Working Mom

I just finished my first week as a "working mom" and I'm...exhausted. I think the most difficult part of all this for me is only having 2 or 3 hours a day to spend with Zoe. I miss her terribly. Prior to Zoe's arrival, I worked hard to advance my career and almost always worked more than 40 hours a week. Now, for the first time in my life, I'm a clock watcher. I literally can't wait until I can get out of the office every day and go get my girl.

Zoe is doing really well at school*, but drop-off is still a nightmare. She gets very upset when we have to leave her and the tears now start while we're still at home in the morning. Every day when she wakes up, she asks whether she'll be "home" today. And then this morning she was helping me with laundry and when I was folding the sheet that she uses for her bed at school, she started to cry. It would be less painful if someone ripped my heart out with a spoon.

So, the good news is that after she gets over that initial sad period first thing in the morning-- she has a great day. Her teacher, Miss Donna, sends home a report each day of all their activities, books they read, what she ate, nap schedule, etc. The first couple of days, Zoe didn't particpate much and was glued to the teaching assistant. By Wednesday, she was falling alseep on her own at nap time, participating in games, dancing and doing the art projects. When I go to pick her up, I like to peek in the window for a minute to see what she's up to before she knows I'm there. On Friday, she was helping with clean up and happily reorganizing all of the toys. Each day she gets a little more comfortable with her new routine. However, the first thing she says to me each day at pick-up is "Mommy....HOME!"

From Zoe in the Yard

(*We call it "school" at home instead of daycare because our neighborhood bus stop is right in front of our house and Zoe loves to watch the kids come and go to school every day. We figured the positive association might help the situation.)