Good morning and happy Monday! It's a chilly morning (34F) here but we are coming off a weekend of beautiful weather! So the cooler temps feel tolerable since I know there can't be that many more cold mornings left this spring - I hope. I thought a "coffee date" style of catch up would be a good approach for this last Monday of my maternity leave!
If we were having coffee (or your morning beverage of choice!) today, I'd tell you that...
- The weather was so beautiful here this weekend. Paul spent so much time outside which is so good for all of us! He went to the park both days and played in our backyard quite a bit on Sunday. I wasn't able to spend as much time with him outside since it makes sense for me to focus on Will and Phil to focus on Paul. But I'm looking forward to a time when Will's awake windows are longer so I can come with to the park! He can only handle about 1.5 hours of awake time right now but that will extend to 2 hours around 5 months.
- I am feeling good about my return to work this week. I think 20 weeks of maternity leave is the sweet spot for me. I didn't feel ready at 12 or 16 weeks, but in the last couple of weeks, I have felt ready. I am very lucky that I was able to take 20 weeks with both boys. My company provides 16 weeks, fully paid, and then I use 4 weeks of vacation time to extend it. I've really enjoyed my time at home with Will but he's at a stage now where he is very interested in people around him so I think he will love watching the other kids at daycare, especially the older ones (his room is infant through 18 months). I also think he will do ok with being cared for by someone else. He was totally fine being held by my parents last weekend at the lake even though he hadn't seen them since he was born (which he clearly has no memory of!). He put out his lower lip initially when I handed him off to my mom but then was all smiles. The teachers at our daycare are so amazing so I know he'll thrive under their care. We are going there this morning to meet his teacher/tour his room so that will help me feel even more ready for him to start daycare.
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| Will I miss this cutie? Absolutely! But it will make me really appreciate the time I do get with him on evenings and weekends. |
- Returning to work the second time around is just less overwhelming overall and it helps that I know I am meant to be a working mom. I had a very hard time during months 5-10 with Paul so I ended up taking every other Friday off for about 3 months to get some extra time with him. That is also the time period when Paul was dealing with ear infections and needed to get tubes. He slept so terribly so I am sure that contributed to my struggle. But now I know that if I start to have a hard time, it's temporary. I wish women were more open about the conflicting emotions they feel. I felt like other working moms didn't feel like this, but when I was on the other side of that struggle, I mentioned it to a couple of moms I work with and they said they went through the exact same thing! So I try to be very open about the struggle I had with other new moms in case they experience the same thing and want someone to talk to.
- I was cleared by my pelvic floor PT to do 15 minutes of 1 minute running/30 second walking intervals. It's a very gradual return to running but I would rather play it safe and make sure my body is ready for it. Pregnancy and C-sections are hard on a woman's body but now that I know I'm never going to be pregnant again (HOORAY!!) I want to return to running smartly so I stay injury free. I can also start the 21 Day Fix Beach Body program but she wants me to modify to the lower impact exercises and avoid the crunching ab work until my ab separation is resolved. But I am excited to be able to do some REAL workouts. I have loved walking during maternity leave but am feeling the itch to do more cardio. I'm hoping that by the fall I will be able to maybe do a 10k. We'll see what I am feeling ready for!
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| Sunday morning run/walk selfie! Phil watched the boys so I was out on my own which felt AMAZING! |
- We are having William's baptism this weekend! Since my parents are coming to watch Will for my first 2 days back at work, it made sense to have the baptism this weekend. The church caps baptism attendance at 10 people, so it will just be our family of 4, my parents, Phil's mom, and the Godparents. All of the adults are fully vaccinated so they will come back to our house afterwards for lunch. I am doing a very low key "barbecue" style of baptism lunch with grilled burgers and brats, potato salad, fruit salad, chips and salsa, and bars and cookies for dessert. Plus that is food that pretty much everyone likes! Plus with our long winters, us Minnesotans LOVE grilled food since our grilling season is so short.
- I'm on edge about what this week will bring in Minnesota. Sadly we are back in the headlines for another police shooting that occurred last week. Plus closing arguments will happen today in the Chauvin trial - the jury will probably start deliberation tomorrow. I hope and pray that Chauvin is convicted. Phil and I feel like it is extremely unlikely he will get off but you never know. I'm hoping today is the only day Phil will work downtown because things could get bad if Chauvin gets off. I know our city has a lot of plans for how to handle things, though. I just don't want a repeat of what happened last summer when our city was literally on fire.
