Kelly and Spencer Dezart-Smith

Fatherhood

Day In The Life: Kelly And Spencer Dezart-Smith

Written by Erin Feher

Photography by Photography by Kelly and Spencer Dezart-Smith

Jun 8, 2020

In honor of Father’s Day on the horizon (June 21st), today we are checking in with two of our very favorite dads, Kelly and Spencer Dezart-Smith. Last year we followed Spencer’s pregnancy and the birth of the couple’s son Lexi in a 5-part series, and now the family invites us back into their home in Sydney, Australia, to show us what life looks like for them during lockdown. As restrictions in their city start to lift, the family is enjoying a little more time outdoors and even some IRL hangouts with friends. Below, Kelly and Spencer share what a typical day looks like, and thankfully, serve up plenty of pics of Lexi’s heart-melting grin. Click through the slideshow below to spend the day with them!

Want to see more Day in the Life profiles? Take a look at the “new normal” of San Francisco doctor Kat De Jong, Idaho-based stylist Laura Tully, Los Angeles creative director Andrea Hawken, stenographer and mother of four Juvilynn Arbuthnut, and Portland-based mama and brand director at Nike Women, Lydia María Lauer.

: Kelly Dezart-Smith, 36, Events Curator & Producer

Spencer Dezart-Smith, 39, Software Engineer

Alexis Alan Dezart-Smith, 9 months

: "Our family is based in Sydney, Australia. We’ve been sheltering in place and practicing social distancing since March 16th. Restrictions are currently starting to lift. Some retail businesses, restaurants, and pubs have reopened. They can only operate at a capacity of 10. Everyone needs to continue practicing appropriate social distancing. We can go out on walks and have up to 3 guests over to our house."

: "We actually wake up twice. We first wake up around 5 a.m. because Lexi has started to stir. We’ll bring him into bed with us, and we usually can get him to continue sleeping till 6:30 or 7 a.m."

: KELLY: "I first check the time on my phone. If it’s before 5 a.m. and Lexi is still asleep I try and go back to bed. If Lexi has been brought into bed with us, I usually kiss his little cheeks and snuggle him. I love lingering in bed, so Spence usually takes the lead in the morning and will head downstairs to make us coffee and make Lexi’s first bottle of the day. We’ll change Lexi’s nappy and give him his bottle. He can now hold his bottle and feed himself. Which frees both our hands to enjoy our coffee."

SPENCER: "If Lexi is in bed with us then I usually stare at him while he sleeps for a bit. He is so so sweet when he’s sleeping. Then I take a minute to read some news, emails, etc. I love to get things moving in the morning, the total opposite of Kelly! I love it now because Lexi will wake up and kind of chat to himself for a bit which means there’s time to make us coffee while I fix him a bottle. Like Kelly said, Lexi feeds himself now which gives me 20 seconds of peace to start drinking coffee. Then Lexi takes turns climbing on both of us while trying to get every little thing off the bedside tables. He also needs to look out the window behind our bed to make sure all is in order. It’s kind of madness, but of the sweetest kind."

: KELLY: "We usually have two coffees by 11 a.m. The first one is made at home on a stove top espresso machine. I have my coffee with a little lactose free milk and no sugar. My second coffee usually happens during our morning walk. We head to our new favorite local cafe, and I order an oat milk cappuccino."

SPENCER: "I do love a cup of tea, but it's coffee for me in the morning. I order a 6 oz. cappuccino from the cute little cafe not far from our house. The walk is so beautiful."

: KELLY: "We all usually have oats topped with yogurt, peanut butter, and bananas. I would even say this is Lexi’s favorite brekkie."

SPENCER: "Yep, we’re a porridge family. We’ve just moved into Autumn so the mornings are cold. Warm porridge is such a good way to start the day."

: KELLY: "I’m devastated Alexis still hasn’t met his grandparents and family who live in the United States. It’s heartbreaking that they won’t get to hug him during this tender and sweet stage of his life. This pandemic and shelter in place has allowed for lots of different types of connecting though. I’ve found myself using FaceTime, Google Chats, and Zoom so much more to talk to family. More so than when there wasn’t a pandemic. It’s made me a lot more active in reaching out to folks and made me remember that we have access to a lot of great technology that allows us to connect."

SPENCER: "We were scheduled to be in the U.S. days after the pandemic was declared. That was super disappointing because Alexis was going to meet his family and our dearest friends. It was super scary at first. Around that time I remember being worried but trying my best to hold strong for my family. Then after a while it kind of became something I could see positives in. Being at home, cooking meals, Facetiming with friends and family around the world, and watching Lexi grow bigger and stronger everyday have been unexpected benefits to all of this."

: KELLY: "I think Lexi has thrived during this time. He’s gotten to spend way more time with Spence and I together. Lexi really knows and understands who his family unit is, which makes me feel really warm and sweet. I am looking forward to Lexi being able to socialize with kids his own age."

SPENCER: "I think it’s been both magical and hard for Alexis. He has had both his dads home with him every day and night for months now. He is thriving on the attention BUT he is also at the stage where he really wants to interact with other babies. We had just started taking him to the park when all this started. We’re hoping to take him back this weekend for the first time."

