On the Ball Again

And so ends my first three weeks back at work. Let me say two things: first, I have such a great office. They've let me work short days as I've transitioned back to work--6 hours in the office and a couple from home every day, so that I only have to miss two feedings and get to be home and around the babies as much as possible during the day. Second, to all of you moms out there, and especially those of you who work outside the home--it's really hard work! I'm exhausted! And it's only week three! We're gearing up for our annual meeting in a couple of weeks, so this past week has been intensely busy at work--which is hard to manage on little sleep, and is extra hard to focus when all you want to do is be home, holding your babies.

The transition has been hard on me, and hard on Addison and Jackson. We were doing so well making progress in sleeping through the night--but going back to work really threw a wrench into the babies' sleeping patterns. The first few nights, none of us got much sleep--which made going to work even more painful. Since then, things have gotten a little bit easier. The babies are back to going to bed around 8:00 - 8:30, sleeping until 2 or 3, up to eat, then back to sleep until 7:30 or so. On a good night, that's the schedule we follow. On a bad night, there are many more awake times, lots of rocking babies back to sleep, either Daniel or I spend part of the night sleeping on the couch so Jackson can sleep in the swing, and we wake up with both babies in bed with us. Hey, we'll take sleep wherever or however we can get it!

In the morning, it is impossible for me to get out of the house in under two hours, which seems ridiculous, but I honestly am not able to get out in less time. I have to get myself ready, get the babies fed, changed, dressed, settled, wash bottles from the night before, pump, get bottles made, wash pump pieces to take to work, pack all of my stuff up, eat breakfast, get the nanny settled--and spend any extra minutes I can with the babies--it's a production, to say the least!

By the end of the week, the house is a mess, there is a mountain of laundry, the fridge is empty, I am pooped--but I finally have reached the thing that I've looked forward to for the past five days--I get to spend the weekend with my babies.

In good news, I am literally back on the ball again. I had been sitting on an exercise ball at my desk before becoming pregnant, then switched to a more traditional office chair to help support my massive belly (and seriously, I almost fall off of the ball once a week--no pregnant woman wants to be so precariously perched!). Well, folks--I'm back on the ball. And it feels pretty good.