Back to work...

...and I have mixed emotions, to say the least. I have been overwhelmed with joy that I have had 7 1/2 months at home with Ginger, it has been such a bonding experience for her and I, and I can't even imagine what it would have been like to return to work like most, after only 3 short months. I have seen her grow right before my eyes, and despite fussy moments here and there, I wouldn't trade it for the world. But, we are dependent on my salary to maintain our household. So, I return to work on August 31st, and despite an awesome new job where I'll be able to work from home, a big part of me is still sad that we are in the position that I have to return to work.

When I was layed off from the County, I remember calling Paul, then my mom and bursting into tears telling them the news. I thought my (our) life was turned upside down, I walked away from a great job at Starbucks, for one that on day 2 (!!) was a mistake. I was accustomed to having a flexible schedule, working from home or the office at my leisure, and working along side a group of talented, bright, genuine professionals. When I started my County job, I quickly realized that me being hired to bring "progessive HR strategy" was futile among the red tape, state order, and to be frank, a lot of people who didn't seem to give a damn. I knew that I had made a mistake. But I powered through, was successful in driving a cost-laden ATS (applicant tracking system) nightmare into the ground, saving the County almost $400,000. In just 5 months.

But when it came time for me to take my maternity leave, which was negotiated in advance, I was met with the news that I would not have a job to come back to. At the time, I couldn't see the blessing that this was. But now, looking back, I thank God that my path was led in this direction.

Back on topic, I now have a fantastic opportunity with a lot of people who seem to be very similar to those I've worked with at Starbucks, bright, progressive, and decisive coworkers. And I'm happy for that. But in all reality, I am already anxious about the first few weeks and how I will probably be gloomy knowing that I will not get to spend so much time with Ginger. The good news is that for the first 6-8 weeks, our next door neighbor will watch her while I work from home, and I can go over anytime to nurse her, play with her, and she will come back to our house around 2:30pm for her afternoon nap. So it will only really be from about 8:30-2:30pm. But still, those playtimes before and after her morning nap have been so fun for the both of us. We've taken off and run errands together, gone to the park and shopping together, and met Paul for lunch together weekly.

My hope is that once my job transitions past the new stage, I will be able to work out flexing my schedule to do things early in the morning, while Ginger is napping, and later at night so I can still spend time with her daily. This is going to be quite a transition in our lives. More to come...