corsage

When you work in a restaurant, chances are you have to work on Mother's Day - one of the busiest days of the year. Definitely not my first choice for the way I'd like to spend my special day, but I've accepted it because this is the road I've chosen so that I'm able to stay at home with Kyle the majority of the time. Last year I happened to be on maternity leave on Mother's Day, but two years ago I remember seeing the mommies wear their corsages at work (a gift from our manager) and wishing so badly that I would be able to wear one some day. I was in the thick of trying to get pregnant and wanting to be a mommy more than anything in the world. Little did I know, I would get pregnant with Kyle just one month later!

The corsage was such a small token for us moms who were working all day and who would much rather be at home with our babies, but it made me happy because it represents something so special. We're all moms... including ME! As my co-worker pinned the corsage to my uniform, I couldn't help but tear up because it made me think of how badly I wanted to wear this flower two years before. It made me think of Kyle at home with his dad, and how much I love being his mom. It made my hectic day just a little bit sweeter, because I knew my boys were spending time together and waiting for MOM (ME!!!) to get home from work. It was a reminder of why I'm there and it meant so much.

my fellow mommies at work

working with baby

I feel so fortunate that I'm only away from Kyle for 21 hours/week for work. I'm home Tuesday-Thursday and most of Friday, and still can't believe that I don't have to wake up at 6 am on those days and head to the office - something I'd grown accustomed to doing for the past 8 years.

It's relatively easy to head to the restaurant for my bartending shifts; I miss my baby, but I know he's in good hands (with my hub or mother in law) and that I'll be home soon to spend lots of time with him. I can go to work, make some cash and come home to a happy, fed, well-rested (or sleeping) baby. 

But I recently added to my schedule some working from home for my former company - which is proving to be a whole new challenge. When I have conference calls, do I need a babysitter or hope Kyle will be in a good mood for those 30 minutes? Do I push his nap up (or back) 30 minutes so he'll be asleep by the time my call starts? Do I try and take the call while driving so he's content back there... but then how will I take notes? Do I turn on a Baby Einstein video and do the call down the hallway? What happens when it's over? What if he starts crying?!

That's been my typical train of thought for the past 2 weeks. I've done 5 calls, with varying results:

• Call #1: I had my mother in law come over and watch him - easy. But she's not available every day! 
• Call #2 was scheduled during Kyle's typical naptime, except on that particular day he decided that instead of going right to sleep like he usually does, he'd rather cry his eyes out for 20 minutes (while I try and concentrate on the call and watch him on the monitor in agony) and fall asleep exactly 2 minutes before my call was over. 
• Call #3: I asked my friend Heather to come over and watch him, and the call lasted 9 minutes. Poor Heather drove all the way over with her daughter for a 9-minute babysitting session. (Bonus: it left us time to get lunch together)
• Call #4: I asked my sister to come over, and then the call was canceled at the last second. She was happy to have some time with her nephew, but I felt terrible she came out of her way for nothing. 
• Call #5: Today, my call was rescheduled for 2:30 instead of 3 - Kyle's usual naptime. Amazingly, the stars aligned and he laid quietly in his crib at 2:25 and then fell right asleep at 2:31 and is still sleeping an hour later. If only every call went as perfectly as today's!

After these initial calls are over (I have 2 more), I'll be able to make my own schedule and write whenever Kyle is asleep... but this has been a good lesson on how challenging it can be to work at home with a baby. No more lounging in bed in PJs with a laptop and cup of coffee, perusing the internet until it's time to call in :)