See Evan Grow: April 26 -- Last Day

Well, today was my last day of maternity leave. I haven't really mentally prepared myself for the fact that from now on, I will be going to work and Evan will be going to daycare. Up until now, it's all been academic ... even when we sent him all those days, I still had the option to go and get him whenever I wanted. I have a feeling this is going to be harder than I thought.

Part of me is excited to get back to work, resume some semblance of an adult life, and have some time to myself. I will actually get to go to the bathroom when I actually need to ... that will be nice. I'll also be able to eat breakfast and lunch when I start to feel hungry, and I may even be able to linger over them. I will not have to worry about how to fill my days ... because let's be honest, trying to entertain a 3 month old for an entire day CAN be mind-numbing if you don't get out and do some things.

However, the other part of me is having a very difficult time knowing that this is the last time I will ever be able to spend this kind of time with Evan. Although staying at home and raising a newborn is easily the most challenging thing I have ever done, I would not trade it for anything in this world.

I think that staying at home and going out to work both have their sets of challenges. On one hand, you could conceivably go quietly bonkers staying at home 24-7 with your kid, particularly if that kid is really fussy, which thankfully Evan is not. On the other hand, going out to work means I will miss a lot of really terrific things, like watching his eyes light up when he makes some sort of connection. Oh, I am going to miss that very much.

However, this is the best thing for Evan, as it will allow us to make sure that he can have all that he needs. So ... onward and upward.

We spent our day together with family in Virginia, and we had such a great time!!

Take my bottle and you'll pay!!