On Going Back to the Office...

I was fortunate to be able to work from home for the last 2 months, so while this was not my first day back at work, it was my first day back in the office after maternity leave.  These are my observations: 

Wearing “old” clothes has never felt so good!  I didn’t have a backup plan if my work pants didn’t fit me this morning, so praise God that they did!

Me walking in heels for the first time in 6 months or so kind of resembled a baby giraffe learning how to walk.  

Driving in the car for 2 hours (1-hour commute each way) with no kiddos is a strange feeling!  The silence was almost too much for me…almost.

If you act like you know where you’re going, nobody will realize you forgot what floor your office is on.  Yes, I seriously went to the wrong floor TWICE before landing on the right one!

Pumping (as in, breastmilk) is already awkward and uncomfortable (think dairy farm equipment for humans), but pumping at work cranks that awkwardness up a notch.  I’m thankful to work for a company that provides a “wellness room” for activities such as this; but it’s always going to be uncomfortable to pump while you’re wearing professional work attire and you’re in an office a few feet from a cubicle farm full of accountants.

It’s weird and challenging to switch back and forth between business mode and mommy mode.  Working part-time might be harder than going full on either way (full-time work or full-time at-home mommy).

I didn’t miss my babies as much as I thought I would (gasp!).  Hey, I’m just keepin’ it real over here.  (NOTE: my babies were with family members today, so I’m likely to have a different experience next week when they start at daycare—pray for me!)

I covet the prayers of sweet friends today.  I’m confident that their prayers are what kept me going.  

With God’s grace, supportive friends, loving family, and strong coffee, I CAN DO THIS!

2 comments:

Rachel Pieh Jones said...

Haha, this made me laugh out loud. Love it.

Heather said...

Oh, Lauren! I know exactly how you feel about going back to work full time. It's difficult. I'll pray for you.
Both my kids have now been in daycare full time since July.
Sending you lots of love and prayers.