My First Week of Mat Leave*

I am officially on maternity leave.

The last three months have been a complete and utter whirlwind. As I write there is a (not-so) small boy kicking away in my belly. Today I am 37 weeks pregnant, and I am so glad to finally have some time to get ready for this baby. Between work and being slightly tired from this pregnancy I haven’t had much time or energy to do a whole heck of a lot. There were moments when I wasn’t sure I was going to make it to the end… two weeks ago, when I was buried underneath piles of term marking, two class sets of ISUs with exams and report card comments looming, it all just seemed too much and I’ll admit I had a good cry on the Hubster’s shoulder. It got to a point where I was taking things day by day, then hour by hour just trying to get through.

When I finally finished marking my last exam and submitted my last set of report card comments, it was like a huge weight was lifted from my shoulders. I love my job more than anything, but this semester was a huge challenge for me… I took on more responsibilities than I ever have before, while trying to balance life with my family and this pregnancy. It was a lot. It was all good, but it was definitely a lot, and I felt it when both the madness of June and my third trimester collided at the same time.

In the end, it’s all been worth it. I built a strong resume for when I eventually return, spent my first two nights away on my own at a leadership camp, found my confidence as a teacher and made some incredible friendships. I know I’ll miss being at work next year, but I’m also really, really happy to be home. As I write I am sitting outside on my deck with my two little toads. Hank has already completely soaked his clothes playing happily at our homemade water table, and Ruby is busy making me some “soup”–a healthy combination of garden soil, grass and leaves.

(It looks delicious.)

The sun is shining, and even though it’s not even 10am it’s already promising to be a gorgeous, hot summer day. After all the stress and madness of work, I am thoroughly enjoying this bit of lazy time to do nothing but sit with my kids and watch them play.

(I say watch because this belly is so large that moving unless necessary just isn’t happening. haha)

It still feels a little surreal to me that our little family will be growing again so soon… I’m a little nervous that this baby is going to come sooner than I expect. I would really, really love to make it to my due date so that I can have my month off, but I already feel this strong urge to get ready right now. I’m hoping that it has more to do with my need to be organized than my body telling me it’s almost time. haha!

Well, my battery is dying and my charger is way too far away at the moment so that’s it for now… I’m off to sit in the sun and do… nothing.

Life is good. :)