That's a wrap! 12 weeks & the end of Maternity Leave.

Whoever invented the phrase "time flies" must have been a mother to a newborn because it couldn't be more true. I feel like I just came home from the hospital with my sweet baby boy and here I am taking his 12 week photo and getting ready to go back to work. 

He's gotten so busy this week. He is so interested in his surroundings. 

He's discovered his hands and is mastering the art of the death grip every chance he gets. 

Preston loves to hang out by Grandpa & Grandma's pool and watch everyone swim. I can only imagine the fun that he will have next summer. 

I don't even know how it started but I often call Preston, Bubbas. Eloise has picked up on it and does it as well. It's so fitting for his personality. Oh, the many faces of my Bubbas. 

A look back on my Maternity Leave

To think that this moment occurred just 12 weeks ago blows my mind.  This maternity leave was different from the one I had with Eloise but in many ways just the same.  As to be expected, I was more calm and confident with Preston because I knew what to expect.  I had more realistic expectations for myself and my new baby.  During the rough recovery or difficult mommy moments, I could easily remind myself that it won't always be this hard and they won't always be this little so I better enjoy it either way.  In some ways, I felt like I was armed with all the right baby gear that I had used and found helpful with Eloise after trial & error.  As with Eloise, I would pump in the wee hours of the morning and 2 more times in the morning to help build up my stash but also for comfort. Feeling like a milk maid is a good problem to have - no complaints!   We enjoyed tons of homemade goodies from my sister as she knew how much it helped to have food ready when you've got your hands full. She truly shows her love for us with her cooking.  Again, I loved using my snap'n'go stroller for running errands and dropping off Eloise at school.  Oh yeah, there's the biggest difference - I have a toddler this time around!  Having to juggle a toddler & a newborn was definitely a challenge.  What made it manageable every day?  Brad.  

After being limited in what I could do the first 2 weeks post-delivery, he took on the task of getting Eloise to & from school.  We decided early on in my pregnancy that we were going to continue to bring Eloise to school even though we knew it would be hard some days. The alternative was less than desirable - a jealous toddler watching TV or playing on the iPad all day...with no nap. I think that keeping Eloise in her routine helped keep her jealousy in check  and kept her on track with the progress she had making at school. Not spending all her time with Preston has kept the love going between them. She's still excited to see him when she gets home. Brad has gone above & beyond to make her feel special during this time. There was rarely a time that he drove her to school or picked up and they didn't get "coffee" or pick up a new My Little Pony toy.  He actually planted an entire garden while I was pregnant so that they would have something to do when I was taking care of Preston. They even had a few Saturday afternoon movie dates too so that I could enjoy some peace & quiet with the baby. The best part of all of this was seeing Eloise strengthen her relationship with her Daddy. 

So here we are.  My maternity leave has come to an end.  It's bittersweet.  I'm back to the 24/7 balancing act of being a working mom come Monday morning at 4:45am when that alarm goes off.  It's been a blast Bubbas yet I promise that there is more fun ahead for us.