So how are we doing?

Hello! We are all about three weeks into the newest version of our new life--e.g., life with a baby AND two full-time working parents.

Overall, things are going so much better than I ever could have hoped. For me, going to work is great. I feel more like myself than I have since before I gave birth. Even though Elizabeth and I kept very active while on maternity leave, I'm a person that needs a pretty high level of activity to stay energized and positive.

Day care continues to go beautifully. I feel so blessed to take my daughter to a place Craig and I both feel very comfortable with. I love dropping her off at Roz' house on these fresh spring mornings, talking to Roz about how Elizabeth was the night before, seeing the older kids stream out of the living room exclaiming "Elizabeth!" or telling me that they have new shoes or ate pizza or went to the potty. Even more I love pulling up in the driveway in the afternoon, with the little day care family gathered on the front porch, Elizabeth and Thomas (her day care buddy who was born 2 days after she was) dozing in their carseats while Roz tells me about her day. Day care has become an extension of community, an extension of family.

The most challenging part about this whole new routine is managing my own time. Elizabeth and I come home and I spend as much one-on-one time with her as possible, sitting and "chatting" with each other or playing together on the floor. I've managed to get dinner on the table about two nights so far. After she gets to bed around 9:00, I spend the rest of the evening washing bottles, fixing bottles for the next day, and making our lunches. Then I inevitably stay up at least an hour past what I intended (like right now!) so I can squeeze in a blog post, a quick exercise (okay, that's hardly every happened), a small chore like folding a basket of laundry.

It's a whirlwind, and often a struggle. There are times when I wonder if I will ever have hobbies again. I feel like the only thing I've been accomplishing is getting the laundry done each week and keeping us fed. It's spring now, and my flower beds are longing to be perked up with annuals that have yet to be bought. The most elaborate meal I've made so far has been ready-made barbecue chicken sandwiches with a side of pickles and strawberries. And all around me, closets are disorganized and mail and paperwork piles up in the study.

And slowly, I'm learning that this is all okay.