Because no two paths to parenthood look the same, “How I Got This Baby” is a series that invites parents to share their stories.
In the summer of 2014, Ercil was shopping at the Home Goods near her Bronx home when she saw a man who looked a little familiar. “Paul had lost weight, so I didn’t know that it was him at first,” she says, of her childhood best friend. “But then he started calling my name and I figured out who he was.”
After high-school graduation, life had taken Ercil and Paul in different directions. Ercil focused on college while Paul entered the workforce. “We’d check in here and there, but not on an everyday basis. It was more of a “Hey, how are you? Everything going well?” kind of thing,” says Ercil. Those check-ins became even less frequent once Paul entered a serious relationship and became a dad.
But a romantic relationship blossomed after their reunion while shopping. Paul asked Ercil to go to dinner at TGI Friday’s, remembering that she loved their whiskey wings. After that, “we were on the phone with each other every single day, talking about what we were doing at work, or what his three kids were doing,” Ercil says. “From there, it’s been history.” They moved in together and decided to have kids.
Today, the couple’s blended family includes five children ages 18, 16, 10, 5, and 1. Their youngest, Theodore, was born in the summer of 2023. Soon after his birth, strangers began stopping Ercil to gush that her newborn should be a model. She laughed it off at first. Then she started thinking, Could he really model?
Here’s what happened next.
On beginning to consider modeling
By the time Theodore was about 4 months old, people were so attracted to his smile that we couldn’t deny it. It was insane. They just kept saying, “Oh, my God, he’s so beautiful! He’s so handsome.” The number-one thing we’d hear is, “Oh, look at the little model! He’s so cute!” And after a while, it started to get in my head. As a mom, I first thought, People say this all the time. But we were also consistently hearing people comment on how well he takes pictures and how photogenic he was.
Even my grandmother, who was sick and had Alzheimer’s, was like, “I’m very serious. I think you should do this.” So, obviously, I was going to do what she said.
On signing with an agency
When Theodore was 6 months old, I started Googling “top baby agencies.” We’d never had professional family pictures taken. Ever — any of us. So I applied to one, Future Faces NYC/Nina Lubarda Model Management, with pictures that we’d taken of Theodore a week before. I had been singing him a song, “Skidamarink a Dink a Dink,” because he was getting a little aggravated. He turned his head to look at me and started smiling so big, and Paul started taking pictures of him. Theodore was looking directly into the camera.
A week later, I got an email that Theodore had been accepted. It was surreal. I hadn’t even told Paul that I had applied. So when I told him he was accepted, he was like, “Accepted into what? What are you talking about?” I said, “Well … I did a little thing.” But once I explained, Paul was like, “Let’s do it.”
I told my kids, “Hey, we’re going to start your brother on the baby-model thing.” And they were like, “So are we all going to model?” And I was like, “Let’s see how this goes. One thing at a time.”
My mother used to model. She did it part-time to help get through college, so she was elated when I told her about Theodore. And then you know how moms are: “I used to do it back in the day, so you’re just walking in my footsteps,” and, “Tell me if you want any tips.”
On building her son’s portfolio
In February 2024, we made an online profile for Theodore that included his eye color, hair color, height, things like that. He was very, very small at the time. At 6 months, he was still wearing newborn to 3-months clothes, so that went on his profile, too.
Future Faces started to submit Theodore with the snapshots I took with my phone. But baby and child modeling is very competitive. I wanted him to have the best chance to be noticed by casting directors and companies, so we decided to have professional photos taken by Nina Lubarda, the owner of Future Faces, who is a photographer.
We booked a session with her at a professional photo studio in Long Island City. It lasted 90 minutes, including breaks to play. We went really quick through four different outfits. The first was a blue sweater that really brought out Theodore’s complexion. The second was a gray sweater with a tan beanie, just to show versatility. His third outfit was red. And the fourth outfit was super casual, nothing fancy, no button-up shirt or anything like that, just a onesie.
Nina incorporated toys and songs in the shoots, and gave Theodore as many breaks as he needed. Paul and I got to interact with him, too, so we could get the best pictures possible. He wasn’t walking or even sitting up straight, but he smiled and seemed to have the time of his life.
On her son’s first booking
When companies are looking for babies or children for their campaigns, they provide specific criteria for the models they’re looking for — specific clothing sizes or ages that they need. When Nina receives these requests, she submits all the children in the agency roster who match their needs. If a client is interested, they notify Nina, and she informs all the parents.
Theodore’s first booking was for a clothing line, to be featured on their website, Instagram, and other social media. I was nervous, but so excited.
Paul and I drove him from our home in the Bronx into Manhattan because I’m nervous about taking public transportation. When we got to the studio, they had outfits ready for him.
I found out the parent is always in charge of getting their baby dressed and undressed, but the company will provide diapers because sometimes they prefer certain white diapers underneath the outfits. They also supply baby wipes and things like that.
Then, we went to hair and makeup. They fixed Theodore’s hair and put a little blush and lipstick on to make his cheeks and lips rosier. And then we got to relax and wait for our call time. For this shoot, they had a play area with toys so the kids could interact with each other. Someone told me when to change Theodore into his clothes. Then 15 minutes later, he was sitting on set.
I was extremely surprised by how well it went. Theodore was so calm! He didn’t crawl or go anywhere. He wasn’t crying. He did a lot of observing, watching what people were doing. And once the photographer came over and showed him the camera, it was like “Action!” for him. He smiled so much.
