Thursday, October 23, 2014

Is it still called multi-tasking if you're only doing one thing?

I'm on maternity leave.

It's kinda crazy. And it still sounds weird when I say it.

So what the hell have I been doing?

When people found out we were having a baby, they asked me if I thought I'd like maternity leave, or if I'd be bored and miss work.

Honestly, I had no idea what to expect. But I can assure you, that I don't miss work (sorry, guys!). 
Hey, they probably don't miss me, either!

So far my leave has been rather calm. Mostly because Maxwell is only a few weeks old, and he's still sleeping a lot. The first few weeks of maternity leave should be called "What you can get done in 3 hours". Because that's what I do each day – accomplish everything I can while Max naps.




(You know that saying, 'Nap when the baby naps'? Well, it's a crock of shit. If I nap when Maxwell naps I will have spent 20 hours of my day sleeping and getting zero done. I would like to rewrite that adage to: 'Multi-task your ass off when the baby is napping or you'll hate yourself'.)

I have a running 'to do' list that I keep close by. Each day something new gets added. On this list are things like, 'Organize hall closet', 'Change over Fall clothes' and 'Send Max's birth certificate into insurance company'. Some tasks are bigger than others, some require only 5 minutes of my time.

But each day, I have one goal: tackle ONE THING on this list.

Depending on how our night was, I could cross something off by 10am. On those days, I substitute other household things like laundry, dishes, or what has become the bane of my existence: washing and refilling bottles.


Bath time is still a two-person job. And Max is NOT a fan.
NOTE: this pic was taken thirty seconds before Max pooped in his towel on Rob's lap.
As if to say, "I shit on bath time, folks."

Being a Type A personality, this has been quite the adjustment. I'm used to being busy from the minute I wake up to the minute I go to sleep at night. Not that taking care of Max doesn't keep me busy, but the old me would have a zillion things to do WHILE taking care of him.

Pre-Max, even on the weekends I would get up and get to the grocery store by 7:30am (who wastes time lying in bed when you could be at the grocery store before anyone else?), come home and throw a load of laundry in, run errands, make lunch for the workers in our yard that day, cook for the week, do more laundry…and it would only be 3pm.

Multi-tasking has taken on a whole new meaning.

Aside from eating, sleeping and pooping, Max has tummy time, story time, and play time. When he's fussy, I dance around with him and sing to him. So far, he's really into my rendition of Beyoncé's "All the Single Ladies" and Phillip Phillips' "Home". And my "Itsy Bitsy Spider" isn't too shabby, either.


Wednesday's giraffe-themed story time.

The other awesome thing about having this time at home? I get to cook again! (And we don't eat dinner at 9:30pm every night!)

Rob comes home for lunch every day, so I get lunch ready each day. And every night, I cook us a fabulous meal. 


 Max's first meatloaf night!


 Grilled NY Strip with rosemary mushrooms and blue cheese risotto.


 Now THAT'S a roast chicken.
Ina Garten's recipe is the best!


 Oh, THIS old lunch? Just burrata with prosciutto and pesto. No biggie.

My in-laws homemade tortelli with a brown butter 
and roasted butternut squash sauce.

So if you're wondering how the leave is going? It's awesome. Not only do I get to bond with Maxwell, and watch him learn and grow, I get to do things I love to do…even blogging.

But what I love most is staring at this face all day long:




Of course, once my little munchkin decides all this sleeping isn't for him, the whole game will change.

Until then, bring on morning talk shows and the Food Network!

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