Finally! With a new camera remote control in hand, yesterday I got to do my first "A Day in the Life" project. This was a personal challenge slightly more than it was a photography challenge. As hard as it was, I did my best to remind myself throughout the day not to spend too much time worrying about the perfect focus, the right composition, or finding a good light source.
The idea was to take photos of everyday moments that made up this summer's average day for Olivia and me. With her brother's arrival just weeks away, it was important to me to document what our life was like while she was still the only child. It'll be a while before she and I get to spend so much one-on-one time together again, so these memories are very special to me.
August 11, 2016
She may not look like me, but she's definitely just like her momma - the day cannot start until we get some serious calories in our bellies. Good ol' Nutella sandwich and milk for me, and "yoye and nana" (yogurt and banana) for Olivia. Anything (un)intentionally dropped - for Lola.
First temper tantrum of the day! She didn't want to get out of her PJs.
Time for mommy to get out of her PJs, and get ready for the day while Olivia gets her 10 minutes of iPad time.
The beauty of having two children (almost) back to back is that you already have most of the things you need for the newbie. With the baby being a boy this time, one big thing that I had on my to-do list is to sort all the baby clothes we bought and have been given. I got through about half of it before Olivia thought it would be fun to start unfolding everything I folded...
Rookie mistake - letting Olivia see me cut up slices of watermelon before serving her lunch! Did she think I wouldn't notice how fast she emptied her plate or how Lola leaped at the sound of my delicious vegetable quiche bites hitting the ground?!
Oh the joys of wiping someone's butt multiple times a day! Potty-training can't happen soon enough!
Ohhhh yeaaaah - I've got two words for you! Nap. Time. I do not take this hour of peace and quiet for granted!
Guess who's uuup?!
Pierre's parents brought these wooden puzzles from France last time they came to visit. They were actually Pierre's puzzles when he was a toddler! They also brought a lot of his old baby books in French. You should just see me "read" them in Bosnian and make up stories on the fly like a pro!
Elmo is on = mommy is cooking/cleaning/taking a mental break.
Snack time... for Lola?!
Daddy's home! Olivia really likes showing off her puzzle sorting skills... :)
Daddy's girl through and through. Can't blame her, he is pretty awesome!!
Her favorite spot in the house...
I often hear myself say that I can't wait until she can dress herself, brush her own teeth etc. but I know my heart will be heavy when she does and no longer needs my help. Ohhh... the little things!
(Check out Lola sitting on the windowsill! Isn't that a cat thing?)
Night-night!
Pheeew! I am wiped! The only thing I have energy for is eating dinner and watching the latest episode of Tyrant.
Lights out by 9pm.
So, this was fun! Oh, how I wish I had done this sooner! My excuses are a plenty - sometimes I just get too busy, sometimes I simply forget to step back and appreciate this beautiful mixture of ordinary moments that life is mostly made of... heck, sometimes I just don't feel like being in front of a camera! Yet, when I look at the photos that captured so many of our family's wonderful memories over the years, I realize that one day my children won't care that I took the photo as much as they'd care to just have me in it with them. So, even on a day like yesterday, when we seemingly did nothing at all, wonderful memories were made and I have these photos to prove I was there!
Now, I'm passing the challenge on to you! Don't wait for a moment to be "worth documenting"! Pick up that camera, get in front of it, and click away!