Birthday Celebrations (Week 11, Day 4)

How big is Mommy?

Today happens to be my birthday, and I'm so thankful to be on maternity leave to celebrate it! It was a simple day, filled with much if the same everyday activities, but Phil took the afternoon off, so the day was that much sweeter spending it with my little family. We started the afternoon by dropping off supplies at Maddy's daycare. Phil had not been there since our first visit and therefore needed to know the basics of the drop offs and pick ups. Once again the women who were going to care for my babe were kind, patient, and supportive.

Lunch followed, with Phil and I having a long discussion about my maternity leave ending, and me returning to work. I am lucky to have such a supportive husband - he is fine with whatever I would like to do in regards to work, is fully supportive of me returning to work, and understands how important it is to me to find a balance between having a career and being a mother. I truly believe having both will be beneficial for myself and for my children.

The rest of the day was spent piddling around the house, with a nice afternoon walk. One of my favorite things nowadays is doing nothing with my little family, and the afternoon was a gift in itself.

As a birthday present, my sister came to babysit Madeline, so Phil and I could enjoy an adult dinner. There were many little birthday pleasantries to be grateful for:

1. My pre-pregnancy dress fit. You know, the dress in your closet that you can only pull off when your looking and feeling skinny? That one.

2. I was able to eat dinner with both hands. One hand did not have to be used to rock a baby stroller.

3. We were able to take our time. No worry about an eruption of tears or a breast feeding emergency.

4. I was able to have an evening of full conversations with my husband, with no distractions or interruptions.

5. We were able to go to a new fancy non-kid friendly restaurant. No strollers or wee ones to be seen, just dim lighting, soft background music, and a restaurant oozing with sheek ambiance.

As you can tell from this blog, I adore my daughter, and cherish our time together. However every mommy should take a break now and then to do non-mommy things and clear their heads, and dinner was just that. I was amazed about how giddy I was to just be out alone with my husband and eat oysters, drink wine, and just enjoy 'us' time as a couple. I didn't realize how much I needed that break and adult time until we were actually having it - I guess the constant activity and drain that comes with all the mommy responsibilities had become so natural I didn't realize had much it had taken out of me.

To top off the evenings festivities, we came home to a happy sister that was able to put Maddy to sleep with no issue. All in all, the evening was a success for everyone!