Going back to work

I had my 6 week check up today and have been cleared to return to work. I'm excited to go back and teach, but at the same time sad to leave Hayden for 8 hours a day. Not to mention the fact I'm going to have to get dressed and do my hair. Hayden and I have been living it up in our pajamas and watching SVU Law& Order and Love it or List it. I'm pretty sure I'm about to redecorate my house DIY style and blow a bunch of money on new furniture. Just kidding Michael!
Things I learned while at home :
*"Sleep when the baby sleeps" is not a statement to ignore. I shrugged it off and play super mom/wife for a whole 2 days before I gave that up. The laundry will get folded, eventually.
*basinets are not so bad after all. I fought it and slept my kid in his crib. The monitor amplifies sounds like it is the speaker at Toby Keith's concert. Every little sound had me sitting up and watching the monitor. By day 4, Hayden was in our room in a basinet. We slept so much better.
*Dry cord care is BS! Use the freaking rubbing alcohol so the belly button doesn't get infected. It will save you a prescription of penicillin.
*circumcision is not for any parent to sit through. I cried my eyes out. And, it does not get better the next day when you have to take the gauze off. Be prepared.
*enjoy your husband, he's put up with a lot.
*you're going to cry for no reason, even if it is a compliment.
*get up and take a shower, it helps. It makes the day feel like you did something.
*have other moms to text your questions to who will respond in the middle of the night. Your nerves will be on edge and knowing someone has a living, breathing kid with an answer helps.
*you need someone who understands that your excitement about folding a load of laundry AND putting it away is an accomplishment.
*who cares how long you hold your baby, they are only going to be so small for so long before you go back to work.
*going out without your baby sounds crazy, brut just.a few hours with the girls can make you feel better, especially if you took a shower
*quit wearing maternity clothes around the house and start walking. I finally packed mine up after 4 weeks and I finally felt better. Don't get me wrong, I cried every week when I tried to put my old pair of jeans on. However, I started walking and taking better care of myself.
*when you ask for help, it's ok to ask for the dishes to get done, but reward with baby time or no one will 'help' you again.
*random people will want to see and touch baby. Get a car seat cover and just lift the flap for a flash glance. It's your baby, you're the mom, you don't have to share.
*your body may look like the Grand Canyon with crevasses and your belly button may look like a silver roller gage was shoved in it. I've struggled with this, but then I remember, my body made that adorable baby from scratch, they are scars proving I housed that little one for almost 10 months.
*yes, 10 months. Nine months is bull. 39 weeks is almost 10 full months.

I've had to let some of my OCD rule following, control freak go. Things are going to happen. There will be a time your kid poops out his clothes while you are put to eat, and they lose their shit while you are at Target. There will come a time that the screaming cry is enough to make you leave your full shopping cart in the middle of an aisle and leave. It's life and you and you can't control it.

Hayden

I wanted to keep an up to date 'journal' of Hayden so I could share all of these stories with him when he gets older; and so grandparents & great-grandparents could read about his exciting moments. These are his 1 month photos that I took because I'm afraid if we have kid #2 that I wouldn't make it to a photographer to have "photos" done. So for now, Hayden is stuck with me taking his photos. This lasted for about 5 minutes before he lost his cool and game over.

 

12/4/13
*Went to see Dr. Lewis, she said I was dilated to a 2 and that she would induce on Monday the 9th but had a feeling she would see me before than.
12/5/13
*Panic set in that I needed to have copies for sub.
12/6/13
*1am I don't feel good and take a bath (for a few hours) Michael came in to check on me numerous times and asked if I was going to go to work. I didn't know if I was really having contractions or not. Side note, everyone said, "you'll know when you're having them". How are you suppose to know you're having contractions if you've never had them before?
Anyways, I downloaded an app, yes, in the tub with my phone at 1 am I downloaded a contraction counter app (huge life brain saver). When I thought I was having a contraction I would start the app. At 5am when I finally made it back to bed I figured that I could last at work for the day. I didn't want to be that girl that they sent home and told to wait another 12 hours before coming back to the hospital.
*7:45am walked in to Principal's office to have evaluation conference, after a few contraction moments of needing to breathe and not talk, my principal sent me home.
*10am, I finally left school (had to have sub plans for sub done) and I went to target to buy a shelf to put the baby monitor on. Contractions started to happen more than every 30 minutes
*11am Came home and laid down. Colt our cat laid with me. Poor Michael, I was texting him every 30 minutes
*4:45pm Contractions were 6 minutes apart, I called the hospital and asked if I should wait or come in, the man who obviously was reading the prompts told me to come in. I called my mom to tell her I was about to drive myself to the hospital. 15 minutes later, mom showed up with dad to take me to the hospital.
*5:35pm Checked in to triage (nothing like Grey's Anatomy) and was told I was dilated to a 5 and that we'd be staying the night.
* 7pm ish I asked for epidural. Nothing like I thought. Honestly the worst part was the IV in my hand. The epidural was like a shot in the back. I had the best labor/delivery nurse Kathy. Thank gosh she had a personality and muscles to move my dead weight around all night.
*11:30pm epidural wears off and panic sets in that I'm one of those patients who wakes up in the middle of surgery and can feel the pain (dramatic, I know) The nurse comes in and tells me that they never hung my "bag" for the epidural. Contractions were way more intense than what I had experienced before

12/7/13
*2am After sitting at a 7 for a long time, potosin (spell check) is given to speed things up.
*4:15am, Dr. Lewis is called. I asked her if we could push him out in 5 pushes, she laughed. After 5 contractions at 16 pushes later...there was Hayden!
7lbs 13oz 19 1/2 inches long

We had lots of visitors (don't have a baby on a Saturday morning) We went from just the three of us who mind you had been up since 1am the day before and had visitors until 9pm Saturday night. It was a long two days. And it didn't end there...
We ended up being moved upstairs to the recovery floor because there were so many babies being born that weekend. The new nurse was not a nice nurse. NO personality. It's hard enough going through labor and all the paperwork; it doesn't help to have an unfriendly nurse too. We were discharged Sunday night (thank gosh) because I ended up with a fever after my epidural so in turn, Hayden was born with a fever and required blood work. In the end, not too bad. I didn't cry, I didn't scream and Michael wasn't called a name. Pretty good if I say so myself.