I Have a 2-Month Old (yay!) and I'm Going Back to Work (boo!)

This past week was everything I needed and more of what I wanted.  It was great.  I got to spend some unrushed, quality time with my parents; gained confidence in my ability to take care of 'Rad by myself; got to spend time with my sisters, their kids, and my cousin and his family; and celebrated Connor's baptism with a houseful of friends and family.  I was a little anxious about spending more than seven days with my parents, but it ended up being a really relaxing break, and I arrived in Madison last night with my batteries recharged, a fresh perspective, and a new found motivation to make it happen (just like the Mariah Carey song but minus the bad singing).  The leaves may be falling and the world may be going dormant, but I'm ready to bring myself back to life.

With Lola Ebs in Plymouth, MI

With Lolo Charlie in Sturgis

Let me put that differently - I'm not trying to bring myself back to life.  I'm trying to redefine and recreate myself and a big part of that is facing my fears, one of them being my ability to approach people and not be embarrassed by myself or what I'm pursuing.  To that end, I've started selling Avon.  It may not seem like my gig, but I'm enjoying it and have made a few ego-boosting sales!  I hate to sound surprised, but Avon has some really great stuff, especially for the holidays (hello, great stocking stuffers).  If you're interested in taking a look, visit my estore or shoot me a message and I'd be happy to mail you a paper catalog (I always find catalog browsing to be more fun).

I'm not the only one planning on growing; C-rad has started sleeping for 6+ hours at night!  It's funny how something that you so want can scare you.  The first night he slept for that long I freaked out, thinking that something bad had happened to him and mortified by the thought that he must be starving.  The next day after he slept 6+ hours long again, I had to ask my sister if he was ok.  Tonight, if we're so lucky again, I'm going to enjoy it before it's stripped from me.  There always seem to be steps back before big leaps forward when it comes to a baby's development.

Ready to be one of the big kids 

Did I mention that he's smiling now?  Well, he is and it's awesome

So, this week is my last week of maternity leave.  I'm astonished at how quickly it went, considering how torturous it first was when we brought Connor home.  I'll admit that I'm not completely opposed to the idea of going back to work, it's the fact that I'll only have a few waking hours with 'Rad every day that I strongly dislike.  As I sit here typing and alternately ooshing over C and his delicious baby belly and babble, I'm  grossly understating the reasons why I'm opposed to going back to work next week...I think that every work day for the next couple of weeks is going to feel like a rainy day, and not the kind that you welcome.  I'll be drinking a lot of coffee this month and probably using a lot of kleenex.  New moms keep the economy runnning!

P.S.  I just uploaded some new pictures on flickr (including two shots of him as a raging Batman), so check out my flickr badge to the right for more C-rad, 'Rad, Rad-a-dude, Connor, and Conrado.