It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!
Bethany - Three months old! She is coo, coo, cooing and squealing. It's the cutest thing ever. She fights with all of her might to sit up and has a ridiculously strong torso and legs. If she's on her tummy, she can flip herself over to her back. She can hold up her head and is still the most alert baby we've ever seen when she is awake. When she is asleep - she sleeps! She is such a good baby. We are blessed!
Wow. Am I really sipping on tea and writing a blog? It's been way too long! December has been a wonderful whirlwind of experiences. I have been busy, but not so busy that I feel crazy. I've been life-busy. It's a good kind of busy.
I returned to work on the 6th and Bethany started daycare. I shed some tears . . . but not quite as many as there were on her first "practice" day of daycare. (On her practice day, we dropped her off for two hours and then I came back and spent another three hours with her at the daycare and got to know the ladies who care for her.) It was a very hard day for me, but getting to know the ladies has helped me tremendously. The internet camera is also helpful. I watch her every free moment I have while I'm at work and the screen is always up during the day, so I can glimpse at it while I'm teaching. The students and parents have also been very supportive and encouraging. They are sensitive enough to know that I miss my baby and they let me know that they appreciate me. That, along with my awesome eighth grade team, make work a pleasant place to be when I'm away from Bethany.
Doing the working mom thing well has made me crazy-productive. Haha. My time management skills and organizational skills have gone through the roof. I do not bring work home with me and so every second I have at work is spent wisely. I grade papers, plan, and pump during my planning period and every minute before 3:45pm after the bell rings is spent on finishing up whatever needs to be finished . . . and if it doesn't get done . . . it gets done the next day. My home life is for my family. Period.
Once I pick up Bethany from daycare, I spend my afternoon with her. Marcus and I take turns making dinner during the week and once Bethany goes to bed, I try to prep dinner for the next day, so that dinner prep is fast and easy. Once Bethany is asleep for the night, I finish up my chores and prep everything for the next day. Marcus helps. We tag-team thawing breast milk, prepping bottles, picking out Bethany's outfit, and filling out feeding schedules. It's busy, but it has definitely created a sweet husband-wife-parent bond for us. Eventually, we go to bed!
Somehow, in all of this, I manage to still breast feed three to four times a day. Once before work and (depending on when she goes to sleep and how hungry she is) three or four times in the afternoon. I also pump at work and am thankful for the time that has been allotted me for that by my boss. I want to keep up the breast feeding for as long as possible. I'm hoping to make it to nine or ten months.
Currently, I'm on break and I'm enjoying my precious time with Bethany. We got to take a nap together today. It was bliss to get some extra sleep! Marcus is on break starting tomorrow and I'm so excited that we get to share four days together and that he is going to take a few more off before the end of the year. We're looking forward to celebrating Bethany's first Christmas and seeing our family. It's going to be great!