Mommy Goes Back to Work

Last Monday marked my first day back at work since Kinsey was born. I had been dreading it for some time, and I knew it was going to be incredibly hard leaving her. Well, it was. I cried each morning and thought about her all day long. I texted and emailed to see how she was doing and raced out the door as fast as I could to go home to be with her. Other working moms tell me it gets easier each day, and I certainly hope they are right because right now I feel sick to my stomach just thinking about not being with her during the day.

It's funny how much your priorities change when you have kids. I used to stay late each day at work and sometimes go in on the weekends. I hated getting up early and would sleep in as late as possible. Now, I get up when Kinsey gets up and I leave work as soon as I can to be with her. I pray that she sleeps all day long so I don't miss anything. I hold her in my arms if she falls asleep in the evening. I love feeding her and looking into her eyes as she drifts off to sleep. I just can't get enough of her.

There are a couple of positives about working that's holding me together. One is the fact that it will be all about family when I'm home from work. Housework, laundry, and schoolwork can wait. The beds don't need to be made every day. We can eat leftovers two nights in a row. There can be weeds in the garden. She is only going to be this little for such a short time, and I'm trying to savor every moment of it. Another positive is Kinsey will get close with her Grandma's. Grandparents can have such a special bond with their grandkids and I want Kinsey to have that. She will really grow to love them and be comfortable with them. I also love teaching and spending time with my students each day.

So keep us in your prayers over these next few weeks. Pray that each day gets easier and that I can trust God with his plans for our family. I pray that she adjusts to the new schedule, new routines, and new people in her life and that she is well taken care of. I also pray that my workload and Mitch's workload could be lightened so that we can spend even more time with her. I also pray that our marriage stays strong and that we can make time for each other through all the craziness. We just love being parents to our beautiful daughter!

Summer Vacations!

Mitch said the other day, "I think Kinsey has traveled more in her first 4 months of life, than I have in my own lifetime!" He might be right. We just arrived back from our 3rd and final vacation this summer. We've been busy! First, we celebrated Brandon and Jen's marriage on June 25th, followed by a beautiful week at the beach. The very next weekend, Mitch was in another wedding, for his best friend Steve Zerphy. In July, we took a weeklong roadtrip to Maine. We made stops in Cooperstown, NY, Freeport, ME, and Boothbay, ME before stopping in Bar Harbor. Our Maine trip was beautiful. We took two boat rides, saw Harbor Seals, ate lobster, and took in the breathtaking views of Acadia National Park. When we go back, we definitely want to spend more time in the National Park. On the way home, we stopped at West Point. It was a great trip with Dad and his friend Lucy--we covered over 1500 miles! The only negative was that Kinsey developed an extreme dislike for her car seat. Poor thing! Three weeks after Maine, we went camping at Bald Eagle State Park with Mitch's family. I wasn't so sure about camping with an infant, but it went better than expected. We bought a HUGE tent, that will last us for a long time. We set up Kinsey's pack and play and a chair to nurse her in. Most of the days went well, but we did spend one afternoon at Walmart to escape the heat. On the way back from camping, we stopped in Altoona to visit college roommates (Kristi and Dan), which was fun. We wished we could have stayed longer, but we had to get home for a bridal shower for Misha and Matt! Their wedding is September 5th. Needless to say, life doesn't slow down!

"Depression mode" is starting to seep in because school is starting in less than 2 weeks. I'm really struggling with leaving McKinsey and I hope we make the adjustment as easily as possible. There are some days when I just start crying and don't know how I will possibly get up every morning and say goodbye. I hope it makes me realize that the time I do get to spend with her needs to quality time. Dishes can wait. Laundry can pile up. School work now comes second to family (at all times). I'm praying that God helps us through this transition--I know he will-I just need to trust him.