The Working Mama

I've been taking advantage of my brother being home this summer. It's been so nice to actually have one of my partners home from the mission field (in other words someone to work besides me) that I almost stopped working all together. Also Red Fish's new found mobility has kind of thrown me for a loop. No more quiet baby in a swing - she is right in the middle of things all the time. It's very fun but it's not very conducive to getting a lot of work done. I've been trying to get back into a work routine for the last couple weeks. So far it has been very frustrating for both Red Fish and for me. Trying to balance things is really difficult and it suddenly makes a lot of sense why women everywhere don't tote their small children to the office. I'm determined that we can make an arrangement that will work for both Red Fish and for me- the working mama. I need to relax and try to work around Red Fish rather than trying to cram her into my schedule. I need to soak up the fleeting time I have with this sweet little person and still try and not allow my business to come to a stand still. I haven't found the secret yet but I'm working on it.

After trying to work around her all day (only semi-successfully) we spent a very lovely evening together making up for the distractions of the day. First we sat in the swing for a long time. Then we blew bubbles and laughed at Blue Fish's attempts to eat them. Then I took both Red Fish and Blue Fish on a nice long walk. Afterwards, we watched daddy mow the lawn for awhile, we played ball, and I gave Red Fish a looooooong bath. She LOVES to splash. She has now discovered that if she stands up and sits down really fast it makes a huge splash. I try to hold on to her so she won't slip. After the bath we started our bedtime ritual. Things are going extremely well with the new bedtime and routine. I can't believe how fast she has adjusted to it. It's really helping her sleep better (and therefor I sleep better.) I guess this stage is just about enjoying the sweet little moments and trying to keep my head above water. It's a learning process for both of us. I've gotta say all in all I'm loving every up and down. Even on the days I'm stressed I get the little rewards of seeing her humongous smile when I come to get her from a nap. The smile that says: "There you are mommy! I knew you would come!" There are are special things like that she saves just for me and I love it!