Maternity leave is over; back to work

After 12 weeks of baby bliss, I was back in the office today for the first time. My baby was safely at her in-home day care and it all went off without any tears. However, nothing in my life can be without obstacles and today was certainly no exception.

It all started yesterday when I decided to spend all day baking rather than doing anything productive. I made everything apple. Apple pie, apple sauce, which I then canned, canned apples, apples and beef for dinner, apple muffins and pumpkin muffins. And I still had apples left!

So my house was an extreme disaster when my four-year-old informed me that her eyes burn when she closed her eyelids. Immediately, I knew the sensation she was referring to and that it could only be one thing: a fever. She had a bit of a cold in the days before so I thought maybe it spread to her ears. I gave her Tylenol and panicked. I couldn’t find the thermometer, I had no idea how high the fever was or what was causing it.

I decided to take her to urgent care because if it was an ear infection, I was going to have to take her in anyway and my first day back to work did not seem like a good day to call in sick. My mom came over to watch the others while we zipped over to a clinic near our house. We were in an out with the diagnosis of fever. There was no ear infection, no throat thing, no bronchitis. Treat the fever; Keep her home.

How was that going to happen? I had to be at work!

We came home to our messy house and I got her ready for bed. I had much less time to get the house picked up and I wanted to feel organized heading into my return to work. My husband and I finally connected and he decided to call his retired mother, who lives more than an hour from us, to come babysit. She agreed, thankfully.

I busted my butt to get the house cleaned up before she came. That didn’t happen.

I felt awful leaving a sick child with her all day. That did happen.

I had to leave my baby at day care without her sister. That broke my heart.

But at 3:30, when I went home and to pick everyone up, the fever was down (but not gone) and my house was clean (thanks to my mother-in-law). The baby had a really good first day at day care, but was super happy to see me. My oldest daughter had a great time at her after-school care program. I was exhausted, but we had made it through the day.

Maybe God was trying to tell me that I have this. Things can only get smoother from here, right? Well, I know that’s not always the case. Not every morning will run like clockwork. I’m going to be tired. Things will slip through the cracks, but I’ve got this.

Well, at least I had today. I’ll try again tomorrow.