and both parents are back to work!!
I started my leave from Mitel exactly 3 years ago to the day today! Wow! How time flies!
Maya likely does not remember the time when she was with my mom and Lori, so for all she knows I or Grant has been with her since she was born, Natasha has been so fortunate to have her parents at home for her whole life, and Jaida, as well, but she is still a baby!!
I am sad today, I had always thought that the girls would grow up with me at home (or at least a parent), for their younger years at least, but the reality is, we are not quite ready to give up some of the little luxurious that the extra income brings us.
I do realize that we have been so fortunate to be able to home with the girls for this long!! But, we do leave them in very capable hands, Melissa. She is wonderful with the girls, and most importantly the girls just love her! Natasha claps her hands in excitement, knowing that Melissa is coming over!
So, as the next few weeks will be a period of adjustment. I feel better in knowing that we will be lying on the sunny beaches of Mexico in just over 4 short weeks! :)
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Monday, November 3, 2008
The Best Laid Plans
I went to work today for the first time in 8 months, my first day of work since February 29th! Thinking back to February, man, did I have plans for this parental leave.
Eight months is enough time to train for a very decent marathon. At the very least I would get more biking in than I have since ’99. On January 1st, I actually started riding the rollers in the basement to prepare my legs for the ensuing punishment that all my free time would unleash upon them. Three times a week I would get up early and ride my bike in the basement before going to work. And don’t forget about the house, a more complete and finished house has ever existed!
The reality, there were times when I could barely find the time to go to the bathroom! Seriously, I remember telling Maya to make sure Natasha didn’t bother Jaida. Imagine that – telling a 4 year old to make sure a 2 year old doesn’t bother a 3 month old, just so you can go the bathroom!
Take away the indoor biking I did in January and February, and I biked less this year than last year. And there is no very decent marathon in my near future. And the house, well, part of the basement did get cleaned and some light fixtures went up, but none of that happened until October when our caregiver started working 2 or 3 mornings a week so that she and the girls could get acquainted.
So what did I do with my 8 months? Basically, I spent a lot of time with my girls.
Jaida was 3 months old when this started. Just giver her 2.5 ounces of milk every 2.5 hours and she was happy. Now she’s eating whatever the rest of us are having. She used to nap a lot and I would just carry her around in her carseat. Natasha was still wearing diapers. I just noticed last week that she can now reach and turn the coffee maker on by herself. And Maya, what can I say about her? Outgrowing her clothes every month aside, she made this parental leave relatively easy. Not just by being a great kid, but she really was a big help to me in taking care of her sisters.
So I was a little naïve in what I initially thought I could do with 8 months away from work but I have no complaints. I just hope the girls have no long-term ill effects from spending so much time with me!
Eight months is enough time to train for a very decent marathon. At the very least I would get more biking in than I have since ’99. On January 1st, I actually started riding the rollers in the basement to prepare my legs for the ensuing punishment that all my free time would unleash upon them. Three times a week I would get up early and ride my bike in the basement before going to work. And don’t forget about the house, a more complete and finished house has ever existed!
The reality, there were times when I could barely find the time to go to the bathroom! Seriously, I remember telling Maya to make sure Natasha didn’t bother Jaida. Imagine that – telling a 4 year old to make sure a 2 year old doesn’t bother a 3 month old, just so you can go the bathroom!
Take away the indoor biking I did in January and February, and I biked less this year than last year. And there is no very decent marathon in my near future. And the house, well, part of the basement did get cleaned and some light fixtures went up, but none of that happened until October when our caregiver started working 2 or 3 mornings a week so that she and the girls could get acquainted.
So what did I do with my 8 months? Basically, I spent a lot of time with my girls.
Jaida was 3 months old when this started. Just giver her 2.5 ounces of milk every 2.5 hours and she was happy. Now she’s eating whatever the rest of us are having. She used to nap a lot and I would just carry her around in her carseat. Natasha was still wearing diapers. I just noticed last week that she can now reach and turn the coffee maker on by herself. And Maya, what can I say about her? Outgrowing her clothes every month aside, she made this parental leave relatively easy. Not just by being a great kid, but she really was a big help to me in taking care of her sisters.
So I was a little naïve in what I initially thought I could do with 8 months away from work but I have no complaints. I just hope the girls have no long-term ill effects from spending so much time with me!
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