Monday, March 28, 2011

six whole weeks

my view of the little darling
 
 The closer it came for Clara to join us, the worse I was feeling about only having 13 days of paid time off to spend with her.  The fact that I didn't get a proper maternity leave made me just sick to my stomach ( read the situation here, here and here  if you are wondering what the heck I'm talking about!)

Well...to keep it short and simple - I decided to take a "personal leave" and enjoy SIX WHOLE WEEKS with our lil angel-face, Clara...even if it cost us an arm and a leg.  The second we decided to go for the personal leave, I felt at peace and like a huge weight had been lifted off of my shoulders.  Like I've said before, babies are only babies for a short time...they grow so fast.  I am so blessed to have this time to cuddle my Clara, smell her sweet baby scent, nurse her, calm her and watch her sleep.

She is my joy.

love her sweet little pink lips
These past two (almost three!) weeks have been so overwhelming for me I can't even adequately put it into words.  This is, by far, the most terrifying and amazing responsibility imaginable.  Motherhood is miraculous, and I feel that this is what I'm suppose to be...Clara's mommy.  


These six weeks will be worth every last penny.  I don't even want to think about the day when I get up in the morning and leave her for a 14 hour work day - tugs at my heart and makes my eyes water.

For now, I will cherish these moments... however fleeting they may be.

15 comments:

  1. You will never, ever regret taking the extra time off to spend with her - I am a new mama too & loved every second of my maternity leave with my son. There is no sweeter time. Truly.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I am so happy that you decided to take the time.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Sounds like you made a fantastic choice :) Enjoy your lovely little girl!

    ReplyDelete
  4. good for you for going for it. they are only newborns once, and despite the fact that your residency has made it hard, i think you made the right choice.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I echo everyone else. It's a good decision. What a huge change in your life!

    ReplyDelete
  6. She seriously has the sweetest face - just like a little rose bud. Enjoy your personal leave.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I'm a new follower. I love the name Clara, and she looks so perfect at first I thought it was a picture of a doll!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Oh my God, Jes, yes. So happy you made that choice. Clara is so tiny and perfect. I am thrilled that you get to cuddle those little cheeks for longer than anticipated.

    ReplyDelete
  9. good for you for making that decision...I can't tell you how mad it makes me that you didn't get proper maternity leave...it's a crime!!

    ReplyDelete
  10. She is absolutely precious. I agree with Ruthy - the rules/law around maternity leave are awful. Too bad we don't live in Europe with weeks and weeks of "holiday" and good family leaves.

    ReplyDelete
  11. So happy for you Jes. So, so, happy. My heart swells.

    And don't talk about that BridalHood! You'll have me packing my bags and practicing my euro accent stat. I like to pretend that crazy unfairness is non-existant.

    ReplyDelete
  12. I am so happy for you. Enjoy your little sweetheart. She is an absolute doll!

    ReplyDelete
  13. The hardest thing about being a working Mom is having to leave your kids. I think you feel less guilt when they are in kindergarten and "supposed" to be away from you. I struggle with this all the time. I was really fortunate to get a lot of time with both my babies (4 months maternity and I still only work M-W-F-and some Saturdays). It's a rotten shame that the US doesn't value maternity leave more and for that matter, some PATERNITY leave. I think it should be at least 6 MONTHS and really 1 year. Newborns are REALLY REALLY hard work. With both my babies the newborn phase was always really the worst part and that's okay to admit, it doesn't mean you are a failure or anything! I love my little ones but I find being a mom super challenging! The hardest job EVER! You are doing great, Jes.

    ReplyDelete
  14. So happy for you, Jes.

    The biggest indicator that I've made a good decision is always when you get that weightless feeling - suddenly free! :)

    stephanie@metropolitanmama.net

    ReplyDelete

LinkWithin

Related Posts with Thumbnails