It's officially been 12 weeks and it's back to the workforce I go....with mixed emotions.  

After getting into a routine of having two babes, Chase (the oldest) and I were able to create a new relaxed morning routine in order to spend some extended time together.  With no need to arrive at school by a certain time, we packed up the littlest family member in the car seat and meandered our time away. 

There was extra time spent getting ready for school, petting the piggy (yes, there is a pig in our park), and cheering on the construction & landscape workers along our route.  Stopping to hop on tree roots and spontaneously dance on the sidewalk was no problem. 

And while the beginning of my time with Kiefer was inexplicably hard (see What Not to Say for proof), the past few weeks have brought smiles and coos unlike I have ever seen. Even Chase is entertained and has full blown "conversations" with his Lil' Bro.

Besides spending time with the kids, my maternity leave gave me the ability (and stress) to settle into our new home.  However, this "settling" takes some extra cash as we re-modeled, re-painted, and re-decorated. 

It is safe to say my husband is glad to have my attention focused back at work with less time to spend money on our house.

While the return to work creates a more hectic morning routine and less time to fix up the home, I look forward to it for a myriad of reasons.  I won't bore you with all of them, but the short and sweet of it is I actually love my job.  Being back with my clients, bringing vision to reality, and the fast-pace of it all is exciting.  

Additionally, as I folded the last of our laundry and put away the last dish, I can't ignore another big milestone of our new normal.  With my return to work, the household duties are shared!!  As a non-lover of laundry and dishes, this will not only ease my load, but make me an all-around happier person. 

However, there is no denying the most exciting change.  There is pure bliss in relinquishing my reign as the solo night-time pal of Kiefer's each (long) night.  After 3 months of not sleeping, I look forward to getting a luxurious 6 or 7 hours of sleep tonight.  And every other night.

And with that, I must sign off – someone (this girl!) needs to figure out how to work the alarm clock again before this evening ~