Back to Reality

For the past 12 weeks, every moment of every day has been consumed by this...

In the beginning, it was challenging, to say the least (and that's putting it mildly!). But together, we have survived. There has been a little of this:

Thankfully, there has also been a lot of this:

Finally, instead of simply surviving, we are beginning to thrive. We are adjusting to this new version of normal, one in which we wash ten bottles and at least one load of laundry daily (compared to when it was just the two of us and we did dishes about once a week and laundry only when we ran out of clean clothes). We rock babies and sing lullabies instead of relaxing on the couch and watching The Office. Our world now revolves around them, rather than us.

Just when I've settled into this new phase of life, it's time to adjust again. Tomorrow ends my brief reign as a stay-at-home-mom. Tomorrow, I will begin working toward a new normal once again. I am not dreading going back to work in the way that I was afraid I might. I know I will miss devoting my days to caring for them, and I will truly miss the early morning naps on the couch and the silly songs in the afternoon. However, I function much, much better when I get out of the house on a regular basis, and my job provides a familiarity and an outlet I don't have at home. In sum, I think I will be a better and happier mom, by choosing to return to working outside my home. As a friend recently said, it's not necessarily the quantity of time you spend with your kids, but the quality of that time that matters. I certainly plan to make the very most of the time I will have with my girls! Who can't be happy when you get to come home to this...

And, lucky mom that I am, I get this too...

We are so very, very blessed. :)