My first week back at work came and went so quickly and I'm surprised at how well I managed the transition, both emotionally and physically. By the time I went back to work with my first daughter, she was sleeping through the night pretty consistently, something I was eternally grateful for since I really needed that sleep. This kid isn't even close to sleeping through the night. At this point I would take her just waking up once each night, just to have some sort of consistency or schedule, but she seems to like to keep me on my toes.
Which brings me to the handling the transition back to work thing. Physically I'm exhausted. Like the I-could-fall-asleep-this-instant kind of tired. But I'm learning to operate on less sleep (and am now taking my caffeine intraveneously) and make the most of my time both at work and at home in the evenings.
I was fully prepared to melt down after dropping the kids off at daycare that first day, but I ended up shedding just a few tears and then pulled myself together before I was even out of the parking lot. Now, some of that may have to do with this being my second time around or it could be that I was just tired and sweaty from the battle that was drop-off. All I know is that each day gets easier and easier. I still miss the hell out of my kids while I'm at work, but I know they're going to be okay in someone else's hands and it really is nice to feel productive and interact with other adults on a regular basis. Even if I spend a lot of that time talking about my kids. : )
My 3 month old has been doing really well at daycare. The first couple of days she struggled with taking a bottle and napping, but has since gotten into a routine and happily takes the bottle (and occasionally a pacifier!). She's also mellowed out a bit, by which I mean she doesn't seem to need to be held by only me 24/7 anymore. She still has her moments, but for the most part she's happy to just relax in her bouncer while I help make dinner or play with our toddler.
Speaking of, that toddler of ours hasn't handled the new "school" transition as well. She had been going to the same in-home provider for two years, so we knew this would be difficult for her. I left every morning with her either balled up on the floor or pressed against the glass door, crying her eyes out. It wasn't until this morning, day 1 of week 2 that I left with her happily chatting with the morning teacher. I couldn't believe it, but I am thrilled that she's getting used to our new routine.
We try to talk to her about "school" every night to prepare her for the next day and get her excited about all of the fun things she gets to do. This was our conversation on the way there this morning.
Me: What do you do at school?
Toddler: Sleep all night and wake up.
Me: All you do is sleep?
Toddler: And pick boogies.
LOL She's definitely got a skewed perception of what she does at school. How did you handle the transition back to work?
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