Adele said it best, and in this case I’m saying Hello from the (M)other side.
Six months ago, my husband and I welcomed our daughter Tessa. They are not kidding when they say kids turn your life upside down in the most exhausting and rewarding ways possible. The Team did a great job holding down my part of the fort, and that truly let me enjoy every single minute of maternity leave sans guilt, and while I can’t really say I am returning refreshed, I can say I am returning happy.
I thought my organizational skills in my professional life would transpose seamlessly to my new Mom life, and to be honest, it didn’t. It takes excessive planning and preparation to do just about anything with a baby. My husband was horrified at our second doctor appointment to learn I was carrying a completely empty diaper bag as I had forgotten to fill it with anything, let alone the most essential baby item- diapers. We had a very Larry David-esque dialogue in the room debating whether we should recoup the diaper that we just threw away that wasn’t *actually* dirty yet or fly by the (lack of) seat of her pants. Thankfully, our pediatrician gave us one with a smile and lied that it happens all of the time.
In my true naivety, I thought I was going to be able to knock off a few items off the ole To-Do list while out on leave. I planned to read a few books (I read nothing), paint some trim around the house (hah), and declutter the basement (I’m not even sure I went down there).
While nothing of the sort occurred, I did pick up a new language without even using Rosetta Stone. Baby Talk! Add “ies” to every word and you can be fluent too. Burpies, hiccupies, tubbies, nappies, snugglies!
I look forward to seeing you soon, and keep an eye out for some e-mailies from me to schedule a meeting.
