Back to Work

Today was my first day back at work since Peyton was born. I have been dreading this day for the past 12 weeks because it would mean that I wouldn't be at home with my baby. I have become more attached to Peyton than I could have ever imagined (it really is true what they say about a mother's/parent's love), but I also knew in my head that I wanted to continue to work in some capacity because Peyton isn't going to be a baby for forever, and I am sure I will be happy that I continued my career 10 years from now. So, back to work I went this morning.

I woke up around 6:15 to get ready for the day before I had to wake Peyton up at 7. I fed Peyton and we played for about 45 minutes (she was in such a good mood; it was a really sweet time together).

Lauren (our sitter for the day) came over while we were hanging out, but I stayed to put Peyton down for her first nap of the day a little before 8. I quickly finished getting ready and headed off to work. I wasn't as sad leaving the house as I thought I would be because Peyton was sleeping when I left, and it wasn't like I was missing anything at that exact moment. She also seemed to really like Lauren (she kept smiling at her), which made me feel better. I would have been crushed if Peyton seemed scared of Lauren or cried around her.

When I got to work, I was reminded of how blessed I am to have some of the best coworkers! They had decorated my cube to welcome me back!!

It made me feel so loved and made the day that much better :) I caught up with my boss a little later and was reminded again of how blessed I am to have such an awesome boss that understands how difficult it is to return to work after having a baby. He has three kids and his wife worked after the first two.

Since I work so close to home (about 10 minutes), I went home during lunch to see my baby girl! I got there in time to feed Peyton the last half of her bottle and play with her for about 30 minutes before I had to go back to work. It was so relieving when she smiled at me that first time after I returned home. I know it's silly, but I had this fear that she wouldn't remember me or would be mad at me for leaving her. She gave me lots of smiles and reassured me that she still knows and loves me :)

The afternoon was a little harder, but I had a lot to do; so, the time went by quickly. Matt called at 4 to let me know he was home already! That made me feel so much better to know that Peyton had her daddy at home. I left work around 5:15 and was home by 5:30. As I pulled into the garage, the door opened and Matt and Peyton were there waiting for me...such a wonderful sight!! She rewarded me with a few more smiles to reassure me that yes, she still remembers me and loves me :) I fed her, we played, gave her a bath and put her to bed by 7:45. It was a great 2 hr and 45 minutes; Peyton was super happy and in such a great mood.

Overall, it was a much better first day back at work than I had imagined. Thank you God for reassuring me that this is what I should be doing and that we, as a family, will be more than okay!