I packed two bags to leave the house Monday morning. One bag contained my laptop, day planner and to-do lists that are out of date. The other bag was for Sophia who spent the day at her grandparents’ house. It was my first day back at work after ten weeks of maternity leave.

Work was everything that I expected it to be - a lot to get caught up on and somewhat overwhelming. The juices in my brain that have been stagnant for a couple of months started pumping again and I already have plenty of tasks to add to a new fresh to-do list.

But leaving Sophia at 8:30 in the morning was harder than I thought it would be when I planned my return to work.

My in-laws generously offered to watch Sophia for a few weeks while I transition back into my job. This is a blessing because as hard as it was for me to leave her at their house this morning, I imagine it would have been even harder to drive away from a child care center without the baby in the car. I’m not looking forward to that day, which is coming sometime soon. My heart goes out to parents who don’t even have ten weeks to enjoy their newborn.

While I am grateful for the FMLA time I was able to use during my first weeks with Sophia, and the short-term disability benefits my company offers, I can’t help but long to live in California. Or Canada.

Posted by Nicole McMullin in • Parenting • New Momma
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