The First Day

Announcement time! It's the first week of September and normally I would be getting ready for the first day of school. Preparing a fun and welcoming reception day, decorating my classroom, organising books and lesson plans, choosing an outfit... But this year it's different. My maternity leave is over and I am officially on a leave of absence. I am so grateful to my boss, who is also a mother, for granting me this special time to spend with my son.

I'm excited about the year ahead, and also aware that it's going to take a major mindset shift to make the most of this time, to dig in and focus on our little family. Before having a baby, I was working full time, staying active, doing lots of hobbies, and getting ready for the baby. During maternity leave, we had a special week each with my mom and dad, a month in Canada, and three weeks of holidays with Tall Guy. It was all wonderful! Tall Guy went back to work today, and my Teeny Little Super Guy and I had the first "normal" day we've had in a long time.

Now it's time to fall into a different rhythm, to leave some room in the agenda, where Super Guy will be the number one thing, and maybe some days the only thing, on the to-do list. Today I did most of the house cleaning. I made three healthy meals. And I played with my son. We bounced around the living room and laughed. I watched him try to roll over. We read stories and rocked. We Skyped with family, and when Tall Guy got home, we walked to the park. A good first day, filled with love.