Maternity leave is over.

Eight weeks sounds like a long time, but it is amazing how fast it went.

Week one - all I could focus on was getting out of the hospital. Having been on bed rest, the idea of being confined to a hospital was not appealing. We also were busy hosting family... fortunately they did most of the work. They kept Jacob going to sports camp, delivered him to the babysitter for afternoons of fun and evenings at the hotel, swimming, watching TV, and having a general good time. I went grocery shopping on day four after delivery. I wanted out of the house. It is a good thing my mom was with me...and yes, we took two rest breaks.

Week two - we spent our time figuring out what we had done and being thankful that the baby is healthy and happy. In my spare time I wrote thank you notes in my sleep. I was amazed at the generosity across the board from family and friends. All of the gifts, gift cards, diapers etc...were overwhelming.

Week three - We settled in and accepted that our time is no longer our own. I had forgotten the interruptions. Not to just sleep, but to everything you try to get done. Trying to wash dishes or laundry or yourself can be cut short unexpectedly. We also spent the week hosting more family. This time I had healed enough that we made trips out and about town.

Week four – We ventured out and did lots of errands, visited friends at the office, ordered birth announcements, took lots of pictures and generally felt pretty good.

Week five – I spent the week enjoying the time off work. We finally got caught up on laundry, but still loving paper plates!! I spent time addressing 80+ envelopes so everyone could see our newest addition.

Week six – I got a clean bill of health from the doctor and the clearance to go back to the gym. Instead of jumping to the gym we prepared for the first big undertaking, a road trip.

Week seven – We spent this week on the road, visiting friends and family, rolling with the punches. An unexpected turn of events had us in a bed and breakfast, rather than the grandparent’s house.

Week eight – This was my last week before going back to the office. I went back to the gym. It pays to be a regular at the gym. The manager credited me for 5 months, since I was out on bed-rest. I also realized that nothing is the same. My strength, flexibility, endurance, lung capacity is all gone. I also realized that nothing fits and had to go shopping. I prescribed a self-satisfying excursion to the mall.

My first week back at the office was fine – I work with amazing people who welcomed me back with open arms (and chocolate pie).