Parental Leave is OVER!

Last Friday, Dan officially went back to work. (Yes, I have been incredibly spoiled by having my husband home for 6 weeks of paid parental leave. It pays to work for the state.) I have been simultaneously looking forward to and dreading this event. I wanted him to go, because I craved the routine that him working provides. I am a Type A personality, and I need to have things orderly and scheduled. That's impossible when you have another adult under foot all the time. But I also dreaded it because, as much as I've complained (and complained, and complained) about having him home, I have depended on him a lot. It's very helpful to have a 1/1 ratio of adults to children. I was able to do things with one child and know that the other was being entertained or at least kept an eye on. I guess that, even though my pre-babies career involved caring for multiple children at a time, often by myself, I was nervous about being alone with my own two all day long.

It turns out that all of my worrying was for nothing though, because Friday was a perfect day. Stephanie was more well behaved than she has been since we brought the baby home. (I think she might take after me a little, and crave routine.) She entertained herself while I fed Joseph, went right to sleep for her nap, and was cheerful and helpful all day long. Joseph didn't nap, and wanted to be held a lot, but he did allow me to put him in his swing or vibrating chair for a few minutes at a time so I could pick up toys, wash dishes, and prepare bottles. We spent the afternoon going for a long walk in the double stroller, and playing on the quadrangle of the University where we live. I took beautiful pictures of Stephanie running through the leaves, giggling uncontrollably. Joseph napped in the stroller the entire time. It was one of those picture-perfect days, and I felt an empowering sense of "I can do this!"

I know that not every day will be perfect. There will be days of illness, tantrums, rainy or snowy days stuck inside, days where I get nothing done and get frustrated/annoyed with one or both children. But Friday wasn't one of those days. And while i'm sure you'll be hearing about it when one of those days does occur, for now I'm happy and content with the fact that we not only survived our first day alone, but actually enjoyed it!

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