and a half years ago, she was feeling lonely, hopeless and well, rather desperate. She didn’t like being single but had given hope of marrying and having children.

Tragedy hit her life in 1993 when she lost her love of five years, actor Richard Jordan, 24 years her senior, to cancer. They’d hoped to have a family. Marcia and Jordan’s daughter nursed him and he died in Marcia’s home. The pain was so profound that for years, she rarely laughed. A subsequent series of relationships with commitment-phobic heartbreaker types didn’t help. By her early 40s, with no boyfriend, let alone family-minded soulmate, in the picture, she despaired of getting what she so badly wanted.

“I thought life was passing me by and I was really just devastated about it,” she says frankly. “So the fact that my life sort of turned in the last two years is just a miracle to me.”

The Massachusetts-born, Juilliard-trained actress landed the role of Dr. Kimberly Shaw on the soap opera, ‘Melrose Place,’ in 1992. She left the show after Jordan’s death and over time, came to believe that her acting success was over. (‘Desperate Housewives’ was not yet a twinkle in producer Marc Cherry’s eye.) Having earned a master’s degree, Marcia was en route to a new career as a psychotherapist.

Then, in December 2004, a serendipitous sighting of a handsome stranger signing a card in a flower shop led her to Tom Mahoney. Little did Marcia know that her life was about to do a 180-degree turn when she asked if the florist knew who he was. Marcia wasn’t being proactive about her barren love life, she was ready to walk away, but the florist had other ideas and asked if she wanted to leave her number.

“So I can’t take credit for it," says Marcia. “I just responded and left my number.” It was quietly passed on and Tom, who had never been married or had children either, called her a week later.

“I don’t know if it’s fate, if it’s God, if it’s the mystery of the universe,” says Marcia, “But I definitely feel like I was pushed towards him. I feel like I was drawn.”

They fell in love, dated for a year, then took their vows at a lavish June 2006 wedding. Tellingly, Marcia was attended by seven little flower girls. The 240 guests included her co-star friends Eva Longoria, Felicity Huffman and Doug Savant.

Adoption, which Marcia once considered pursuing alone, was fine by Tom, but first they dedicated themselves to trying in vitro fertilization. Just three months after the wedding: good news. Marcia is anxious not to give anyone the impression that it happened by magic.

“We did in vitro fertilization,” she admits. “I don’t mind saying that because I don’t want to put out the notion that it’s really easy to get pregnant. But we got lucky. We were going to go to Paris and Greece for our honeymoon and instead we just went up to Santa Barbara and laid low and hoped for the best.”

‘Desperate Housewives’ was soon draping its pregnant star in sweaters and hiding her behind furniture. The Mahoneys moved into a new Santa Monica home with room for their expanded family, and good schools nearby. Marcia was put on bed rest in January, so her daughters’ beautiful lilac nursery was prepared with the help of decorators who ran in and out of her bedroom, showing her samples.

Marcia, who unlike Bree, is easygoing, very natural and has a hearty laugh, will work on the season finale, then take the summer off. She and Tom are currently debating whether or not to go to Paris for Eva Longoria’s upcoming wedding. Marcia really wants to be there because she and Eva are close, but admits, “It’s a big family to move all of a sudden, so we’re struggling with that right now.”

Because Marcia became pregnant so soon after their wedding, she and Tom had little romantic time together as a newly married twosome. This summer, they might make up for lost time. “My husband sent me an e-mail the other day,” she says happily. “It said, ‘Now, where were we?’ and invited me out to dinner.”

What has most surprised you about motherhood?
“As much as I wanted to be a mother, obviously I had no idea how blissful it would be and how in love I would be. So it’s actually all been a surprise. You want something, but you don’t really know what those feelings are going to be. And it’s just been more than I could have ever imagined.”

How did it feel to first hold Savannah and Eden?
“You have that fantasy of those first few moments, and I wish I could say I was more awake, but I was sort of drugged up! I remember looking, and I couldn’t hold them because I’d had a C-section. My first thoughts were, ‘Oh my God, they look just like Tom.’”

Did you have friends or family at the hospital?
“Two of my best girlfriends. I feel like they held the girls before I did. I think they were literally standing outside the delivery room waiting to get their hands on them!”

Is Tom a hands-on dad?
“Tom was changing nappies before I was. I was still recovering. He’s fantastic. I guess some men are scared around babies. He is not at all. He’s right there.”

Did in vitro fertilization stress your relationship?
“We tried a few times, but it wasn’t quite as awful as I think it is for some people. You see, when I met Tom, I said, ‘I don’t know whether I’ll be able to get pregnant.’ And he said, ‘Well, if you can’t, we’ll just adopt.’ So I didn’t feel this overwhelming pressure. I knew I would be a mother one way or another, and we would have a family. So it wasn’t quite so devastating. It’s scary being partnerless and going, ‘How am I going to do this?’”

Many women delay motherhood. Do you feel fortunate to be a mother in your 40s?
“Yes. That’s why I don’t want to put out any fantasy that you can just do that forever and then just pop out twins.”

What was your reaction when an ultrasound revealed twins?
“I was absolutely terrified. Now, of course, it’s just like I won the lottery because now I have two daughters and it’s really just fantastic.”

Were you fearful about coping with two babies?
“I was actually really frightened of that time right after they were born. Everybody says you’re so tired and it's the hardest time and they have to eat constantly. But nobody ever said, ‘You’ll be so happy to see them every time!’ I miss them every time they’re asleep. Then they finally wake up and it’s time to eat again, and I’m always so happy to see them. So that’s been a surprise.”

