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[Thread] Did you see Caitríona Balfe’s Instagram Live for the Book Club?! It’s the sweetest thing ever!
Posted by BeckyForeverSass • 12h ago [Tuesday, April 14, 2020]
Guys, with lockdown and the crazy period we’re all going through, I finally had the chance to watch Cait’s latest Instagram Live on her account @cb_book_club — Caitríona Balfe Book Club.
If you haven’t seen it yet, go watch it. You’ll thank me later. It’s honestly ONE OF THE CUTEST THINGS EVER!!!
I’ve added screenshots below and gone through the whole live minute by minute. We know she and Sam are extremely private, but lockdown definitely lowered the guard a little. Here’s everything that happened — timestamp by timestamp.
P.S. For anyone who’s an avid reader or total bookworm, the featured book during the live was The Japanese Lover by Isabel Allende — a novel about a forbidden love story (Jamie and Claire WHOOO?!).
[0:20] Domestic Cait during lockdown (Hey girl, you’re one of us!)
Cait starts the live around 1:30 p.m. She’s wearing a white T-shirt with black lettering that says “CHOOSE LIFE.” The shirt is part of an anti-drug and anti-suicide awareness campaign — inspired by the classic Wham! T-shirt.
She’s also wearing old black wired headphones around her neck. It looks like she’s in an office or studio space because the background is different from the previous live — beige walls with framed pictures and warm indoor lighting. She seems to be sitting on the floor.
Her hair is styled in a short bob that falls to her shoulders but looks slightly messy. She’s wearing earrings. No makeup. She is beautiful, you guys!
[05:40] — The Book
Cait shares some really interesting thoughts about the book and always gives thoughtful reflections.
She talks about appreciating the small things in life and says:
“I think this year has changed my perspective on a lot of things. The idea that in the blink of an eye your life can change. I’ve been very lucky this year. My family has been safe, no one has been sick. But the things that really stir my soul — like travel and things like that — were taken away. And it’s like, okay, what can you do if you don’t have that? It’s about finding things locally and finding places that give you just as much pleasure. Like going for a walk today when the sun was finally out — walking down by the river, seeing flowers starting to come out and daffodils blooming. Those things make you so happy. You don’t need grand gestures or expensive things to feel truly happy. You just have to appreciate what’s right on your doorstep.”
[16:24] — Allister James crying!
Right while Cait is talking seriously about the book, a sudden cry interrupts her.
It’s Allister. It’s that kind of cry that says, “I just woke up and I’m alone.”
Cait freezes for a second, looks toward the door with pure maternal instinct and says: “Sorry, my little roommate requires attention.”
It’s clear she had no idea what to do for a moment — and she even bites her lip.
[19:15] — Allister in her arms (no face revelation)
AND HERE GUYS — I COULDN’T BELIEVE IT!!! MOM MODE ACTIVATED!
Cait gets up, disappears for a second, and comes back holding Allister James.
She keeps him facing away from the camera (no face shown, as always), but we can see his unmistakable strawberry-blond curls. He’s adorable even from behind.
We clearly hear him babbling “Mama” at [20:36].
Plus — he’s wearing the same pajama set my nephew has: white with colorful dinosaurs all over it!
She says: “Sorry, my husband went out to grab groceries and I’m alone with my Bubba. Usually he’s really good… he was supposed to sleep until 2 p.m. Mom life during covid. Toddlers have their own schedule apparently.”
She whispers a soft “shhh,” and the little one seems to calm down. He sucks his thumb and rests his head in the crook of her neck.
Even though we never see his face, he still looks insanely cute.
Caitríona looks at him and whispers:
“You’ll behave, right A.J.?”
[30:07] — Mama Cait
The calm doesn’t last long.
She’s clearly an attentive, caring mom — just like how she is with child actors on the set of Outlander.
She tries to rock him while continuing to discuss other novels by the same author she loves — but Allister gets restless. He wants down. He starts pulling at her headphone cables.
Cait is visibly struggling for a second and even switches to speaking French to calm him down. (Seriously — is there anything she can’t do? She speaks like four languages!? English, gaelic, french and a little of italian )
[31:30] — The door noise (TURN UP THE VOLUME)
You hear a door unlock and open. A faint sound like someone walking in and closing it behind them.
