A Year and a Half
My baby turned a year and a half the first of the month. My baby is really not even a baby anymore, but I don't care about that technicality. She is my youngest so that makes it right to call her that. It's really amazing how fast time goes by. The days, the weeks, the months...all 18 of them in her life. My other "babies" are quickly approaching 6. How did that happen?
When the trio was born, I had to sadly return to work a way-too-short 8 weeks afterwards. They were still so tiny, so fragile. I had to find a way to balance working full-time and being a mom full-time. It was a tough time for me. I always believed that I wanted to work to support my family in that capacity. It all stems from my upbringing. I knew I had to be responsible because that was how life worked. I never anticipated marrying a man so perfect for me and having such a good relationship with him. I never anticipated how all-consuming the love for your children would be. I never thought that spending so much time doing nothing more than hanging out with my husband and children would bring me more happiness than I've ever known. And I never, ever thought that my dream 'career' in life would be motherhood.
The last year and a half in my life have been more different than any other 18 month timeframe. That's saying a lot if you know me well enough. There have been some pretty rough spells through the years. The changes brought about by a birth that happened some 18 months ago have been life altering. Daycare for 4 children would have exceeded my salary, so something drastic was going to have to happen, like it or not. I am so incredibly fortunate to work for a company that was able to accommodate me. I switched my job role a bit and went down to part time working from home. That meant I had full responsiblity of all four younglings in my house, but also didn't have to worry about the juggle of daycare, commuting, all that other stuff. To some, this sounds more frightening than my previous arrangement. For me, it's been heaven. Challenging to balance everything of course, but my life is more in balance right now than ever before. Doesn't mean there aren't things that are hard, but it's in perspective because I know it could be worse. I have missed NOT ONE of my baby's firsts. Not a single, solitary one. And my relationship with my other "babies" is better as well. More time to spend with them...especially important now that formal education has begun.
I'm really thankful for the last year and a half of my life. I hope most of all, my children have been, too!
