Mock Workday Morning...A Huge Success. But....

The hubby and I just ran through our first mock "workday" morning to prepare for me to go back to work next Wednesday.  It went very smoothly...to the point where I know I should NOT assume they will go this easy everyday.  Baby slept nearly 8 hours last night!  HALLLLELUJAHHH!!  I was up at 4:30 with coffee ready (why am I just NOW using the automatic brew setting on my coffee pot?  Best thing ever!) and baby still wasn't up.  I did confirm that getting in the shower right from bed is still not my strong suit.  Instead of waiting jumping in the shower or waiting for baby to get up, I just pumped baby's breakfast.  This allowed me to chill out with coffee for a few minutes.  At 5:10, when she still wasn't up, I put Dad on duty until 6 AM.  I was ready by 6:20.  Throw on an extra 15-20 minutes for baby loving and getting out the door, and I should be at work a little after 7 each day.  This should work.  I may have to do a few minutes of work/reading at night with this schedule to meet my hours plan at work, but it's not like I wouldn't do that anyway:) 

While my morning went as planned, which pleased the planner in me, the mother in me hated the fact that I was not the one to go get my sweet girl out of her crib when she woke up.  There is nothing sweeter for me than being the first person she sees when she opens her big eyes from a long night's sleep.  I didn't like not looking at her...I am going to have 8 million pictures on my desk of her when I go back to work.  I am just so in love with this little girl.  Next Wednesday is going to be harder than I thought. 

Back to Work...Yeah?!

Is it terrible that I am a little excited to go back to work?  I feel a little bad about that.  However, I feel very good that I did not work much over maternity leave.  I checked emails pretty much every day, but how much time did that take? 10 minutes a day, maybe?  I am very proud of myself for staying off my CNBC drip and really unplugging myself to allow my domestic needs to really speak to me!  I look forward to the balance...I need to be involved in a professional setting...I would go absolutely crazy if I had to stay home with kids and not get that constant fix of professional responsibility.  I have worked too hard to get to where I am.  However, I have a new found appreciation for stay at home mom's.  This stuff is the hardest work I have ever experienced.  It is the most rewarding, but so hard on the physical and mental state of someone.  I have instinctually found a little bit of patience since I have been on leave.  Things that I spent time stressing out about are suddenly becoming easier to deal with.  I feel like I make decisions much quicker now, as I feel like I don't have the luxury of wasting time.  I honestly am excited to go back to work with this new mindset and confidence.  I think I will see Norah in a whole new light when I go back...I will appreciate my time with her in a whole new way. 

Help Me, Richard Simmons

Why can't baby weight just melt off like butter?  I had to get a physical today, and compared to my pre pregnancy weight, there is still 17 more pounds of me to love at this point.  This whole ":normal" pound a week weight loss is very frustrating...while that is pretty much what I have lost, I just feel like it should be coming off quicker.  Breastfeeding plus Sanga Vinyasa twice a week plus eating reasonably healthy should be producing more results in my mind.  While I honestly don't have self image issues, the frustrating part is my clothing situation.  I go back to work in about two weeks, anad I guarantee you my work pants won't fit yet.  I either have to suck it up and wear my belly band over those pants (hate that thing) or buy some bigger pants.  How much does one spend on a transition work wardrobe?  I am not looking like a slob when I go back, so I imagine I will spend a decent amount.  Ahhh well...I am not Kourtney Kardashian who could work out 2X/day after her baby was born...it will happen sooner or later.  I just don't have patience for this crap!

I Feel Like Wonder Woman Today!

My kid is now officially in the "I really don't want to sleep" phase, which makes the days seem so incredibly long.  I honestly look at how much I got accomplished today, and I am 1 ) proud of my determination but 2 ) tired just by thinking about the day.  Baby was up from about noon-9 PM off and on.  I did clean the  bathroom this morning while she slept, though, which makes me feel like I should be exempt from housework for a while, leaving it all for my husband :)  If I cleaned the bathroom, this means it had to desperately need a cleaning for me to muster up the energy to do it.  I must say, though, I think I put his cleaning job to shame :) 

On top of the many baby stops and starts, I managed to dry my hair and put some non-PJ's on by 3 today, and the baby and I went out to Whole Foods (we were out of fruit...not a good thing). Unfortunately, we got stuck in rush hour traffic on the way back home and sure enough, baby started wailing for a reason unknown to me.  I pulled over and held her for  a bit.  After about 15 minutes, we were able to get on our way.  I was thinking how weird it must have looked to the ongoing traffic to see me get out of my car, get into the backseat, and then get back into the driver's seat.  Haha!

