Back to work

Despite early struggles, Aviva is
now taking the bottle like a champ!

Whelp, time sure flies when you're on maternity leave. I'll admit that it started out excruciatingly slow, but then somewhere around week 8 time just started whizzing by uncontrollably.

I'm sure part of the reason it went by faster in the end is because Aviva and I actually started figuring out what we're doing (sort of). She started taking actual naps, which meant mommy could get some work done around the house and knock out some e-mails. And it also put her in a better mood during the day.

I also found a nice little group of girls to walk with, and spent a lot of time getting back into shape at the gym. That was the FUN part of maternity leave, and now it's all in the past.

There are some pluses and minuses to heading back to work. First of all, of course I miss being able to spend all day with my little girl. But on the other hand it's nice to NOT have to spend all day with my little girl.

Is that terrible? I love our time together, but it can be stressful, confusing, exhausting, worrisome and any other adjective you want to throw in there. Now I'm on my own all day, free to have conversations, go to the bathroom, go for a walk without a stroller, and eat a meal!

Somehow Hadas can get a picture of
Aviva smiling when I
have failed oh so many times. 

On Friday, August 1 Aviva went off to daycare for the first time, while I stayed home and finished up some freelance and got things situated around the house. I thought about her a lot, but there was a bit of a release inside of my brain when I handed her off to Hadas (the lovely woman who runs the daycare).

I have to admit I was too busy to miss her at first, but right when I got the e-mail from Hadas about how great Aviva was doing (complete with the pictures attached to this e-mail), I must say I got a little teary. I was supposed to pick her up at 3pm but arrived at about 2:45 because I wanted to get there as quickly as possible. She was a perfect little angel for Hadas, which meant I knew I could leave her and she'd be OK.

One of the main things I was worried about in terms of returning to work was how the heck we were going to get ourselves ready for work AND get Aviva ready for daycare. Turns out it hasn't been that big of a deal. Granted I haven't dried or styled my mop of a hair since returning to work almost two weeks ago, but I manage to walk out the door wearing pants, and somehow I manage not to forget anything major (my kindle has been left at home twice now and once I forgot makeup).

It's a really easy setup. I get up at 6AM and feed Aviva her pre-breakfast. I then put her back into her crib (usually she'll go back to sleep) and hop into the shower. After I'm dressed, I get Aviva dressed while Jeff showers. Then Jeff and Aviva hang out while I take the dog out for a walk. Jeff heads off to work, Aviva gets another snack and then I grab her bottles and whatever else she needs and head out the door. I park right in front of Hadas's house and drop Aviva off, then I park the car in a permit-free zone and hop on the train. Magically, I manage to arrive between 8:15 and 8:30, about the time I made it to work prior to having a baby. And usually I'm one of the first creative folks in the door. After work, Jeff picks Aviva up from daycare and I meet them at home. The end.

Making friends already! Maya is reaching out,
and unfortunately I don't know the
name of the little guy on his tummy. 

Now what I don't like is that I get home at 6pm and Aviva goes to bed at 7pm. Sure we get a little time in the morning, but I'm rushing around trying to make sure I have everything we need. So all in all I get about two hours a day with my daughter, and the rest of the time she's asleep or being cared for by someone else. When I look at that things that way, it's a little upsetting.

Again on the up side, it's nice to feel like a productive member of society as I move forward in my career. I was promoted at work, and it feels good to be appreciated for more than the fact that I produce milk.

The one thing that I think will have to go out the window is regular exercise. This is difficult, because I love going on runs, going swimming, or hitting up my favorite gym. I will most certainly get my exercise on over the weekend, but I just don't see how I can workout during the week. Either I wake up at 5am and get going or I go for a run at 8pm at night. Seeing as how I have to pump at 8:30 and like to get to bed with my kindle at about 9pm, there isn't much time to relax, eat, or catch up on TV.

I know, I know, I could adjust my priorities and make time for exercise, but I think I need just a little more time to get this working mom thing figured out a little better.  And, until I'm done nursing I'm allowed to hang on to those five extra pounds, right?

Our little Illini fan

Tired, but ready to run!

With parents like us, it's only natural for Aviva to be an Illini fan from birth. My current facebook profile picture is a lovely one of Aviva fast asleep in her stroller covered with an Illini blanket. It's a bit too warm right now for that blanket, but there are plenty of other ways to show off her spirit. 

A couple of weeks ago, we had a full-on Illini weekend. The fun began on Saturday, July 26th when we got up super early to head over to the B1G Ten 10K race. This is the third year that the race has taken place, and for some reason we've been out of town every other year. I decided while still pregnant that a 10K would be a great goal and so I signed up. 

Pretty much up until the day of the race I was kicking myself for not signing up for the 5K instead. Before being preggo a 10K wasn't really a big deal. It's not my favorite length (I prefer the 8K myself), but it was certainly easy to do. I did my best to get in some practice runs, but this isn't easy with an infant. Add to that the fact that I hadn't gone running in a loooooong time, and you've got a stressed out mamma. And, let's not forget I really needed new running shoes, but it seemed like a silly waste of money when we need diapers, toys, and that cute stuffed toy over there for our new baby. 

Anyway, we got up at about 5:30 in the morning, which is early even for Aviva (she tends to rouse around 6:30). We dressed her up in an Illini t-shirt that's way too big and headed down to Soldier Field. 

I ran the race while Aviva and Jeff walked around and visited all the fun B1G Ten party tents. This included a picture opportunity of Aviva with the football championship trophy! I'm guessing an item that she won't really see again soon as an Illini fan (zinnng!)

The race itself was fine. I finished! I will admit there was a bit of walking here and there, but I did finish in just over an hour. My 5K split showed that I was going faster than a 10-minute mile! Although that changed in the second half... My goal was to finish and I did it. That's all that matters. 

Bardo!

After I finished the race and finally tracked down my husband and family, which wasn't easy since I don't run with a phone, we hung out for a little while and ran into a few friends. 

As we were cutting through the crowd to head home, I spotted Illini basketball great Stephen Bardo. Luckily, when you have an adorable baby you can walk up to anyone and ask for a picture. Which is what I did. As you can see from the picture Aviva missed the entire thing, as she fell asleep for most of the morning.

Then on Sunday, our favorite bar hosted an Illini fun day with football coach Tim Beckman in attendance. We found a different Illini outfit that's too big (we need her to grow into her Illini gear) and walked over for a quick beverage and to see if the venue could fit a stroller. 

The scene wasn't too crowded, and it turns out we weren't the only fools with a baby. Coach Beckman's wife fawned over Aviva (naturally) and again it was very easy to walk up to coach and ask for a picture with my baby! This time Jeff and I got in on the action as well. 

Up next, we'll be taking Aviva to her first football game in a little over a month. Stay tuned! 

The whole family got in on a photo op with Coach Tim Beckman at Schoolyard!