: KELLY: "We’re transitioning from Fall to Winter. It’s cold, wet, and gray. We have a gas heater that makes the house super warm and cozy. Lexi has some independent play time in the morning while Spence makes breakfast. We all have brekkie at the dining room table. I sit directly to Lexi’s left which also happens to be in between him and the television. Lexi gets a bit annoyed when I block his sight line to the T.V.. He peers around me to watch his fave morning cartoon, Bluey."

SPENCER: "It’s cartoons, showers, coffee, and chats. Kelly talks really loud once he finally gets out of bed and comes downstairs. He makes grand declarations like ‘IT'S SO COLD’! He also does funny dances which Lexi and I pretend to be annoyed by—but we think they’re funny."

: KELLY: "Sheltering in place has allowed us to really settle into a routine. So, we kind of have set plans every day. Today we’ll have our friend Jacob with us on our morning walk and we’ll have another friend over for afternoon tea."

SPENCER: "Working. I have been working from home for months now. I have a little setup on the dining table. I work too much when I work from home."

: KELLY: "I’ve been doing some morning chores, hanging up the laundry, preparing our lunch, and tidying around the house. Lexi has just woken up from his first nap of the day. I make his second bottle of the day while Spence heads upstairs to get Lexi out of his bed. After Lexi’s bottle we head out for our morning walk. Today our friend Jacob has joined us."

: Feels so good to see friends again!

: KELLY: "I firmly believe being in partnership isn’t about dividing responsibilities evenly. It’s about applying your strengths to work towards a common goal. It’s also about asking for help. So, I would say Spence and I have gotten into a really great groove when it comes to our responsibilities."

: So much to see!

KELLY: "Today for lunch we’ve had split pea soup, which I’ve cooked in the slow cooker for 10 hours, over white basmati rice. The soup was smooth, creamy, and absolutely delicious, if I do say so myself."

Silly faces with daddy.

KELLY: "We’ve just had a delicious split pea soup for lunch. Lexi and I have now hopped onto a celebratory Zoom call. My dear friend Caitlin Donohue has just written and published her first book entitled She Represents: 44 Women Who are Changing Politics...and the World. Her friends and family from Mexico City, San Francisco, and Portland have all gathered to surprise her."

KELLY: "I’ve figured out using Lexi’s nap times as my times to get things done helps make my days go a lot smoother. I’ve also really gotten comfortable asking Spencer for help. Having him work from home during this time has been really nice. It’s great to have him around to help with small things like making Lexi’s bottle or getting him out of bed."

SPENCER: "Accepting that things are as they are and just breathing. Practicing patience has been the key to getting through this time."

Post-Zoom refreshments.

KELLY: "Lexi has woken up from his second nap. He’s having a bottle. We try to give him some more independent play time. He’s getting pretty good at cruising around the living room. He basically uses the furniture and walls to get places. He particularly likes to look out the glass doors to our yard. He also likes to rummage through his toys and books in his kid's corner."

Little explorer.

Always on the move.

KELLY: "We usually let Lexi watch a bit of afternoon television. His favorite afternoon show is PJ Masks. Lexi usually has a bit of afternoon tea around this time. Today we’ve given him a small bowl of red grapes."

Grapes and tea time.

KELLY: "Highlights of today included taking notice on how mobile Lexi has become. The kid can cruise around the majority of the living room holding onto different parts of the furniture. He’s also becoming independent and can do small things for himself, like drink his water out of a sippy cup, play with his toys, and army crawl after the cats."

KELLY: "You know, finding moments to do any work while Lexi is awake is always a challenge. Like finding time to even do this ‘A Day in the Life’ story felt challenging. I’m sad that all my work as a curator and event producer has come to a screeching halt during this time, but I’m grateful for all the time it’s given me to really focus and spend time with Lexi and Spence."

Walking up an appetite.

KELLY: "We recently subscribed to Hello Fresh. It’s a weekly produce box that comes with cute recipes you can make from the produce. Tonight we’re having baked french fries tossed in sesame seeds, a bit of salt, pepper, and olive oil, a small side salad, and chickpea fritters topped with a sweet chili sauce. It all sounds really gourmet, but it’s actually a pretty simple meal with a small amount of prep work."

SPENCER: "Alexis has had the same bedtime routine since he was about 3 months old. The beautiful thing about being in quarantine is that we can all have dinner together every night around the table. So, now we eat together around 6 p.m. and then we give Lexi his bath. After that is lotion and pajamas, followed by a bottle. Then we snuggle for a bit before kisses and bed. He is so set in this routine that it's a case of laying him in his crib and walking away. He’s always ready to ‘call it a day.’"

KELLY: "To be honest, Spence usually continues doing some more work after Lexi heads to bed. I usually wash up the dishes and watch a bit of television. I’ve been using this time to catch up on T.V. shows I never had an opportunity to watch like Heroes, Teen Wolf, and Gotham. Look, I never said I had good choices in television, lolz."

Squeaky clean piggies.

KELLY: "Watching the United States news cycle right now feels really heavy and chaotic. I’m looking forward to a future where Black Lives Matter, and I can comfortably bring my black son to the U.S. and not fear for his life."

For more on Spencer and Kelly, check out our five-part series series on their journey to fatherhood, and follow them on Instagram here and here.