5 Lessons

I meant to write a little sooner as my goal is once a week, but time got away from me a bit.  Well I am happy to report that my second week back (last week) went MUCH better.  Justin had a fairly normal work schedule and we are settling into our new routine.  My third week is starting off well, although I still have my moments.  In effort to document some of my first lessons on the job, here are 5 lessons I have learned so far:

1.        Perspective is Everything:  You can go into work and dwell on the fact that you are away from your child.  Believe me, this is easy to do.  I honestly have a perfect angel (for now at least) as a baby.  Why on earth would I want to leave him?  He rarely cries and gives out smiles for free.  But, if I thought about it all day, I would be miserable.  I am learning to view my work as a gift.  Not only do I get to use my skills to provide for my family, I can take advantage of my time.  I am starting to exercise on my lunches .  I use my commute as a time to pray and gather my thoughts for the day.  I plan lunches with coworkers/friends/family to keep me refreshed and energized.  Keeping perspective is keeping me sane.

2.       It’s Ok to Enjoy Your Work:  I have never been the person that could imagine myself saying, “Thank God I have a job so I can get away from my kids!”  I still can’t.  If there was a way I could stay home and still have benefits and money, I would.  But I can’t.  And so I work.  Sometimes when I am concentrated and in the zone, I find myself enjoying my work.  Almost just as quickly, I feel guilty for even letting myself feel that way.  But I am learning to let go of that guilt.  If I need to work, I am going to do it well.  I think there is something honorable in that.  Plus, it makes life a lot more enjoyable if you stop wishing you were somewhere else.

3.       Pumping Takes Patience:  Ok, my male readers need not read this one J  I am still nursing and I am determined to continue to do so for as long as possible.  Overall, it has gone really well.  I enjoy the mental break and my work is really supportive.  A few notes on this:

a.       Get a hands free bra:  This way, you can enjoy a book or call home.  My other pumping friend and I share parenting magazines and I get to check in with my boys at home. 

b.      Those little white membranes are really important!  One day, I thought my pump was broken but turns out, it just needed a membrane!

c.       If you get a plugged duct, message me!  Not fun.

d.      It is worth it.  I feel like I am still connected with Jack because I can do this for him.  It is so much cheaper too J

4.        Sleep Training was Worth It:  Thank God for Baby Wise.  I had Jack on a schedule from Day 1 and I am so blessed that he started sleeping through the night on his own and hasn’t had one bad night since.  Sleeping is so important when you need to work all day.  I am just waiting for the day he stops doing this, but it hasn’t happened yet. 

5.       Moments at Home Are Amazing:  My favorite part of the whole day is Jack’s bedtime.  I look forward to it all day long and it is worth the wait.  I feed him and then we get a chance to play before his bath.  We read stories, snuggle and sing.  Being away from him has certainly allowed me to enjoy this time even more.  Again, perspective is everything right?

So, those are just a few of the lessons I have learned so far.  I have good and bad days, but I think I might be starting to get thePublish Post hang of this.  That is…until tomorrow when I have to start all over again. 

I think I am going to rip the band-aid off and write about our journey to parenthood in the next few weeks.  Stay tuned!

For all of you just trying to make it through the week,… you can do it!