Maternity Leave Comes to an End...

After twelve weeks of snuggling and cuddling, my maternity leave has come to an end. Though parts of my leave were stressful (Little Guy’s CT scan and surgery & a death in the family), most of my time off was really wonderful.

Baby Boy and I were able to bond and spend a lot of quality time together. Nuzzling his chubby little cheeks became a favorite pastime. When I had ‘free’ time (translation: the baby was sleeping), I read books and watched old TV shows on NetFlix. Little Guy continued to go to daycare, as we knew pulling him out for three months would only make going back that much harder. He also started going to a pre-school, which he loves. It’s truly amazing to see how much he’s learning. He is like a hyper little sponge, soaking up new information every day at warp speed.

I went back to the office on Monday, officially ending my time off. Though it wasn’t fun to drop the boys off at their respective caregivers that morning; it was easier than I’d anticipated. Certainly, it was easier than when I dropped Little Guy off that first time three years ago. (Oh the tears! You’d have thought I was never going to see him again.)

I think the biggest reason for the difference is that I’ve been down this road before. I now know that my baby won’t stop loving me, and won’t choose his babysitter over time with Mommy and Daddy. I know that at the end of the day, he’ll be just as excited to see me as I will be to see him.

Baby Boy is now going to the same babysitter we used for Little Guy for the past few years. She’s a great lady whom we trust completely to care for our sweetie pie. Little Guy’s preschool is only a few minutes away, and his new teacher is also a wonderful lady who clearly loves what she does, and the children love her in return. Knowing that my little ones are in loving and capable hands makes a really big difference in my overall attitude toward returning to work.

Part of me would love to stay at home someday, but that is not an option for us at the moment. I can't complain. I am very blessed, and very thankful:

• That my little fellows are safe, happy, and thriving - learning new things and making new friends.



• That I have a great job to return to….a job that challenges me and keeps me on my toes.
  


• That I had the opportunity to stay home for these wonderful weeks, so that I could spend precious time with the baby.
  


• That I’m married to a marvelous man who supports me and is always there for me, no matter what.
  
  Life is very good, and I am very blessed…with home…with family…with work.