As my maternity leave ticks away it is funny to look back at how I envisioned my leave would be and contrast it with what really happened. I'll admit, I thought it would be a nice little "vacation" from work. I had visions of Martha Stewart running through my head. Being at home I would surely be able to bake, organize closets and enjoy some time decompressing. Oh, silly little naive first time mom. Here's what I know now...
1. Maternity Leave is Not a Vacation-During the first four weeks I would have rather been at work fielding phone calls from ticked off people, explaining to our board of directors that yes I do have a marketing plan, and teaching KW that eating from the mini-bar is not an appropriate use of an expense report. Compared to taking care of a newborn, work would have been a piece of cake! And, by the way the only cake baked on my leave was one that Scott whipped up from a box last week for his mom.
2. Just Say No-By all means say yes to the drugs...this natural childbirth stuff is for the birds. What I mean is that I have to just say no to visitors when feeling overwhelmed. Or, limit the number of visits each day. Since I was feeding Evy every 3 hours and each feeding took an hour it was difficult to fit in visits and sleeping for those first few weeks. Evy also did not have a predictible sleeping pattern (well, you could predict that she would likely not sleep) and I swear just when I would finally get her to sleep, which means I could sleep too, it would be time for someone to stop by. Next time, I will have to be more selfish with my time for the first few weeks.
3. Have a January Baby-At first I thought I would enjoy being on leave over the holidays. However, the craziness of the holidays just added to the craziness of having a newborn. Getting christmas shopping and wrapping done, christmas cards sent, and decorations up was not fun while trying to care for a newborn. I would have rather just been able to relax and enjoy the time with Evy. If we have a late fall baby again, I'll just be ignoring Christmas that year.
4. Enjoy the Time-It seems as though I was always wishing for the next step: "I can't wait until she can sleep through the night." "Won't it be nice when she can hold her head up." By wishing for the next step I think I missed savoring the moment that we were in. The leave went by in a flash and it's time I will never have back. Next time, I will savor it more.
Well, gotta go get that pie baked and blanket knitted only a few days left of this vacation.
11 comments:
The saying "time flies" is so true! Doubt if those pies and knitting get done during the next 18 to 20 years?!
Mom
Mom,
Aren't you supposed to be working?
Message received. :)
Maggie
Oh, won't I sensed from this email is that Evy will infact have a sibling. Oh, yeah...a January baby delivered with drugs :) But, no pressure enjoy this one for awhile.
And my comment should read "Oh, what I sensed from this post..." Snow daze here.
Ah, the lessons of parenthood never stop. I am laughing out loud at No. 1, it is so not a vacation. You're lucky if you brush your teeth, much less bake a pie. I've found that I keep relearning No. 4 over and over again, at every stage. You blink and these early years are gone...leaving you with tear-filled eyes and stacks of photographs you still haven't put in a scrapbook. Although it can be hard, it's great that you realize the value of living in the moment. See you next week, my dear. Kat
You will be proud to know that I didn't hack into the mini bar this time!! :) We miss you dearly here and have enjoyed reading your blog to stay in touch. It will be great to have you back, Em, but we know it will take time to transition... although, I'm sure sometimes it feels like you are taking care of children here! :) See you soon! KW
Next time..that means you're having more babies! Yea! Now when can we expect them?
Problem solved. You need a nanny for the next one!
This parenting thing is crazy! Trust your instincts and you will be fine. Evy is adorable! Her eyes will light up the second you walk in to get her at daycare. :) Dawn
You are already wise beyond your mommy years, grasshopper.
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