The shoot took four to five hours total. Theodore earned an impressive amount of money that far exceeded my expectations. And on the way home, he took a nice nap.
On her role at shoots
Parents can be involved as much as we want, so Paul or I are always present and close to Theodore. We trade off. Paul is the manager of operations at a warehouse for a large food company, so taking off work is not easy. I work with disabled adults who have autism, and I have staff who can help when I’m not there, so it’s easier for me.
There’s a baby coach or child wrangler on each set, too. They help everything run smoothly. They get to know your baby. They make sure there’s no drool or anything on them, and they’re the ones that interact with them on set — like trying to coach them to play with a ball or toy, or play with other children.
At every booking, everybody has been very professional. I have never felt the need to jump in and be like, “Oh no, no. Don’t do that!” The only time I’ve stepped in is when a baby coach asked me to — like, “Hey, can you make a sound that you normally make to make Theodore have a bigger laugh?”
On the vibe at shoots
Sometimes, they play music. It’s mostly a toddler playlist. You’ll hear a lot of “Baby Shark,” a lot of ABCs, a lot of Sesame Street — everything that we play in the car. We get it on the shoot, and then we play it in the car on the way home. But if the kids love it and it makes them smile, you do what you gotta do.
Theodore is so confident at every shoot. He’s just like, “Mom, watch me work!” That’s how he seems. He’s changing into a little man. He acts like he’s a little model now. Like, he doesn’t like his hands messy. He’s very flirtatious. He’s like, “I am the model!” He’s just been amazing.
And he likes clothes. He’ll wear swimsuits. He will wear shorts. There aren’t any clothes he doesn’t like. I think I hit the jackpot with him.
On difficult moments on shoots
The biggest challenge we’ve faced so far is teething. Theodore’s longest period lasted three weeks, and the shortest one was two days. One day, we saw that he was in pain, and the next, he ended up with a new tooth.
Trying to get around the drooling and pain while having a shoot has been challenging. I’ve had to implement bringing extra bibs and extra clothes. I’ve bought ice packs and teething toys to make sure that he’s comfortable. Just to keep all that in mind when I’m packing for him has been the hardest challenge. At one shoot, my ice packs melted and the other parents there said, “Hey, over there is some extra ice if you need it.” Everybody came together to help.
If you get booked a lot, you see the same faces, so a lot of us have ended up becoming friends. I would think that the modeling world is competitive. Maybe it is when they get older, but at this time, it’s not like that. Everybody is very sweet and welcoming. They’re willing to help out.
On the most fun shoot yet
In July, Theodore did a Christmas shoot for another kids’ clothing line. There was snow, Christmas trees, a Santa Claus, and they made a Christmas house, like a North Pole situation, with gifts under the tree. We got there and saw all these kids running around looking for Santa Claus. They had Christmas music and Christmas cookies for the kids. There were even dogs and cats. The only issue we had was that Theodore was in long sleeves and he wanted to take off his sweater. But once they turned on fans, he was fine. He was just like, “I’m alright. Let’s do the shoot.” It was chaotic, but fun.
On juggling family responsibilities
I have an 18-year-old who’s a senior in high school. Everything is about high school, prom, graduation. She does sports, and she’s in a whole bunch of extracurricular activities. And I have other children who are in piano lessons, swim lessons, choir practice, basketball, flag football — and one who is trying out for track soon. We have a lot of things to juggle, but I’d rather stay busy with all this than have my kids dormant, not doing anything at all.
Juggling everyone’s schedules has been very hard. I have grandparents on both sides who step in and help all the time. They want the best for our kids, and I couldn’t ask for a better team.
My other kids have asked me about modeling. But if I’m being honest, I’m the type of parent that needs to see that you’re truly interested in something like this. It takes time, work and dedication. If you want to dip your finger in it, fine. You want to test the waters, fine. But if this is something you truly want to do, I want you to put your all into it. If they express that, of course, I would do my best to submit them to the agency and see what happens.
On how her friends have reacted to Theodore’s modeling
Fortunately, I haven’t faced any judgment or criticism for allowing Theodore to model. More often than not, when I tell people he’s a model, their reaction is curiosity rather than skepticism. Instead of questioning why I chose this path for him, they’re usually eager to learn how I got him into the industry and how they can do the same for their own children.
I’m always happy to share information and guide parents who are genuinely interested. What’s even more exciting is seeing how supportive people are — when they find out about Theodore’s modeling journey, they love looking at the different campaigns he’s been a part of.
On her son’s income
Some jobs pay hourly, and some pay a daily rate. The range is from $150 per hour with a minimum of two hours up to a couple of thousand dollars. The agency receives a 20 percent commission. I don’t make any money from Theodore’s shoots. My little model makes it all. I honestly would say yes, baby modeling is lucrative, because the money that Theodore has in his savings account is for college. None of it is ever touched. It’s all in his name.
On Theodore’s future as a model
Theodore is 19 months now and has been modeling for a full year. So far, he’s done eight shoots. If a company likes you, they want to book you again, so I’ve done multiple shoots for the same company.
Theodore already has other interests — like basketball. He’s obsessed with “Ball, ball, ball!” But he really does like modeling, and I honestly pray that this is something that he wants to continue, because I feel like he’s good at it. But I’m not the type of parent that’s going to force him. If he ends up saying, “I don’t want to do this anymore,” we’ll stop. And if this is something he wants to continue, I will push to the ends of the Earth to get him as far as possible.
The names of the subjects have been changed to protect their identities.
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