Gumby

Today my little man put his foot in his mouth. It was hysterical. About a week ago he discovered his feet and has been non-stop fascinated with them since then. He's been reaching for them and doing toe touches whenever possible. For a couple of days, he's been working hard to get them in his mouth (along with everything else he touches) and today he was successful. Yes, it made him the happiest kid in the world, grinning up a storm. Then, I gave him a bath and he was such a wiggly worm trying to get his feet that I had to hurry up the bath and get him out. No more bathing him alone for awhile.

So, I've been working for two months now, thinking that it would get easier to be away as the days went by but it hasn't really happened. I miss spending time with the little guy, and the holidays made that more difficult because we were together nonstop for two weeks. So many women have gone through this experience and I find that the emotional responses are vastly different. Some want to be at work; some know before the baby even arrives that they want to be home. It's been an important learning experience for me, given how different I feel from some of my friends. We are all individuals on this front and have personal preferences and emotional responses, just as some babies are criers and some are sleepers. We must be open to and respectful of others' differences and preferences, recognizing that ours is only one reaction of many. I feel confident in my decision to work part-time and I've had to do some listening to my gut and filter that away from public and societal expectations and pressures. While I could probably succeed professionally and continue to gain responsibilities on the workplace, I'm content to let go of that part of my life for some time in order to be the kind of mom I want to be.

Being a mom has helped me to recognize how precious life is and encouraged me to soak in each moment, knowing that he will change in the blink of an eye.