Author: Emily

Yesterday was my first day back at work, and all four of us lived to tell about it. Barely. Getting up at 5:30 was AWESOME, let me tell you.

Once I got to work, I was immediately overwhelmed by the piles of stuff on my desk and the 1811 emails in my in-box. And before I could sort through much at all, it was time for a staff meeting. Take it from me – do not go back to work on the day of a staff meeting. Between that and not knowing when and where I was going to pump, I was pretty much ready to jump out the window. Actually I think my 11:00 IM to Jenny was something along the lines of “I hate this!” It got a little better as the day went on, though. Lunch with my friend at our favorite Mexican restaurant was nice, and the afternoon was too busy to be upset.

Andy, Sam and Kate did well together yesterday… they walked to the park and the library, which wore Kate out enough to actually take a nap. Sam, after some initial resistance, took his bottles well, and only had four during the time I was gone. That seems like a managable amout to pump, so I am feeling good about that at least.

All and all, it wasn’t quite as awful as I had expected, although I did miss them terribly. Yesterday also confirmed some things I had been contemplating before I left to have Sam, and I am more sure now than ever that it’s time to make some changes in my working life, and while I don’t really know what direction I want to go or exactly how to make it happen, I feel ready to take action and start to figure out what I really want to be when I grow up.

Thanks for all the support I received on all of my “But I don’t want my maternity leave to be over!” posts. I truly appreciate it!

Tomorrow we are going to attempt to drive to St. Louis, which is about a six hour drive from here. Anyone want to guess how long it will actually take us to get there??? I’m thinking 10 hours. Maybe more.

We go to STL every year for the 4th, to visit Andy’s grandpa, as Independence Day is also his birthday. This year he will turn 99. We are looking forward to introducing him to Sam, and Kate is very excited because she LOVES her great-grandpa.

We’re also meeting some friends there and going to a Cardinals game. We scored some sweet free tickets due to a disastrous trip there last year, so that will be fun. We are thinking of hitting the science center or Grant’s Farm while we’re there, too, because like many other things in St. Louis (the zoo, the Budweiser brewery), they are FREE. How awesome is that?

So anyway, I am looking forward to being in St. Louis, I’m just not looking forward to getting there. Or packing, which is on the agenda today. I don’t think our car can hold all the stuff necessary to take for two kids.

Anyone have survival tips for me? I know I shouldn’t drug the kids, but I’m thinking that drugging myself might not be such a bad idea. I mean, Andy will drive, so what would be the harm in me knocking myself out? It’s a better alternative than jumping out into oncoming traffic, don’t you think?