On Being Laid Off

Alternate title "Maternity Leave Part II"

After 4 1/2 years of working for the same company, I was laid off on Friday.  It's the nature of the industry I'm in, and honestly, I'm lucky it didn't happen sooner.  But it happened so quickly and it seemed outrageous that I'd walk away from 4 1/2 years with 1 box and a handful of paperwork in the span of a couple of hours.

I met so many wonderful people at my company, the most important being my husband, and I am so thankful for everything I learned and all of the connections I made during my time there.     I didn't always love what I was doing, but I loved the people I worked with and I know that many of those relationships will last for years to come. 

Considering I wrote about how worried I was about returning to work earlier this month, it's most certainly a blessing that I get to be at home with my sweet boy again.  I still have loads of anxiety about being unemployed but I think we can swing it for a bit while we figure things out and in the meantime, I am going to take full advantage of Maternity Leave Part II because this boy is growing fast!

That being said, if anyone has any leads on some decent-paying temp jobs, I am all ears!

Cheers to the last day of January!  February is going to be a really great month for us and I am excited to get it started!

-T-

On Returning to Work

I've been contemplating a lot about these last 10 weeks as I regretfully countdown the last 2 before I have to return to work. My heart is so heavy. I love Duke, my sweet boy, more than I ever could have imagined...I literally feel like my chest could burst open most days. It's overwhelming yet exhilarating. It humbles me.  I think about all the hours I won't have with him and I selfishly pray that he never forgets that mama is his favorite (sorry hubs- you'll have your time too ;)) I want him to know that I will always be here for him, that if given the opportunity, I'd stay home with him in a heartbeat and that I truly ache, I love him so much. I just don't want him to forget me and us and the bond we've formed. I know he'll never remember these early days when he's older but I also truly believe in the importance of building this foundation of our relationship- based on love and trust and safety.

This face is everything.

I dream about living in a place with year-long maternity leave instead of a measly 12 weeks (if you're lucky and/or saved all your pennies to make it work).  12 weeks just isn't long enough.  But regardless, I have to suck it up, put on real pants, and venture back into the work place two weeks from now.  Anyone have tips or tricks to surviving this new transition? I feel like I just finally figured out the transition from working to new motherhood and I have a feeling this next step will be a million times harder.

That's all for now...

-T-