Thursday, October 22, 2009

caffeinated...


caffeinated, originally uploaded by jenniferlivolson.
jenni and jen are hosting a blissful benefit to welcome a new baby to a beautiful wonderful mama of two ... jen over at blissfully caffeinated ... who just so happened to be hospitalized and have a baby all within a few days.  and unfortunately the hospitalization initially didn't have anything to do with the baby.  but, that's her story to tell.

anyhoo.  they urged us to show our support by paying homage to jen's favorite beverage. 
(seriously ... could  i use another form of jennifer anymore in that paragraph?)

funny. coffee never meant much of anything to me until i came upon my second child.

i have always LOVED the smell of it. i used to open my mom's coffee jar and smell the beans.
i LOVED the fake taste of coffee in ice cream flavors. especially in a coffee chocolate milkshake.
walking through the grocery store aisle full of beans ... i LOVED looking at all of the options and flavors. the tiny beans spilling over one another.

i just didn't like coffee.

until lil' miss cora came along.

i more than LOVED coffee. i NEEDED coffee.

and not in the i-so-need-a-coffee-or-i'm-gonna-get-a-headache need for coffee.
more in the i LOVE sitting down with my real coffee cup in my hands.

it's the warmth. maybe?
or perhaps, it's the feeling that i'm actually getting to sit. for a minute.

but i think even more than either of those reasons ...
it's the friendship.

weird, huh?

there is just something that is so amazingly wonderful about sitting with friends that are mamas too and drinking a cup of coffee.  there's something about the inability to crazily chase around children while holding a cup of splashing hot liquid that forces you to slow down.

i miss this coffee with friends idea so much that i routinely text my best friend who also happens to be pregnant and say ... i just want to stop by and sip coffee with you while the girls destroy your playroom.
except she lives in utah. so it doesn't happen.

unfortunately, the first few weeks of this pregnancy, the mere thought of coffee kinda made me sick. i'm still not lovin' my morning coffee. but at this point ... it's a weakness. it's more the holding and the slowing down than the actual drinkage.

and i think my point is this ... (finally huh?)

jen?
savor that new baby the way that you savor your coffee. because it's so much more than just the getting it down to achieve caffination. having a new baby is so much more than just raising a child into an adult.

it's about enjoying each and every moment. even when those moments kind of suck, bigtime.
because those moments flee.

congratulations on your new baby girl. she is absolutely beautiful. and i'm so glad to see that you are feeling better.

thinking of you.

11 comments:

Sprite's Keeper said...

Oh, I love this and I love how your little one (is it Cora in the background?) is holding her own cup!

jen said...

crazy jen! you got to the comment section before i got a chance to edit! how do you do it???

Connie said...

Oh how I love THE coffee. I sat in my family room sipping a cup of Starbucks with YOUR best friend just the other day.

Jenni said...

I too love the way my hands feel when wrapped around a warm mug of coffee.

Great post! You're linked! And, I subscribed to your blog - you = fantastic!

Kelly Hutcheson said...

Oh, I can so relate! I love the idea of coffee, but can't drink it! Instead I opt for hot chocolate just to sip coffee with friends and family. They know I'm cheating because of the puffy marshmallows! ha I also wished I loved wine- not so much!

Can't wait to see pix of the new babe!!

Erin said...

drinking coffee with friends is also my favorite thing about coffee! nothing like sitting around talking through everything with a cup of blessed coffee :)

love the picture of your daughter with a cup...i'm totally going to do that tomorrow!

Erin@TheLocalsLoveIt said...

I think you covered all the reasons why I enjoy a cup of coffee. It's more than the taste. It's an experience.

Michele said...

You are so right, the act of sitting down with a cup of coffee is a social necessity.

blissfully caffeinated said...

Could we have any more Jennifer's around here? :)

I never liked coffee until I had a sip of an iced white mocha sometime around 1995. Within 6 months I was drinking straight espresso.

Thanks for the post and the good wishes! It means so much!

xo

Casey said...

I never liked coffee until my kids came along either. These days, I usually leave my full cup on the counter and forget all about it while I bail someone out of trouble or throw someone in time out. :)

g-mooma said...

Just a comment about the name "Jennifer" -- you may have an unsually common name, but I'm pretty sure from reading your blogs, you are all wonderfully uncommon individuals. Love the support you offer each other.