Maternity Leave

My maternity leave officially ends this week.  On Monday I will be sending my sweet baby boy off to daycare.  To say that I'm not anxious and sad would be an understatement.  But honestly, I'm ready for some something else to do.  Don't get me wrong, I've loved spending lazy days with James and organizing my house like crazy...but I'm ready to be around other teachers and my students.  I'm ready to get back into the classroom.  I just want to shorten the school day to 10:00am-2:00pm.  Who's with me?

"You mean I can't fall asleep in your arms while you watch too much tv???"

My 8 weeks off can be summed up into two words: stretchy shorts.  That should give you an idea of my comfort level over these last 56 days.  I barely ever put on real jeans or shorts.  My exceptions were when I ran up to school for lunch with Amanda, church, and the occasional dinner/lunch at a restaurant.  My body is about to go into shock when I introduce dress pants and shoes other than flip flops back into my wardrobe.  

Evan's imagination has been running wild these past couple of months.  It's so fun to get a glimpse inside his mind.  He spent a good afternoon hopping around the house telling me he was a bunny.  He even asked for carrots.  I'm counting this as his daily vegetable intake.  Success!

Matt has a pretty lengthy commute with his new job.  It has me nervous about returning to work because he doesn't get home until later than we are both used to.  I'm trying to work out in my mind how I will pump, pick the kids up, feed James, cook dinner, and keep my sanity every evening before Matt gets home.  Thankfully, Matt takes on bedtime duty each night.  It's his special time with the boys and it gives me a moment to breathe and relax for a little bit.  I definitely count myself as a lucky girl to have a husband who comes home and doesn't skip a beat.  He just jumps right in and takes over.  Usually Evan is desperate for more attention after sharing the attention with James. 

EVERY time my mom comes to visit, she brings chocolate cupcakes for Evan.  She makes a big batch at home and sticks a ton in the freezer so I can grab one for him and give him a treat each day.  She also brings me simple meals to stick in the freezer that she made at home (homemade spaghetti sauce, taco meat, etc.)  I have decided that cooking is her love language.  Every time she comes we list out 4-5 recipes we want to try.  She takes me to the grocery store, buys all the ingredients, and we spend nap times cooking.  

Thankfully I have a nice freezer stash of meals to start off my week back at work.  Wish me luck!