Just a Mom

I’m still in a decompressed state from the weekend (that’s a good thing), and I’m so glad I get to stay this way all week because I’m on vacation from work!  That’s 10 blessed days without worrying or thinking about work.

Now don’t get me wrong—I love my job and I love being a freelance writer.  Other than becoming a mom, it was what I dreamed of, my all-time goal, when I found out such careers existed back when I was an intern.  And I love my client.  Literally.  I actually, really love her.  Outside of work, we’re great friends, and when we’re on the clock, we make “the most awesome team ever”—her words—and I agree.

The best part of being a freelancer is that I get to work from home and can be available in a heartbeat unless I’m on a conference call.  It was especially convenient while Nathan was nursing—our babysitter would just knock on my office door and tell me he’s hungry!

But even though I have the best possible scenario for work, nothing beats the rhythm of my days at home with Nathan.  (I work three five-hour days a week, so I have four days a week where I just get to be a mom.)  Our days together have such a great rhythm and flow, with some parts of our day flexible and changing and other parts regularly scheduled, more or less, like lunchtime and naptime.  It’s a luxury for us (me) to do whatever we (I) want during our downtime.  These days are more relaxed and pleasant, run more smoothly (for me, anyway) and are clearly more fun for me.  : )

I think the days are about the same for Nathan—that’s the biggest benefit of having a babysitter come to our house.  I don’t have to wake him up early in the morning, he gets his meals at the right times and in his own high chair, he gets to nap in his own crib and he gets to stay in the familiarity of his own home.  These are major bonuses, plus I can be on the scene in seconds if anything crazy were to happen and I can sneak kisses from Nathan just by opening my office door.  It really is great.

For me, my rhythm is totally off on the days I work as I try to cram everything in before the babysitter gets here.  I find myself running around, trying to straighten up and clean the kitchen from breakfast…tossing laundry in the washing machine because it’s the only time I can do it…calculating how much time I have left and what else I can get done…and then, of course, I want to spend time with Nathan before I have to close my office door.  By the time I’m done working for the day, he’s already up from his afternoon nap and I’m on Nathan duty—and all I want to do is spend time with him doing something fun (and not catching up on chores).

For these 10 days I’m going to savor every extra minute with my beautiful, smart, sweet little boy.  I’m enjoying not having every minute of my day scheduled around my work and chores, and instead, my day is centered around my son and the fun we can have together.  We’ve already picked strawberries, waded in the baby pool and visited the zoo with some friends—a lot of fun for this strawberry- and animal-loving water baby. 

Leaning forward to see an animal at the zoo.

Our boys in front of the bison pen at the zoo.

This week I can do laundry whenever I please, take Nathan somewhere fun whenever the mood strikes me, spend a lot of time outdoors together, do a little gardening and rest a bit while he naps—something I don’t get to do on the days I work.  I’m so happy that I can be just a mom.  You know, just.