I mentioned previously that I love my busy, hectic days. It's the truth. But, there are some days when I wish I could lay in bed for as long as I wanted, read a book all day, watch TV, play the piano, go out shopping, and do whatever I wish. Instead, Lydia wakes me up at 7:00 on a weekend, I have chores that need to be done (because I didn't feel like doing them during the week), places I need to go, and Lydia to take care of. On the weekends, when Lydia naps, I quickly get as much done as I can, instead of napping with her. Sometimes I want to return to my carefree days: before marriage, renting a house, working full-time, etc.
I haven't had a free summer of no work since Summer 2004, after I graduated from High School. By Summer 2005, I was working at Concordia Child Care Center, and worked there for the Christmas holiday and again the next summer. After that, I was working at Showplace and Marketplace Theaters, summers 2007 and 2008. Summer 2009 had me working at Bright Horizons Child Care Center and Summer 2010 I'm working at Family Infant Home Care (my home daycare). This summer, Brian had his first summer off since sometime during High School when he started working at Target. I definitely envied him his free summer.
One day I plan on being simply a Stay-At-Home-Mom (SAHM). That had always been my dream as a little girl. I went to school to get a teaching degree, but I truly just wanted to stay at home and take care of my children. My mom is a SAHM and I always loved having her home when I got home from school. I want to be like that for my children. When I first started my full-time job at Showplace and Marketplace, I hated the fact that I had to go to work. When I started at Bright Horizons, I hated the fact that I had to work 5 days a week for 8 hours a day. That was hard! Now I'm working 5 days a week for 12 hours a day! I love my job and my busy life, but I could always use a break. Leah and I always say, "If I could only have a one week vacation, I'd be fine."
Taking care of 7 babies (including Lydia) under the age of 16 months is exhausting, frustrating, but ultimately, rewarding. I love watching the babies grow and learn. When I first joined Leah at home in March, the babies weren't moving around very much. Now, most of them are walking and starting to say simple words! It's crazy! I always knew that watching and helping children grow and learn is what I wanted to do with my life. One day, I'll just be watching my babies grow and learn, but for right now, working with other parents' babies is what I want and love to do.
With my hectic schedule, I'm constantly exhausted and sometimes I take that out on Brian, my long-suffering husband. I'm sure he had no idea what he was getting himself into when he married me. He's handled my mood changes, temper, and constant need for attention quite well. As new parents, we are both still getting used to sleepless nights and being tired all day. He understands that when I get upset with him over little things, it's probably because Lydia didn't sleep well the night before and I'm tired. Hopefully, when Lydia starts sleeping through the night on a regular basis, I will be less tired, and therefore, nicer to him!
Last night, we had a "couples night". We played Rock Band and had a few drinks (Brian, Leah and Jessie did, anyway). It was nice to be able to take a break and just hang out with each other. Of course, Leah and I called it quits after 2 hours, while the boys stayed up late into the night talking and hanging out.
Luckily, Lydia slept through all the noise. Although, when she woke up at 1:00am to eat, she wouldn't go back to sleep in her bassinet. I let her sleep with me the rest of the night. Tonight, we're going to try putting her to bed in her big crib, so I had one last night with her close to me (if the big crib works out).
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