I've been back at work for 5 weeks, and things have been going really well. Mason is happy as can be with all his babysitters (thank goodness for Grandmas!!), and Chris and I have been doing a good job of sharing the chores, so everything is getting done. But I never give myself a break. Every night after work I HAVE to get something done, like cleaning the kitchen or a quick load of laundry, or else I just have this terrible nagging feeling all day like there is a ton of stuff to do. We had a lot going on this past month, between birthdays and my brother's wedding. So in the back of my mind, I kept telling myself, ok just work hard this month and then things will slow down a bit.
But lets face the facts...this is my life now. Go! go! go! and don't stop because you'll crash. Life is not slowing down anytime soon. I'm looking forward to the day when Mason starts crawling, but I realize that means there will be even less opportunities to just wash the dishes real fast :) There will always be birthdays, weddings, and other life events. Throw in a couple more kids with school and sports schedules, and I'm pretty sure I'll just have an IV of espresso shots hooked up to me at all times.
Before I came back to work my husband read an article about full time working moms. And basically the article said that full time working moms need to accept that they simply can't do everything. I may not be able to cook dinner every night and I certainly won't have the cleanest house. So it dawned on me that I have been trying to just make Mason an addition to my already existing lifestyle and that is not going to work long term.
Last weekend was my brother's wedding, so Christina and Stefan were here to be their photographers. Christina graciously offered to take family pictures while she was here, so Chris and I decided to take Friday off from work. We spent the morning hanging out in the park, enjoying the sunshine, while Christina captured these special moments with Mason. I had such a wonderful relaxing time, playing with my family. We went straight downtown after pictures and then to my brother's rehearsal dinner. It was one of those rare days where I did not care about chores that needed to be done or worried about the tasks on my checklists. And what a treat it was!!
So as I tackle this new life adventure, I am reminded of what matters the most. TIME! Mason is growing so fast and he is only going to be 4 months old once. I need to stop and soak up the moments more often. Who cares if the dishes sit in the sink for 2 more days?! Do I want Mason to remember how clean our house was while he was growing up...or do I want him to remember all the days we played in the park?
Thanks Christina and Stefan for these wonderful pictures, I cannot wait to see the rest!!