Anyway, we made it to Home Depot so I could get what I needed to finish my chalkboard project.  I put another coat of paint on tonight and I think I am going to do one more tomorrow.  By the weekend, we should know if we have a working chalkboard! 

Besides my normal picking up, I did all of this AND somehow managed my girl's day AND did a crafty project!!  And, the hubby is not even home yet (Fantasy Football draft).  I figured I would be dead tired now...just my mind is.  I can't sleep.  I feel like I now have some free time while baby is asleep, and I now need to do something mindless...Googling is always fun and doesn't take much energy.  Sounds perfect :)  I feel like Wonder Woman today!  I seriously have a whole new appreciation for single mothers. 

Decorator's Remorse

It is a known fact that I get obsessed with redecorating or adding new little touches to my house at certain points...no certain time of year or anything.  But, if I haven't bought something new for my house in a while, an episode is certainly not far behind.  I am having one of those episodes now, and when they set in, I can't stop until I carry through my vision.  Drives my husband nuts.  Latest projects are a DIY chalkboard (I am about to find out how I do with chalkboard paint) from an old picture I have in my basement (I have wanted a chalkboard in my kitchen for so long...I am surprised I have lasted this long), a new dresser from IKEA (hubby is going to pick it up tonight :)), and some new picture frames. Progress is being made, so I am happy.

I think a characteristic of Type A's, or at least of me, is that I get so focused on something and getting it done quickly, that I often find that I am not entirely happy with the finished product.  I needed to find a new picture frame that held four, 4 X 6 pictures.  Hardest thing to find until I stumbled into my local Homegoods (love you Homegoods) and found one.  It was dark espresso brown too...great, right?  It will match everything in my kitchen.  12 bucks too!  When I got it home, it was clearly darker than everything else "wood" in my kitchen...however, taking this from a recent jewelry lesson my mother gave to me, you can mix your "woods" or "metals". :)  So, I thought ok...I will have hubby hang it and give it a whirl.  I hate it.  I cannot wait to get it down.  I can't stand how it just does not match.  It's the only thing that doesn't match.  It looks like I made an error with my purchase.  I immediately got up this morning and ordered a new cork board from Pottery Barn...I already have the whiteboard calendar in the same color in my kitchen, so I know it will match.  Way too much excitement of scratching this project off my list resulted in a disappointed mama. 

Baby is napping in the swing...time to go start my DIY chalkboard!!!  If I pull this off, this will bring out a whole new sense of confidence in my decorating and money saving abilities!  I need a boost after my picture frame debacle :)

My Date with Mr. Clean

I was very lucky to have my aunt clean my house over the past few weeks while the hubby and I figured out our routine with the baby.  Now that things are getting a bit more predictable, I feel like I can take this chore back on myself...even though I despise cleaning.  I would rather stick pins in my eyes on the weekends then spend three hours cleaning my house.  Ugh....why is it so terrible?  Maybe it is because the weekends are always packed with other things, like errands and exercise, all which make me winded already!  Not to mention if I want any free time to just sit and relax (do I ever just sit and relax...no?  But if I wanted to, who has the time?), cleaning cuts into this luxury.  I will look forward to the day when baby's college account starts to be funded a bit, at which point I may reconsider hiring someone again (this is probably right when hubby and I will decide to have another baby!  Figures!).  I do enjoy the feeling of a clean house, though.  Just one of those grown-up things that often comes with the territory, right? 

Back to my date with Mr. Clean while baby is still napping :)

Old Mother Hubbard

Today was a successful day.  Got a bit of a slow start, but it was for a good cause.  My mop :)  Took baby grocery shopping, however, and this bothers me, I still find that I have no food.  I buy some things from Kroger, some things from Whole Foods and some things from Costco.  I could only make it to Kroger today before baby needed to be fed.  Someone needs to come up with a mega, super duper grocery store that encompasses all three of those types of stores I mentioned above.  While I didn't mind having to go to all of these stores (remember, Type A's love tasks) before I became a Mom, I have found it very hard to keep up with the grocery shopping because of my unpredictable free time!  I am now at the point where I was honestly thinking about what I could make with lemons and eggs on the way home from yoga tonight.  Sick!  I don't even have bread to make a peanut butter sandwich...my husband is going to riot if I don't get what is needed to make a PB&J.  Does anyone want to be my personal assistant for a very slim fare? :)

My Mom is coming by tomorrow to spend the afternoon with baby and me, and she has agreed to go grocery shopping with me.  She can manage baby, while I run through the stores like on Supermarket Sweep.  Thanks, Mom.  My taste buds are thanking you :)