Just checking in to say–it’s been grand to go back to work. Thanks to my dear husband’s support and a moderate lifestyle that we chose, I only have to work 80%. My husband e-commutes one day a week and watches her at home then too! This keeps our daughter in care only 50% of the workweek. My husband has been even more supportive by encouraging me to take on evening and Saturday work, so he can mind the baby and thus more of my paycheck goes directly to our family, rather than to the crèche (daycare).
Daddy and Maddy time has had a nice secondary effect, they are closer than ever. They’ve developed an evening routine of dinner, bath, and long walk with the babysling. Never mind that the textbook bedtime routine is bathtime last. I don’t mind at all (neither, apparently, does the little one). She wakes up, of course, the minute I cross the threshold. My standard dinner then is a plate of sweet potato with broccoli and cheddar cheese, in the microwave–put together with one hand. Madeline is in the other arm.
It’s been just three weeks since my 37th birthday present to myself: it was my first day of work too. Since then, I’m back to bike commuting too. Yesterday I had to hike up my trousers, they were already falling down. I remember the last time they fell down, but that was because my belly was bulging, not flattening out like it is now. Incredibly, that’s been the case and I’ve been totally FREE with Belgian chocolate as a meal replacement or to put off cooking real food when I’m too zonked. I also shaved off ten minutes off my commute time yesterday because I’ve picked up speed. Cool.
Madeline is not entirely happy with the situation of seeing Mum less often. She is reverse-cycling and wakes up all night long to breastfeed. It’s like having a newborn (but then getting up for work at 6 am). My caffeine intake has quadrupled. But anyway. This too will pass.
Location: Eurasian 
Oh breastfeeding instead of sleeping! I can relate to you, that’s for sure. I’m glad you started working and that u feel good about it. Our parenting minds need to be diverted to other things too, otherwise we’d go crazy! I don’t work, but I do some studying, and that helps. I actually look forward to doing homework.
Sweet potatoes and broccoli with cheese sounds like something that would make my pants dropping too. Gotta try it and see ;).
Have a restful weekend then! Nuit Blanche tomorrow in Brussels. Going out to check it out?
Hi T, I have white nights all the time with a young baby 🙂 no need to go out!
Glad to know everything is doing well and your DH is enjoying his daddy time!!! I bet she’ll rollerblade before she can walk…
Cool for the pants, can’t wait to be able to write that too!!! And for the chocolate part, like Koreans say: I envy you!!! I’d be way worse, with moules et frites and beer (well, not preggy of course!)