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I’m amazed at how many months have passed since I went back to work. It feels like just yesterday that I dropped Ari off for the first time and headed back to my computer and meetings with adults!
The Sitter // This woman is a godsend! Before I got pregnant, I thought “everything happens for a reason” was just cliche. But? There’s some serious truth to that.
Michelle, our sitter, kind of fell into our laps. I was asking around at work for anyone, yes anyone, who knew of anyone with a shred of credibility to babysit.
Not having family nearby, and not being an Akron native, were two strikes against us. But by some divine intervention, someone mentioned Michelle — she was a coworkers sister.
We spoke on the phone and then Chad & I met Michelle & her husband in their home. We instantly knew she would be a perfect fit for us. That kind of “professional crush” I have on my OB? Yeah. I have it on our sitter too. I guess it’s really just a complete awe-inspiring amazingness that these people possess.
For instsance, I’ve cut Ari’s nails a handful of times. Michelle uses her 20+ year old nail trimming scissors to cut his nails for us weekly. The woman has mad nail-trimming skills. So we leave that to the expert!
Also with my mom living so far away, I end up leaning on Michelle for some local advice. I trust her if she says that Ari has been sneezy but fine; I trust her if she says his cough sounds like he should see the doctor; I trust her. Period. And that’s so important! We could not live without her!
The Job // When I started back at work in January, I was incredibly laid back. Complete 180 from how high-strung I was before Ari. Having him gave me a new-found perspective that can only be a direct result of a mega-colicky baby and 12 weeks of direct contact with him. And only him.
Now? Well, reality has set in. And a new level of stress has ushered it. I try not to get overwhelmed by the daily grind, but it’s kind of inevitable. All I can do is take things one hour at a time and make it home to see my baby.
The Gym // Workouts are hard to fit in, period. Fitting them in with a baby? Blah! Just awful. When I started back at work, I was making it to one yoga class a week; but lately I haven’t been able to make it to hardly any! I think it’s been a month since my last class.
But I have been making it to the gym regularly. I go at least 3 times a week, but my goals is five times a week. I try not to give myself too hard of a time when I fall short on my goal, but I’m my most harsh critic. But it’s really counterproductive. So I am doing my best at keeping my negative thoughts at bay.
Most of my gym workouts are at 3:00 am. Which, naturally, makes things rough. I would go in the evening after work if it weren’t so damn busy! So I choose to work out in the early morning hours — while everyone else is busy sleeping. Because the gym is empty.
Spare Time // The parent-humor would be “what spare time?” But it does exist — however fleeting. I choose to use my spare time to either blog or sleep. Usually I choose sleep [hence the lack of blog posts]. Because I love sleep. And I miss it. Oh, how I miss it!
But seriously. I feel like I haven’t really slept in ages. I could go to bed at 8pm and wake up at 5am and still feel like I haven’t slept a wink. It probably has something to do with the waking up in the middle of the night to feed Babycakes and pump thing. I make it through because I know it’s just temporary. And honestly? Sometimes those middle of the night moments with Babycakes are the best.
Babycakes // Oh, Babycakes! We had a really rough start! But we’ve found this pretty incredible routine since starting back at work. Michelle keeps him on a regular napping schedule during the week which has been wonderful. And we have our evening routine down, too.
I pick up Babycakes after work and we head home to watch daddy make dinner, give Babycakes a bath and spend some time playing. It’s both the hardest and the most fun couple of hours of each day.
The Husband // We’ve been working in our fair share of date days/nights. We’re usually exhausted and overwhelmed, but we know how important spending time as a couple is. Although we haven’t quite gotten past that ‘always-talking-about-Ari’ phase yet. Cause he’s pretty much the topic of most of our conversations. He’s, like, 95% of our daily lives these days.
This time I spend with my husband is so important to me. I acknowledge that I’m often distracted by work and taking care of Ari; but I wouldn’t have Ari without Chad.
Overall // Life is different. But in a good way. It took us a while to get to this point where we’re finally a comfortable family unit, but we’re here. And we’re embracing every moment of it.
Glad you are getting into a good routine with everything and have a wonderful sitter. That’s important since obviously no mama wants to leave her babe with just anyone.