I'm so lucky!

or blessed either way you call it...I took certain things for granted until today. Yesterday and days before I was dreading going back to work full time and wishing I could just stay with my baby. I know a couple of moms that just quit after their child was born. I always knew I wouldn't be one of the (not that there's anything wrong with it) mom's that can't wait to get back to work and back to "adulthood." I don't miss work, stimulating conversations, meetings, dressing up etc at all. But I am going back to work because I do love my career and I don't want to quit just yet. So after five months with Leon, I'm approaching my deadline to go back to work full time.

Today I went to Leon's Orientation at daycare. This is his real, permanent day care. The other place from last week was just for drop in while I had my three random training days in Oct. His new daycare is on a military base and is very structured and organized. I'm excited about it! They actually have lesson plans and schedules (as scheduled as one can be with infants). The other place just seemed to hold, vibrate or rock the kids all day. Also the new place will be making their own baby food starting in January. Right now they provide all the food (except for course breast milk).

Anyways getting to the point of the posting and picture:

The picture is from our trip to Williamsburg when Leon was six weeks old. Today at the daycare orientation I spoke to another mom who's baby was tiny. I asked her how hold her child was and she said six weeks (and there was another who was probably the same age). She asked me and I said 5 months. Then she said, "Oh did you all just move here?" I said, "No, ...um...we're just starting now." She gave me a look that I'll never forget. Then we had to move on to something else. Six weeks. Six weeks. Wow! So many moms have to go back to work after six weeks. Man, I can't imagine going back to work when Leon was six weeks old! That's before smiles and giggles and before I could do sit down and enjoy breakfast. He was so tiny at six weeks. I was still breastfeeding like 24-7 and not sleeping that much. I can't imagine going to work at that point. How do you pump enough milk at that point? That's tough.

I'm so lucky/blessed that I will have had almost six full months at home with Leon. I would love more but I am happy to have had the experiences that I have had.