Part- Time?

Today is the day...I find out in 30 minutes if my position has been approved to be reduced to a part-time role. I proposed this to my boss two weeks ago, and he was very supportive...we have been working together to get this approved by his boss and HR so that I can stay connected to my werk without having to commit myself full-time.

This would be the ideal of all ideal werk scenarios...and it was pretty nerve wracking to ask for it...because I already feel extremely blessed by the flexible nature of my werk.from.home gig. But, with Jake going to work full time on the night shift, and it being a priority that we are our Babe's primary care providers...something had to give. And it wasn't going to be Jake's sleep!

Plus, if money were no issue, I'd love to be home full time until our family was 'complete' and all the kiddos were in school...alas...we're not *quite* there yet financially. Our needs are met and our bills would be paid, it would just feel a little tight.

Also, considering I'll head back to the full time world at some point in my life, it feels better to keep my feet in the water. It gives my resume more street cred, instead of a gaping 'professional' hole. Unfortunately, it doesn't look very good to have a line on there that says "stay-at-home-mom"...although in my opinion, it should!

So...werk from home about 20 hours a week and have my husband watch our Babe in the mean time? We shall see...

Sound Proof

Quick...where is the most sound proof place in your home?

In the midst of back-to-back phone calls and conference call meetings, I quickly learned that if I wanted to be worry free about baby background noise, I needed to set up the home.office in a sound proof spot. ASAP.

The last few days, a nosy neighbor would have spied me trekking to and from our Jeep carrying a notebook and pen, laptop, and cell phone...and camping out in the back seat. My home office during conference calls has started looking more like this:

 

Perhaps if we had a basement I would hole up there...but for now, this gets the job done and keeps up the 'sound' of professionalism on my end of the line. 

I used to picture myself werking out of coffee shops like 50% of the time, but I have survived enough brutal calls with co-werkers who are camped out next to the steamer or noisy customers in Starbucks...that background noise is not conducive to a clear phone connection. I'll stick with Pedro the Laredo for the time being. ;)

 

1 year later

My oh my. It's been one whole year since that little '+' showed up on my at home pregnancy test! It's hard to believe that after 40 weeks and 6 days of pregnancy, 7 hours of labor, and 3 1/2 months of living...our lives have completely been transformed by our sweet babe.

My littlest nephew was also born a year ago, so September 7 is apparently a very 're-productive' day in our family:). I remember my sister begging me to tell her my news (I had been telling her I had a hunch I was pregnant for a week or so), but I refused to announce it to the family on Luke's big arrival day...our news could wait at least a day to give Luke his grand entrance to this beautiful world of ours.

There's nothing like skyping into your sister's hospital room, meeting your nephew over a webcam and letting everyone know you're going to be adding to the family as well! I remember when we called my dad, he sounded as if the White Sox had won the World Series...and my in-laws were so excited they forgot to hang up the phone so Jake and I got to listen to their screams and cries of joy a little longer than they knew.

On a day like today, I wholeheartedly believe that Life is such a gift.

Meeting Luke on Skype

Proof of life!

First Day

Why is it that the Tuesday after Labor Day feels so distinct? It smacks of 'new beginning' more than any other Tuesday-after-a-Monday holiday. Perhaps because my subconscious is dredging up all of the first day of school memories, with a new back pack on my back, a carefully chosen outfit, and a bleary-eyed snapshot of me by our mailbox on Merion Drive. First day jitters would always bubble beneath the surface, caused by a new routine in a new classroom, with a new teacher and classmates...funny how it usually only took a day or two for those jitters to completely disappear. There's just something for me about having a bit of structure, and once I've made sense of it and found my place within it...I'm off to the races!

This Tuesday there's also a slight sense of mourning, as we say goodbye to summer and welcome that cool bite of Fall in the morning air. This summer was the most incredibly life changing one I've ever had. It was also the most unstructured...waking and sleeping with our sweet babe, pushing laundry loads through the cycle on demand, and coaxing smiles and laughs out of the little one with no concept of time.

I'm starting back to werk full time today, and I am incredibly thankful for the past three months, but also kind of sad that our blissful little world of uninterrupted bonding time is having some boundaries placed upon it. I have so much peace of mind knowing that Jake is providing care and love for her, as I'm confident my heart would break in half if I had to place her in daycare. This mama's just not cut out for that.

So, here goes nothing. As many head back to school today, I head back to werk. Maybe if I had actually changed out of my Pj's, I could've taken a picture by the mailbox for old time's sake. Sorry, Mom! :)

slightly wrong season...but this is my childhood home. From my first day of preschool through the day I left for college, this is the backdrop of many-a-first-day-of-school pictures!