Ann vs. Jason

By: Ann

I know I haven’t posted in ages, but my life has been consumed with work and Athena care.  By the time she goes down for bed, I’m usually beat myself.  I’m writing this during my lunch break at work.

This week is my second week back at work.  Things are going as good as they can be at work.  I was missed very much by my MAs due to usual work drama.  Things are basically back to how they should run, now that I’m back…as I’ve been told by my coworkers.

The transition from maternity leave to work has been a little rocky for me.  I’ve been told it gets easier.  I’m just counting on that to happen any day now.  When you have a child that’s so precious, it’s hard to tear yourself away.  I’m okay going to work in the mornings as long as she doesn’t wake up before I leave for work.  Otherwise, I’m faced with the task of trying to pull it together before I get to work.

Physically, I’m 95% better.  I still have pains when doing anything more than walking or while doing abdominal exercises.  I will be seeing a physiatrist on Monday to fix this problem.  On the positive side, I have managed to lose more than my pre-pregnancy weight. Yeah for lactation!

I’ve been told that she would “cry all day long” in my absence.  She’s been doing pretty good with Jason, with the exception of not taking adequate naps during the day, which she did 90% of the time with me.  No one’s placing blame, but I just think she knows she can get away with that more with Jason than with me.

The week after next she starts daycare.  I’ve been pretty okay with leaving her with Jason, but I think the real test of my emotions will be leaving her with the daycare.  It’s pretty hard putting all of your trust in a stranger to take care of your child.  I’m sure Athena will handle it way better than I will.

Thankfully, we’ve been pretty busy at work with all of the well child checks and colds and such, so I haven’t had that much time to boo-hoo at work.  Which would be really embarrassing.  I do have lots of pictures of Athena posted all over my office to keep me going throughout the day.  I’m so thankful that I got a chance to spend so much time with her; however, I do believe that the U.S. should adopt a similar plan of maternity leave as other countries in Europe, i.e. Germany, where they receive a whole year.  We just have to make due with what we have with this economy, though, which are 2 stable jobs and one wonderful baby.

By Jason

Ann came down with a stomach virus the other day so I’ve been trying to take care of both her and Athena.  We even went in to urgent care yesterday to get Ann some IV fluids and anti-nausea meds.  Their definition of “urgent” is different from mine…  I understand they have limited personnel and they have to triage, but after we got there the waiting room went from a few people to packed.  It took two hours or so to get seen, then we were there for another couple hours with the IV.  Athena was very calm for the most part but took it out on me later that evening.  I think she misses mom time, it makes her more ornery.

So, if you’re wondering why Ann hasn’t responded to your email or note on Facebook, there you have it.  She can’t look at a computer screen right now without the dizziness returning.  She promises to catch up with everyone once she’s feeling better.

I’ll admit it, it’s been tough.  Athena has to eat and get changed every 2-3 hours, 24 hours a day.  I’ve been trying to take care of all of it while Ann recuperates.

Last week Ann’s mom was in town so we were living on easy street – she made many delicious meals and was a huge help all around.

Right now Ann mostly needs to sleep and drink fluids, and Athena mostly needs to sleep and drink fluids.  Some other similarities that our favorite little freeloader has with her parents:

• Athena can’t seem to keep socks on for more than a minute, even when she’s sleeping.  Ann has this weird habit of taking off one sock, in her sleep, almost every night.
• I’ve found Athena asleep in her crib with her hands behind her head – this is a common sleep position for me, as Ann can attest.
• Athena sneezes no fewer than three times in succession, like Ann.
• Her hair looks a lot like mine when I was born, while she has Ann’s nose and long fingers.
• Athena hates to be cold.  Diaper changes and wet washcloths are her mortal enemy.  I don’t think I have to say which one of us also has an antipathy for chilliness.