One week...

In one week, I will be going back to work from this mostly blissful maternity leave. I neither dread it nor look forward to it. It just is. Perhaps I would dread it more if I realized all the things we should do to be ready, but Chris will be home the first week so we'll probably learn a few things before we go "live."

We found a daycare that we are actually very excited about. We think it will be really good for the kids, especially Lily as her friend (and our neighbour) Carly and her little brother Jack go there. Lily will get to ride the bus with all of her classmates. Finn will get to explore a little more than just our house and play with some other kids.

As I settled on a Monday/Wednesday/Friday schedule with work for the remainder of 2011, I will still get to be home on Tuesdays and Thursdays (and Saturdays and Sundays, of course). I will still get to take Lily to school, pick her up, make meals, lay down with Finn for naps. I will be home more days than I'll be at work and I'm really happy about that.

But I will miss doing all the things we've been doing those Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Some of the kids at school might miss me, too. They run over from wherever they are on the playground to tell me about some great toy they have, soccer game they played or to say hi to little Finn. (They always say "Hi Lily's Mom" to me, which I find so funny.) Last week, Jake from Lily's class even ran up and hugged me twice as I was leaving in the morning.

A little awkward as he's so short he was just hugging my upper leg, but sweet all the same...