I hesitated to write this post because I know someone will throw it back at me and say "See? THIS is why women should stay at home. You can't do both things at once. I was right all along."
I'm less than a month in as a working mom and I've already had two absolutely horrible mornings. Two weeks ago I managed to forget my pump parts and didn't discover the problem until I was about to head to the library for a pumping session. That left me with boobs on the verge of explosion, having to borrow my co-workers SUV to drive to the lactation center at the hospital and invest in a THIRD SET of pump parts, one of which now permanently resides in my office.
Then there was today. It started out ok, prodding a sniffly C along so that we could get ourselves together, get the baby ready, and get out of the house on time. I got out of the shower and found that my hair dryer was fried. Luckily, my crappy hair is just long enough for some pigtails. Unfortunately, with my hair pulled back I look like walking death without makeup, so I had to put some on.
Poor Baby C has a cold, so I had to suck his snot, give him his eye drops, change him, feed him, and get him dressed while C was slower than freaking molasses getting out the door. We were already off to a late start, then we got stuck in a traffic jam because Cincinnati peeps can't drive when it's raining. We get to daycare and I find that he didn't grab the diaper bag like I asked him to on the way out the door, while I'm juggling my stuff for work, pump bag, and baby in his carrier. Too much stuff needs to get out of the house with me every morning.
We need to go home to get the bag with the bottles, but C needs to go to work first, so we drive all the way to the factory. I finally get on the highway to go home and there's a huge pile-up. I make it home, run in to get the diaper bag, and head back to daycare, crossing my fingers that Baby C doesn't wake up, because I know he's hungry by this point. I have bad luck, so he wakes up SCREAMING. By this time I'm on the highway and can't do anything about it.
We finally get to daycare and I stay to feed him, so he doesn't think I'm evil mom. I roll into work at 9:30, two whole hours late. Thankfully, the pres decided to take the week off. Whew!
Because of perfect timing, Baby C is experiencing a growth spurt and hasn't slept through the night in about a week. He was up TWICE last night. What's up with that?
I need a system. Mornings are crazy, our house is a disaster area, and laundry has been folded but not put away since my last weekend of maternity leave. It gets better, right? Thank god it's a 2 day week.
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So, you had a bad morning...don't we all? Being a working Mom has NOTHING to do with bad days! Personally, I am proud of you guys getting things in order financially, for your future and the sacrifices you are making. This is YOUR life and your baby...not some judgemental busybody's. Have a vodka drink when you get home tonight!
ReplyDeleteNo matter what you do you will always have those that make comments about your choice. You are a great mom and everyone has bad days. I'm choosing to stay at home and people I work with make semi-rude comments about my staying home all the time. People just feel like they need to judge no matter what you do.
ReplyDeleteBe cool ;). You already solved your problem.
ReplyDelete"I need a system."
Its as simple as that. And really, from the way you wrote it, it sounds like you guys are 80% of the way towards having one anyways. Now will it work to perfection every day? Absolutely not, but it'd be boring if it did anyways, wouldn't it? ;)
Oh, and the idea that someone would have the audacity to pass judgement on your life based on the fact that you had a morning that sucked is.. curious? You've known me long enough to know the long-winded chain of expletives I would use to describe someone who nosed into another's personal business like that ;). Pay them no mind.
You'll get it together, I promise. It just takes time. You're going to try some things and they won't work and you'll try others and they will. It's all trial and error.
ReplyDeleteBelieve me, whether you're working outside of the home or in, we all have to do the same things in order to leave the house.
It will get better!
I've been back to work for 9 weeks now and I still have my mornings where things are a little off. Unfortunately, if I forget my pump parts, I'm stuck being horribly engorged because I don't have the time to run back home...students come at 7:30 no matter how late I'm running.
ReplyDeleteIt definitely takes a system and what works for one mom/family doesn't work for another. It helps me to put everything together and near the door so that I can't leave without tripping over it. It may take me an extra 10-20 minutes to make sure I have all my stuff together, but it works for me.