Leaving maternity leave

We’ve been trying to make the most of our last week of maternity leave. I took both cars in for oil changes, got new tires on the Element, got a pedicure, and I'll be getting a haircut soon. This week we visited Brooke and her sweet twins, spent some time with our friend Nicolette, and last night our friends Barbara & Billy invited us over for a home cooked meal. And of course, Aurora's been practicing her standing skills!

Earlier in the week we also went in to the Children’s Center of Austin to turn in Aurora’s paperwork. They invited us to come spend a couple hours in the “lambs” room together this week, just to become acquainted with the daycare environment. So, we did that this morning.

There are 3 caregivers in her room; Cayte, Carol, and Celia. Together, they were watching 6 babies. Technically the ratio is 4:1, but some of the babies are M/W/F or T/Th, and the three “teachers” stagger their start, end, and lunchtimes (I just happened to be there during an hour when they were all together).

I gathered and labeled all of Aurora’s daycare supplies and we brought those with us this morning. These included: diapers, wipes, changes of clothes, bibs, two sheets and a mattress pad. They set up her crib while I was there and I put her in it, but she didn't seem to love it. Yikes!

On Monday I'll also need to bring in bottles. I’ve been pumping almost every day since my milk came in, just for my own comfort. Once Aurora began taking a nightly bottle from Chuck, I started pumping regularly before bed. I’ve been producing about 8 oz each night, while she only drinks 4 oz at a sitting. This has added up to huge stock pile of milk. Believe it or not, I now have around 50 bags of milk in the freezer!

Frozen breast milk is good for 3-4 months, and of course, I’ll continue to pump at work to replenish whatever supply we use. So, you may be wondering, how will we ever use all this milk?! Well, I'll be able to send her to daycare with a week's worth of frozen milk at a time, which is very convenient - and if she starts drinking more than 4 oz at each feeding, we have extra. In a couple of months when she starts eating solids, we can mix her oatmeal and rice with my milk instead of formula. That'll be nice.

But, starting Monday it's a whole new schedule and a whole new life as a working mom. I know it won't be easy, and the daycare providers will never take care of her like I would, but I'm hoping it will be a good experience for all of us.