“Life is an adventure, and there is no script. I see something in ordinary moments. I believe that perfection comes not when you are dressed perfectly and wearing lipstick – but in little moments and interactions that make up our days and build and sustain our relationships. Let me show you the beauty in your unscripted moments…” – Karen Jacot, photographer
I was totally nervous to have someone come to my house to take pictures of us just doing what we normally do in the mornings and knowing that they would be viewed on this blog. I kept asking myself why I was nervous. It wasn’t because I’m self conscious, and I’m not ashamed of my home. I think I was nervous of being judged for how we do mornings. I know that sounds silly because there is no right or wrong way, but that’s how I felt. I’m so in love with these images that Karen captured, even though I’m totally horrified by myself. Do you ever view yourself a different way than what is staring back at you? Let’s just say things look very different when you aren’t primped and posed! These images might just be the wake-up call that I need to FINALLY lose the baby weight, but that’s a whole other post. Regardless, the images of both my babies – fur and human – are priceless, and I will treasure them forever. This is how we do mornings on a typical weekday – good, bad, and all!
It’s about 6:30 a.m. and coffee first – my husband spoils me and has a hot, fresh pot of coffee waiting for me every single morning. He even grinds and blends custom brews for us! He is always up before I am, and I love him for this. He’s the epitome of a morning person, and I am a night owl who despises mornings….coffee is a non-negotiable! And in case you were wondering, this morning’s #ootd is brought to you by Old Navy flannel pants, Hello Apparel sweatshirt, and Ugg slippers. {smile}
As I stumble into the kitchen for coffee, my husband Jason is out the door and headed to his office which is about a one hour commute {with traffic} each way. He’s such a hard worker, and I am very proud of his work ethic and what he does for us! If I’m lucky, we get to exchange a quick kiss and “I love you” just before he leaves – but most days he is out the door before I even wake up. I won’t see him again until 7pm for dinner. Even though we both work full-time, his schedule is more demanding than mine, so I take on a lot more of the household and childcare duties.
Next up is dinner prep time! On the menu this evening is a new Crockpot recipe for Cheesy Chicken & Rice that another blogger recommended. It sounded like something both my boys would like, so we’ll give it a try. I can not tell you how much I love my Crockpot. I love meals that I can prep the morning of or night before and have it ready and waiting when I get home from work. It gives me more quality time with my little man in the afternoon.
My other baby is already up too, but still sleepy. Meet Tucker, my 11 year old chihuahua. Tucker has been great since becoming a big brother a year and a half ago, but I often wonder if he still feels as loved since Jack came on the scene. I got him when I was in college and he is my true, first child. I love him so much. He’s been with me through good and bad times, lots of moves, boyfriends, jobs, and everything in between. One thing that hasn’t changed is that he sleeps with me in our bed {under the covers} every single night since I brought him home with me when he was just 6 weeks old.
Since Jack isn’t awake yet, I’m going to take advantage and put my makeup on in peace. Some mornings I’m doing this while entertaining little man, but this morning I’m enjoying the quiet time. This morning is a treat because I had my hair cut, colored, and washed the night before so I don’t have to do much to it!
Makeup is on, dinner is prepped, and Jack is still sleeping – so I catch up on a few emails and blogs…and more coffee, of course. The coffee mug is never far from hand. Sadly, neither is my phone.
Jack is awake! He is usually up between 7 and 7:30. I have been blessed with a great sleeper. I love how he reaches his arms out for me in the morning and gives me lots of kisses. We do a quick diaper change and then head downstairs to my room.
But before we leave Jack’s room, he must say hello to his “friends” – a bunch of woodland creature ornaments from Target that I put on a small Christmas tree. Jack is such an animal lover just like his mom and dad. He kisses them all when he wakes up and before he goes to sleep. He loves his friends so much that we’ve decided to keep this particular Christmas tree in his room after Christmas. It’s become a part of his daily routine!
We head to my bed for some milk and Mickey. If I’m running late, I use this time to put my makeup on. But since I’ve had a head start this morning, I use this time for extra snuggles. This is one of my favorite parts of the day.
Time to get dressed! I put Jack in his pack-n-play watching Mickey while I run a few steps away and get dressed for work. My least favorite part of my morning – leaving my comfies for work clothes! Although this day I go a little more casual since I don’t have any major appointments and think I’ll be spending some time at the hospital with my grandmother. As much as I love to look good, lately comfort and function has been most important.
After I get dressed, I get Jack dressed for the day. Jack used to cry when we would dress him, so my smart husband made up a game to “find our fingers” after we put his shirt on. Whatever works, right?
We head to the kitchen so Jack can practice his walking. He is already a late developer on walking added with breaking his leg back in November means we are quite behind. I’m so proud of Jack though. We are doing physical therapy once a week, and he has made great progress just in the last few weeks. He can now walk independently and sometimes does, but we just have to work on his confidence.
Breakfast time! Some mornings our nanny handles Jack’s breakfast, but she is running late on this particular morning – so breakfast is all me. Jack is a great eater {just like his momma}! His nanny spoils him with scrambled eggs and banana milk almost every morning, but today he gets a waffle and fruit. I leave big breakfasts for the weekends.
I feel guilty for being on the phone too much when I should be focusing on Jack, but sometimes it’s unavoidable. This morning it was a call from the nanny and also checking on my grandmother who was just admitted to the hospital. There are definitely pros and cons to going the nanny route. A pro is that Jack doesn’t have to leave the house every day, making mornings much more calm. A con is that when she is late or sick, we are without childcare.
After breakfast we brush our teeth. Jack is getting better at teeth time, but on this morning he wasn’t having it!
I try to always make time for silliness! That is so important in our family.
Someone is still sleepy! I see that yawn, Tucker.
And the nanny arrives! We love her and don’t know what we would do without her. She has pretty much become part of our family and Jack just adores her. He is also learning Spanish since this is what she primarily speaks with him.
The nanny is here and Jack is happy, so that’s my cue to leave for work. I grab my loot – purse, work-bag and coffee – and head out the door. Some mornings I’m so sad to leave Jack when others I actually look forward to some time to myself…even if that includes work!
To read more from Karen’s perspective and see even more of the beautiful pictures she took, be sure to check out her blog post. And don’t forget to take a peek at the rest of the posts within this amazing series as well!
