Back to work...

As much as I think I would hate to be a stay at home mom-I give props to those that are-I was really sad to see summer and my maternity leave end. In some ways, I feel like I didn't have any maternity leave. I had really hoped he would come a little bit early so I could enjoy a little more time with him, but considering all my time with him was spent during my normal summer break, it almost feels like it wasn't a real maternity leave. Don't get me wrong, I loved having those last three weeks of school off-and given my physical, mental, and emotional state, I think it was the right choice. It just didn't feel like maternity leave as I had no baby yet.

Going back to work has been good though. We've been back for a little over a week now, and things are going well. There are parts of my job that annoy me-typical of any job-but overall, I'm happy to be back. Jack and I both love his baby sitter. He's staying with a woman who is keeping two other kids-a boy that is just over 1 year and a little girl who will be three this winter. Both of their moms used to work with me, so it's nice seeing them in the mornings. I don't worry about him while he's there. His behavior seems to be pretty consistent there as it is at home-struggling with names, but eagerly accepting a bottle. As much as I enjoy being with him, it's nice to be around adults and have a break from him, too. Yesterday, when I picked him up, he gave me the biggest smile when he saw me and heard my voice. Made my heart melt.

I'm still struggling with figuring out a morning routine for us...If I can get him back to sleep before we leave the house, he tends to take a nice nap in the morning, which is good for everyone. It seems like the best routine is one where I wake up him when I have to get up, we nurse, get dressed, and he can play with his crack mat kick-and-play piano while I finish getting ready. Then he goes in his swing to get in a good nap while I pump, stirs slightly while I put him in the car seat, and he's good for another 1.5-2 hours. Today I deviated some and he didn't get back to sleep before leaving the house, which meant he didn't get that awesome nap in, and this afternoon has been a little difficult.

Our afternoon routine is working out really well, though. We come in the door and I typically have a load of laundry ready to go. I start that, throw bottles and pump parts into the sink to soak, and we have a bit of play time before napping while I clean up, wash bottles, blog...typcially mommy things. I hope we can keep this up as the school year progresses. 

And while I fervently believe that breast milk is the best choice for my child right now, pumping is a pain in the butt! I typically pump before we leave the house as my supply is pretty high, and I will be pumping three times at work, although right now I'm finding I am only doing it twice due to our schedule. Finding a quiet place can be rough. I have an office, but I share it and during certain times, the door is open while we dig out costumes. I can't count on it to be a private place. I've been going to the clinic, which I really appreciate them letting me use the space, but I can't keep my pump set up, it takes extra to go down, get set up, pump, and then clean up. The good news-my supply (thus far) is holding up, and I'm getting enough for the next day plus an extra feeding or two. After my freezer supply was defrosted and completely lost down at the beach, I'm excited to be building that back up while maintaining what I need in order to feed him. I just hope I can keep it up.