Maternity leave is winding down

The countdown to me returning to work is on. I knew my maternity leave would fly by, but I had no idea it would go this fast! It has been so nice being home with Amelia and getting to spend every second with her. I would love to be able to take about 6 more months off. It seems like just when I am about to have to return to work, now is the time that she is interacting with me. She smiles at me in the morning when I am grouchy and want to go back to sleep. She coos at me a nght before bed when I want nothing more than for her to get tired already and go to sleep in her bassinet. I catch myself blowing off hours just hanging out with her and trying to make her smile, or just looking at her while she is sleeping. I hate knowing I will miss out on so many things while I'm at work.


On the bright side, I have 2 1/2 weeks left. I am so fortunate to have been able to take this much time off. I know lots of moms who have to return to work much sooner. I try to remind myself of that when I am jealous of stay at home moms. We are also fortunate to have a daycare on campus that is right across the street from my office. I'm not looking forward to leaving her, but I'm glad she won't be far away.


I'm going to spend the next 2 weeks just eating up my time with my sweet girl. If that means my house is messy, then it'll just be messy. I'm going to still try to squeeze in a few projects I had planned to get done with "all my free time." What was I thinking with that?


Here are a few of our recent photos:

10 weeks old- playing on the gym my brother gave her for Christmas. She loves to kick her feet and stare at the dangly stuff. She hasn't yet figured out that she can reach the toys and make them make noise. She also likes to stare at herself in the little mirror.
All dressed up for church last Sunday. So far, she's been an angel at church. We'll probably have to start leaving her in the nursery soon, but for now, she has been sleeping right through the sermon! It's during her usual morning naptime.
In my last-ditch effort to get back into my work clothes, I've been trying to do pilates along with a DVD. Amelia wanted to join in my workout so I let her play on my mat.
She liked it so much, I decided it was time to get out her own mat. It's fun to start playing with some of the fun things we got as shower gifts. It looks like she was playing with the toys, but she really just sat laid there for a while, then started screaming. Both our workouts ended abruptly!

We're about to go strolling for the first time in a few weeks when she wakes up from her nap. The weather has been so nasty, we've been stuck indoors. I always want her naps to last longer so I can get things done, and now I'm waiting for her to wake up so we can go play!

I'm so excited that I was able to score an appointment with a photographer whose work I am in love with. She devotes time to her family and doesn't take many appointments. These shots should be different than the newborn photos we had done, and the ones Katie and I have been taking. She has a unique, contemporary style. She'll come to our house on the 22nd to do 3 month photos. We'll follow up with more at 6, 9 and 12 months. Can't wait to share the link to her proofs soon!