Back to work

I returned to work yesterday, and it was a lot of fun. I'm very grateful to Aneli for coming because I didn't have to wonder how Lily was doing. She spent most of the afternoon snuggled up in Aneli's arms sleeping until Ethan came home. I won't lie: the break from 24/7 baby duty was refreshing too.

I'm very thankful for such a great job with caring employers. Mo was extremely happy to have me back, and I'm glad to be back as well! We went back home and just did some arts and crafts, and when she went to her room to read for 30 minutes (a daily requirement issued by her school) I pumped. It all worked out very well! Today she has ballet, so I'll be pumping while she's in class. I'm hoping to be able to use a room at the ballet centre, but if not, my car will suffice. It will be fun to bring Lily along next month, and pretty easy too. Here's the schedule so people understand that I'm a stay at home mom who works....just imagine Lily has an 8 year old sibling for 3 hours a day.

• Monday: pick Mo up from school at 2:40, home for homework, reading, snack - dress for ballet, go to ballet (1 hour class), drive home, drop off, done for the day around 5:45-6
• Tuesday: pick Mo up from school at 2:40, home for homework, reading, snack - usually off by 4:30-4:45 due to Mo having soccer which her dad co-coaches. Rare that I take her to soccer practice which lasts 1 hour, off by 5:45 in this case
• Wednesday: Pick Mo up from school at 2:40, home for homework, reading, snack - dress for ballet, go to ballet (1 hour class), drive home, drop off, done for the day around 5:45-6.
• Thursday: Pick Mo up from school at 3:30 (piano lesson right after school on campus means later pickup), home for homework, snack, off by 5:45-6.
• Friday: Pick Mo up from school at 2:40 - free day to do whatever we want! Sometimes she goes home with a friend, and I pick her up around 5 PM and take her home. Other times I'm off really early (4 PM) because one of her parents wants to spend time with her.

Oh, and I'm paid a guaranteed salary for 2:30-6 PM regardless of whether I work all the hours or not. If I work over, I'm compensated and this is pretty rare too. It's pretty much limited to when Mo is out of school. See why I love my job and decided to take it? Even when I start taking Lily, most days I will have time with just Lily while I'm working due to her being in class, playing with a friend, etc.

In Lily news: she slept for a 4 and 3 hour stretch last night, which was much appreciated by her mom and dad. She is super smiley and pretty much wants to be with Ethan or I at all times, which is just fine with us. She's falling into a more predictable routine as well. During the days she pretty much lives in the Ergo because I would not be able to get anything done otherwise. I do not believe in letting babies this young cry for longer than a minute and I meet her needs immediately whether that's carrying her in the Ergo all day, feeding her when she shows hunger cues, or swaddling her when she starts acting tired. It's irrelevant whether it's convenient for me or not at this stage. When she hits 4 months, it's a different story....she'll learn to wait if needed. This morning I paid some bills, wrote some thank you notes, ordered bridal shower invites for the shower I'm throwing for Carolyn, made the bed, and did some laundry. Not bad for being up for the day for less than 3 hours!