Heigh Ho, Heigh Ho, it's off to work I go....

Well, I officially have just ONE week left of my amazing, incredible, fulfilling maternity leave!  I can't believe how the time has passed!  I have loved it so much more that I imagined I would.  I always knew I'd enjoy not working - obviously this is the only thought I had pre-Emily... I mean, who wouldn't want to be off for ages :)  

It was strange, I finished work and was sad actually... I left in tears haha!!  It was such a mixture of feelings, overwhelming really, mainly anxiety of not knowing when the baby would come, not knowing what I would be doing day to day, and what being on maternity leave would actually be like!  

Thinking back, I don't think I realised that I actually knew NO ONE who would be on leave with me and how I'd spend my days.  It's amazing how little you know!  And then, I met one of my closest friends through my midwife when Emily was 2 days old, and things snowballed from there really!  My neighbour introduced me to another good friend, and my Plunket nurse put me in touch with another 2 mums in my suburb.  Plus my parents' neighbours' daughter (there's a chain for you!) had her baby at the same time as Emily and I got to meet her and her lovely coffee group, and soon enough, I couldn't keep up with the social engagements and appointments we had going on!  The calendar has been so full these past 8 months, and I could never have imagined it would be that way!  

What an incredible time we have all had..... I have adored the simplicity of life.  The organising of the household, and the old-fashionedness of running and managing the household.  Not really knowing too much of what is happening in the outside world.  And, actually, not caring either.  It is incredible how your life changes for the better.  You actually only want to be with your family and care for them and think about them.  Nothing else actually matters.

Unfortunately, I am going to have to care about others soon as I head back to work next week!  It will be great to be paid again that is for sure, and exciting to continue to plan our future and look forward to what it has in store for us.  I am also going to be able to work 2 days at home a week, so Emily will have maximum Mum and Dad and family time, which is wonderful and I am so pleased to be able to do that, so it's definitely not all bad.  It's just going to be different.