The Woes and Wonderfuls of a Working Mother and Wife

Where do I begin? Where do I end? What day is it? Did I brush my teeth this morning? I need to submit my timesheet. Where are my notes from that meeting? How is Jonah doing in daycare? Am I missing major developmental milestones with Jonah while I am at work? Did I say Thank you to Kris for all of the help he is around the house and with Jonah? Did I give him a kiss when I got home from work? What are we going to have for dinner tonight? When are we going to eat dinner? I need to send that email to the team when I get into the office tomorrow morning? Is it 5:00 in the morning already?

My mind continues to go in a million different directions and none of them are in a straight line. To all mother's out there, do you ever wish for a couple more hours in a day. From the time I wake up until the time I crash in the bed at night, it is nonstop. By the time I was at the end of my maternity leave, I had gotten use to being and mom and a wife. I have been back at work for just over a month now and I am still trying to establish order while being a mom, wife and manager at work. Efficiency. This is one word that means a lot to my day to day routine. I need to make every minute count.

What can I do tonight that will save me time tomorrow morning? Wash the bottles, set out the exact amount of formula needed for the 5:00am bottle, make the coffee and set the timer for tomorrow morning, make my lunch and have it ready in the refrigerator, have a good idea what I will be wearing to work tomorrow. These are all of the tasks either I complete or Kris helps out with every night. None of these tasks are done until Jonah goes down to sleep for the evening. So by the time these tasks are completed, I get about 30 minutes on the couch before I fall asleep. The next thing I know, Kris is waking me up to come to bed.

I don't hit the snooze button anymore, and there are times when I don't even need the alarm. I spring out of the bed, brush my teeth (if I remember) and make the bottle for Jonah. The time that I feed him in the morning and evening are my moments.These are the times of the day where I slow down, relax in a dark room with pleasant music and do nothing but watch my son. It is peaceful, rejuvenating after a long day and energizing first thing in the morning. It is the only time of the day where I am really not thinking about anything. My mind is clear and things are simple. It is what gets me going and keeps me going. My other favorite time of the day is from 6:00 in the morning till 6:30 when I bring Jonah down to Kris and they lay in bed to get a couple more minutes of sleep with his daddy. Then we get to spend family time together. I love it!!

Jonah had to go to the doctor on Monday for a cold that will not go away. I cleared my schedule for the day at work and was out the door by 12:30 on Monday. We got some medicine from the nice doctor and confirmed he did not have ear infections. I gave a WHOOO HOOO right there in the office. Because I had missed work so much during the previous weeks for Jonah being sick and me being sick, I needed to make up the time missed that day. This meant I had to work after Jonah went down to sleep that night. This meant my time with Kris was cut short, but at the end of the night he joined me at the kitchen table and shared oreos and milk. Make every minute count.

Enough of the Woes, what about the wonders!!! I absolutely love being a mother. I have found this inner energy, will to keep going and unconditional love for my son, husband and Tanner. I strive to be more organized. I stand in daycare like a proud momma when the teacher says Jonah is one of her favorites and is a good baby. I am amazed by how good he is taking naps now when he is home with us on the weekends. I look forward to PJ Saturday. This is when the family stays in their PJs for however long they want and what TV (my favorite is College Gameday). I can not wait to get home after work and see my family. I want to see if Jonah has picked up anything new. Speaking of, he has been rolling over onto his stomach lately. But today was the first day I watched him roll from his stomach to his back. Today I held my son and he felt bigger and looked bigger to me. I am not sure why, but all of the sudden I see these changes and my little boy is growing up.

I will continue to focus on the things I look forward to in life. I am proud to be a manager for INC Research. I have a good team and enjoy my job. I am proud to be a mother and look forward to teaching my son new things, singing and dancing in the living room, making funny noises and faces just to get a smile. This smile makes all of the chaos at times worth it. No matter how chaotic things feel, how busy I am, there is nothing better than the dark room at night with pleasant music playing, watching my son. When I am finished feeding Jonah, I call Kris upstairs to say goodnight. As a family we stand together at the end of each day, kiss our son goodnight and thank God for our blessings.

I know this blog was winded but I felt the need to air it out and appreciate having a place to do so.