- I just finished an excellent book last night called "The Nine Lives of Rose Napolitano." It's a "Sliding Doors" kind of book about the different paths the protagonist's life that hinges on whether or not she had a child. It was extremely well done and I had the hardest time putting it down!
I would of course want to know how YOU are doing! I'd want to know what you are reading and watching, whether you've been vaccinated, and how you are feeling overall. So please share in the comments!
8 comments:
34 degrees seems SO DANG CHILLY for this Florida girl, haha. We have a few days next week with lows in the mid-60s and I was like, "Ooh, cold front!"
I'm glad you're feeling good about going back to work! I don't think I'd be cut out for the full-time, stay-at-home mom lifestyle, either. But at least you know what kinds of emotions to expect during this transition period. <3
Hooray for baptism weekend! That sounds so lovely, especially the plans afterwards.
I'm currently reading The Hypnotist's Love Story by Liane Moriarty (which is really making me want to try out hypnotherapy!), watching season 2 of The Crown, and I'm so looking forward to receiving my second Pfizer shot on the 29th! Can't wait to be FULLY VACCINATED.
So glad you're feeling good about returning to work. I can imagine that many women have very different, conflicting feelings about it, but all feelings are valid.
I am also glad you're returning to running/workouts because I know how much you miss it.
I hope you'll have a lovely baptism get-together for Will this weekend. So happy that all adults are vaccinated! I am getting my second shot next week. Can't wait.
I am hoping that the Chauvin trial ends in a conviction (it has too) and that there's no more violence. My god!
It sounds like overall you had a really wonderful maternity leave! I know it's hard being sleep deprived, but that's so great that you got the extended leave. It must be nice to have those post-12 weeks off, once the baby is a bit bigger and not so "newborn-ish" anymore. It's also so wonderful to feel so comfortable with your daycare set up. I think that makes a huge difference. Good for you for sharing a lot about the struggles of being a working mom. I do agree- whether you stay home or work, there are ups and downs. I have talked to other moms that also seem surprised by this and automatically assume they made the wrong choice (whatever it is).... not necessarily! Maybe it's just the normal ebbs and flows! It's definitely easier with the second, in my opinion, too. There are just so many emotions with a first baby that are generally calmed down by the time #2 rolls around. Have a blast with the baptism! That sounds perfect. A good ol midwest grill out! :-) I grew up on those and still really enjoy them, too. I hope the weather cooperates for you!! It has been yuckily cold here too this week- reinforcing my dislike for spring....
I am glad we are having a slower start to summer, that one 80 degree day threw me for a loop! I'm curious, do you get a lot of pto? My company is stingy and I only have 20 days, although I find that for now I'm pretty much able to use it as I need. Hooray for a baptism and for all the adults being vaccinated. Yes grilling food is always a good crowd pleaser.
I'm holding my breath on the Chauvin trial. I know there will be an appeal if convicted but oh, he needs to be convicted on all three counts. and I fear what will happen if he isn't -- and across the country.
Good luck with the baptism and grilling. I hope you have perfect weather. We're having a freeze and snow is expected tonight or tomorrow but better by the weekend. Weather is so fickle! I'm glad you feel good about the return to work. Will does seem pretty easy by comparison (at least so far!) so that's good.
Such a nice catch-up, Lisa! Yay!
First time mom myself and im returning to work on Monday as well, my daughter will be just over 13 weeks. I am looking forward to returning, but also really worked up about it. we trialed daycare yesterday for a half day and it went pretty well, but im not sure how im going to feel once I am working and also caring for her. Like you said, it makes the time that I am home that much more precious. Thank you for sharing your struggles.
When Isla was 3 months old I was ready to find a job, and I got a part-time position and that was perfect. And then when she was 2 that position went full-time and that was good until it wasn't ha. I think by the time she was 4, I really just wanted to spend allll the extra time with her, even though she was in school for a lot of it, the night and weekends were not enough for me, and then when I thought she was going to be my only, I wanted more time. I am also very very grateful that I did not have to work at any of my former positions during Covid. Would not have worked for me. I kind of feel that I eventually will want to go back to work in some capacity but I have no desire right now. Maybe something part-time in a few years. I'm so glad to have choices!
I am so happy Chauvin was found guilty. We were all watching very closely in Canada.
That "Nine Lives ..." book sounds good! I often think about all the lives we could have chosen, but didn't, and how neat it is that we get to keep choosing and can completely change our lives at any moment.
Lately I have been doing really well. I'm talking to my mom every day on the phone and have seen her each weekend for the past three months. Having this time with her is the biggest blessing. Other than that, I've been walking outside an hour each day, reading a lot and playing drums :-)
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