Transitions, Transitions, Transitions

Wow, this working mother thing is hard! Last week I went back to work and Pablo stayed home with grandma. Even though I started with just 20 hours in the office, it was a big adjustment for us both and not without its bumps along the way. Crisis hit the first day when the part-time nanny we had hired to help my mom got lost on a walk with Pablo...for 3 hours! I came out of an hour long meeting at work to find a few hundred missed calls from my mom on my cell phone, worried sick about them since they'd been gone for so long in the 90 degree heat and the nanny had left her phone and purse in the house. I had to abandon work early on my first day back to race home. Fortunately, the nanny and Pablo returned in a taxi before I got home. My little boy was crying like a banshi when I got home but at least he was there, safe and sound. We all breathed a sigh of relief.

Day 2 improved only slightly. I called home to check in only to hear Pablo crying in the background. Having to hang up and go back to work (or in this case start pumping) after hearing your baby screaming at the end of the line is harder than I can express. Things with the nanny were not working out and having her and my mom both trying to take care of Pablo appeared to be backfiring.

By Day 3 I had told the nanny that we were going to just go with having family take care of Pablo for now and things improved significantly. Pablo still wasn't happy a lot of the time, but he was much better in grandma's arms now. Ok, maybe we could make it!

Day 4 was Friday thanks to the shortened Labor Day week and Pablo did much better while I was gone. The weekend arrived and we could relax and enjoy family time, with grandma and aunt Jenn who arrived that evening.

Now we're in week two and things are settling down a bit. I'm remembering how much I like working to change U.S. policy even though I miss my baby every day. Pablo seems to be more relaxed and adjusting to life in Washington (just look at him in front of the monument!).


Oh did I mention he is also turning six months, the age babies start having separation anxiety; cutting his first tooth, as if all the external changes weren't painful enough; and that his papa is in Mexico till the end of the month? Good thing he's such an adaptable little guy.

For my part, I have a profound new respect for working mothers. Balancing work, motherhood, family, household care, and then somehow trying to find a few minutes to just breathe is at least as challenging as trying to build world peace.

So hats off to all of you working moms out there! You're amazing!