Then in the afternoon I went back to "work". That is - paid work, in my office, away from the lovely little one who likes to pull my hair, cry in my ear, spit-up in my eye (true, it happened once), and smile ear-to-ear whenever I pick her up. I must say the half-day in the office felt like a vacation!
Of course getting myself to the office even for just a half-day took a week's worth of planning, and I probably spent every cent I earned on a sitter to cover the whole time I was away including travel to and from work. But it was worth it. At least today was. I felt like a grown-up again!
I am very lucky. I am able to do both right now - stay at home with Beatrice during the day and still do some work in the office and at home at night. I mean I still got to put her to bed tonight - how lucky am I? I'm planning to ramp up my hours working over the next few weeks, so perhaps it will get a lot harder. But for now, I feel great being able to do both "jobs" well. Almost everyone I know feels strongly about mothers returning to work which vary from one end of the spectrum to the other: whether it be that my working will turn Beatrice into a crack-smoking kindergartener or that my not working will somehow impact her self-worth, intellect, and what college she gets into. I figure I'm damned if I do, damned if I don't. Sorry Beatrice, but I strongly believe you'll be fine either way, especially as long as one of your parents is able to spend some time with you during your weekday waking hours! It is funny, only a few people asked us if Zack was planning to take any time off.
That said, it was hard to leave her, even for just a half day. While no one spit-up in my eye at work, nobody broke into a full grin and became so happy their little body shook with the effort to contain it either. Well, at least not that I saw...
Of course getting myself to the office even for just a half-day took a week's worth of planning, and I probably spent every cent I earned on a sitter to cover the whole time I was away including travel to and from work. But it was worth it. At least today was. I felt like a grown-up again!
I am very lucky. I am able to do both right now - stay at home with Beatrice during the day and still do some work in the office and at home at night. I mean I still got to put her to bed tonight - how lucky am I? I'm planning to ramp up my hours working over the next few weeks, so perhaps it will get a lot harder. But for now, I feel great being able to do both "jobs" well. Almost everyone I know feels strongly about mothers returning to work which vary from one end of the spectrum to the other: whether it be that my working will turn Beatrice into a crack-smoking kindergartener or that my not working will somehow impact her self-worth, intellect, and what college she gets into. I figure I'm damned if I do, damned if I don't. Sorry Beatrice, but I strongly believe you'll be fine either way, especially as long as one of your parents is able to spend some time with you during your weekday waking hours! It is funny, only a few people asked us if Zack was planning to take any time off.
That said, it was hard to leave her, even for just a half day. While no one spit-up in my eye at work, nobody broke into a full grin and became so happy their little body shook with the effort to contain it either. Well, at least not that I saw...
Anyway, enough of my high horse - more photos of Beatrice! I love the photos below, because they remind me so much of Zack. Here she is analyzing how this toy works. I really don't think she cares that it is making noise and lights up. She studies it from all angles, pokes it, prods it. That look of determination is so much like her Daddy.
ps - After 2 weeks in the US, the new bane of my existence...
1 load = 2.5 HOURS of washing + drying time (& clothes are still somewhat wet)
and that load is a third the size of what we could do in my mother's machines!!!
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