Real Moms Drink Coffee

I am a mom. I drink lots of coffee. I drank coffee when I was pregnant, and while I was (and still am) breastfeeding. Having two kids, a cat that thinks he's a dog and a husband who sleeps through everything (including screaming babies) will do that to you. If the last five years has taught me anything at all, it is that real moms do whatever they can to survive. So sit back, grab a latte and enjoy the ride...

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Changes

I officially started back to work a few weeks ago, and lo and behold, I have already become a blog slacker (blacker? slog?). Sigh. But I am here now and promise to be better!

In many ways, it's like I never left...like I put my "work self" on pause for a year and when I pressed the play button, I just started up where I left off. I was so afraid that I had forgotten everything, and that I would be absolutely useless to anyone for a while. But it all came flooding back pretty much as soon as I stepped through the office doors. Yes, some things have changed. I have a new office, for one. It has a fresh paint job, and is definitely cleaner than my old office. And at least once a day, I walk past it, forgetting that it is where I "live" now. I am also in charge of a whole list of new products that I know nothing about, which is both exciting and frustrating. To be honest, it makes me feel smart to have a bookshelf full of engineering and computer science books. That is, until someone asks me a question about them...

But perhaps the most significant change has to do with me. I came back as a different person. Not just in a 10lbs-heavier-saggy-boobed-tired-mom sort of way either. If this last year has taught me anything, it is that every single moment in life is important, and fleeting. I learned how to slow down, and just live. Even on my worst days, when Kailyn had been screaming for hours, and all I wanted to do was have a nap or eat lunch, I just kept reminding myself that she wouldn't be that little again...and someday I would look back and wonder where the years went. So, I made a pact with myself to enjoy every moment. And now, I can honestly say I am a calmer, happier person.

So now, on those days when I start getting stressed at work, I plan to try and take the same approach as I did with my screaming baby and repeat, "nothing lasts forever, just enjoy every moment." And if that doesn't work, then I plan to move to strategy #2: nothing is as bad as natural childbirth. If I can deal with that, I can deal with anything.