Allister immediately stops crying. He lifts his head — and Cait quickly covers his face with her hands.
He happily shouts: “Dada! Dada!”. His little voice is so bright and his accent is the cutest mix of Gaelic and Irish.
Cait visibly relaxes. You can almost hear her silent sigh of relief: “Thank God, you’re back.” Lol!
[31:35] — Sam enters the frame (THEY KISSED GUYS — I COULDN’T BELIEVE MY EYES!!!)
Sam Heughan walks into the frame.
He clearly just got back from a run — wearing a baseball cap backwards, a sweatshirt, beard slightly grown out, hair messy from the wind.
He doesn’t immediately realize the live is still running.
He bends down, kisses Cait naturally on the temple, and whispers: “I’ve got him, darling. Sorry I’m late.”
They exchange a quick private exchange. Sam quietly says: “You should’ve told me it was live…”, while Cait replies: “I tried calling you!”.
Typical playful bickering.
[32:00] — The Rescue
Sam takes Allister from Cait’s arms with complete ease. He shifts slightly to block the toddler from the camera. The wee laddie clings to his neck like a koala. Lister was adorable!
Sam finally looks at the screen, realizes what’s happening, and makes the funniest shocked face — eyes wide open. He waves at the camera and disappears with the kid, saying: “Oops! Hi everyone! Carry on, mum! We’re going to eat strawberries and vanilla ice cream.”
[32:06] — Tough Cait’s Confession
You can see Cait visibly relieved — she’s back to being just “Cait” again after mom mode. If you read her lips, she says “Thank you.” Then she smiles and says: “Ignore him, he’s just back from the shop.”
The comments section explodes — including my own “BEST GUEST STAR SO FAR” — with people asking private questions and others congratulating her for managing work and motherhood at the same time.
She smiles while reading the comments and says: “We’re all multitasking these days.”
Someone @Sassenach94 asks: Does he like books already?. She replies: “He prefers eating books to reading them for now. But he’s healthy. And loud. Sam and I are trying to handle the terrible twos on our own, but we’re lucky. Bubba is a very good kid — mostly. So that’s good.”
Another user @Blackstar76 asks how lockdown has been for her. She answers: “Yesterday we had chocolate cake for dinner because nobody felt like cooking. I spend my days barefoot reading… It’s a very sweet kind of domestic chaos. I usually set the rules — I’m the tough mom — while Sam… well, he’s a big softie. He struggles to say no about the small things. So lockdown has been interesting when it comes to rules and schedules.”
[50:21] — Closing
Okay, the fan-favorite moments are over.
Cait continues discussing the book with many more meaningful quotes and reflections — definitely worth watching.
I loved how she ended it, so I’ll leave the closing transcript here because it feels especially powerful given the times we’re living in:
“On that note, I want to say a huge thank you to everyone for joining. I hope this was a nice little chat for everyone. I think it’s been a really important time for all of us to do our best to read, explore, and educate ourselves so we can use this moment as part of a positive, world-changing movement that we can all be proud of.”
Top Comments
u/HeughanWhisperer • 5h ago
MINUTE 31:35. Sam whispering “Darling” to her and kissing her on the head… that kiss wasn’t for the cameras, it was pure instinct. And the way Allister calmed down immediately after he heard the door? Sam is clearly his hero.
u/JennyFraser45 • 4h ago
It’s the way her voice changes when she says “Bubba.” It gets softer instantly. That’s pure instinct. Lowkey I can picture Sam sneaking extra dessert while Cait pretends not to notice.
u/Caitri_Style • 4h ago
Can we talk about Sam in full “sweaty runner” mode walking in and saving the situation? It’s the most domestic and sexy thing ever. Cait went from “stressed mom” to “woman in love” in three seconds flat.
u/SassenachSupremacy • 4h ago
This live is more powerful than any red carpet. Mom + Dad energy unlocked.
u/LallybrochNews • 2h ago
I loved when Sam said, “Carry on, mum!” He confirmed their whole private life in one second. Lockdown gave us the best content ever.
u/OldSchoolFan • 2h ago
Remember when back in 2014 they used to say they were “just friends”? Yeah… okay.
u/JesseScots • 1h ago
I felt such relief hearing her say their families are safe. During times like this, that’s really all that matters. Sending them and everyone else good vibes.