Why did you choose to learn their sexes ahead of time?
“I was so surprised by the fact I was having twins, and overwhelmed, I thought I’d better get ready. Not that it really mattered. But at least that way you can do the nursery. I also didn’t want all their presents to be green and yellow, which happens if you don’t know.”

Can you describe a day in the life of Marcia the mother?
“Fascinating, let me tell you! Basically I’m shirtless most of the day because I’m just one big breast! I feed them simultaneously which took six weeks to master. It’s quite an accomplishment. I’m very proud of myself.

“So we spend a lot of time eating. Then we burp them, they get changed, then we have a little awake time, then they go to sleep, then usually I have to pump. Usually, I have about an hour, an hour and half, in between feedings. I either do something in the house or take a nap, and every once in while I run to the gym, which I need because of being on bed rest!”

Are you, like Bree, a fastidious perfectionist?
“It’s not me. Never was. I think I have a fantasy of making cookies with the girls one day. I’m just the antithesis of that character. I have a wonderful woman here helping me. She’s very Bree, actually. She’s never seen the show, she’s not a TV watcher, and she’s just amazing.

“I’m not like that, but my life has changed radically. I’m still not a big cook. But because there are two babies, I’m on a schedule and everything has to be much more organized. It’s not that kind of carefree way that I used to be—which is fine. I’m so happy to give up that free time!”

Can you believe how dramatically your life has changed since 2004?
“I know. One minute there’s nothing, and then, ‘Bam!’ Relationships that I wanted to work out when I was younger and that didn’t—now it feels really right that they didn’t happen. Tom is the perfect man for me, and these are the children that I’m supposed to have, and this is the father. It all feels absolutely right.”

How did the ‘Desperate Housewives’ gang react to your pregnancy?
“Oh, they were so happy. I didn’t say anything on the set. We’re always watching our weight and I was steadily getting plumper. I thought, ‘Well, how come nobody’s noticing?’ Maybe they did, but didn’t say anything. I don’t know. But they were surprised when I told them.”

How did the producers respond when you were confined to bed?
“I think they were less shocked than I was. They had actually talked about things that could happen, where I was convinced that I was the Amazon woman and there would be no problem. I was the one who was surprised.”

Did your sudden absence play havoc with the show?
“When I finally got a grip and realized that I wasn’t getting out of my bed, I said, ‘Look. I’m happy to work from my bed if that will help and we can finish the storyline.’ We actually shot for two days in my house with me in a bed. They rebuilt my bedroom set there.”

Have any Desperate Housewives met the twins yet?
“Eva (Longoria) has been here. Felicity (Huffman) was going to come the other day but we ended up doing a photo shoot. Mostly we’ve just been sequestered and quiet because it’s all been so intense.”

Did they send gifts?
“When we were in the hospital, Teri (Hatcher) sent a huge basket of goodies, and when we came home, Felicity sent food. And God, women who’ve had babies really know what you need! Because when you come home, you’ve got all this baby stuff but there’s no food in the fridge. When Tom was at the hospital with me for a few days, he ate, like, out of the mini bar. Brenda Strong (the voice of deceased narrator, Mary Alice) sent a huge thing of fruit.

“Eva sent two huge things of flowers. And I thought that was so funny. When I was a single woman without babies, I would have sent flowers! And what you really need is food!”

Has your family visited from the East Coast?
“I had my parents wait for two weeks so I could get my bearings. My mother came out for ten days with my father and they both held the girls non-stop. My mother beamed the whole time. Tom’s sisters have been here, my sister’s coming, then Tom’s mother is coming… there’s a whole influx.”

Are the twins at all similar in looks or personality?
“They are completely different. Savannah is very easygoing and loves to eat and yawn. I call her my Buddha baby. And Eden, she’s so cute. She’s more awake and alert and curious about everything. It’s hard to find words. They’re just two different girls. They look completely different. They had a little bit of dark hair, but it’s kind of falling out. Poor Eden went bald.”

How did you choose their names?
“Years ago, I’d had this kind of spiritual experience where I felt like I’d got this message that I’d have a daughter named Savannah. Then I forgot about it. Completely. Then one day, my husband e-mailed me from work and said, ‘I’ve just heard a name I like: Savannah.’ I just had goosebumps! So that was it. And the name Eden just came to me, also as if it was supposed to be.”

They will be privileged. Will you spoil them?
“We didn’t think about it until we came home and all the presents started coming through the door. There were so many, I was in shock! We both were really happy that they’re just babies and couldn’t see it. I don’t know how you’d explain it!

“We’re both from really good families and didn’t grow up with privilege. Not that we were starving. But we didn’t grow up that way. I hope to God that we give them good values and teach them about the world around them and not have them grow up in a bubble. But I don’t see that happening with us as parents, I really don’t.”

Didn’t you once hope to have children with your late boyfriend Richard Jordan?
“Yes. (Sighs.) I was thinking today that I wished he were here so I could show him the girls. That took a long time to work my way through.”

But things eventually worked out as they were meant to?
“I wouldn’t change it for the world.”

Many women enjoy being single. Did you really loathe it?
“I was looking for this. And I was right to be looking for this, because I am just so happy. I was a person who would thrive in the right relationship, and that’s what has happened. I wanted to share my life with someone.

“Being single, there aren’t any distractions and you have to get comfortable with yourself. You face a lot more alone and I certainly did all of that. But it’s much nicer to have someone coming home at the end of the day, and a partner. It’s wonderful.”

Having waited so long, do you appreciate it more?
“Every day is a gift for me and I think if I’d had children and got married in my thirties when I wanted to, it just wouldn’t be the miracle that it is for me now.”