Just like that, summer has given way to fall and somehow it is mid-October already. Earlier today my feet were crunching through fallen leaves on the sidewalk and I thought to myself, "This is it! These are the few prime fall weeks you wait for all year; pay attention and enjoy!"
It was a summer of big change for us. We welcomed baby Sam in July and his birth was a beautiful and positive experience for us. My labour and delivery with my firstborn was traumatic and complicated, and I still can't believe what a different experience it was this time around.
My "maternity leave plan" (ha, that doesn't really exist for the self employed) was to take off all of June and relax, as well as the summer to focus on the new baby. Of course, I didn't follow my plan and June was a huge flurry of work as well as trying to accomplish every DIY project in my home before the baby's arrival. I installed open shelving in our kitchen while I was in labour (although I didn't realize it was labour until later that night!).
My "summer off" didn't happen either. Although this is my business, it is also my joy and a big part of what makes me feel like me. Early on, my husband encouraged me to start working again even just a little to help me keep a balance and indulge in some paint therapy. He bought me a dresser to start working on little by little, and in fact here we are months later and it's still not quite finished...
It's been a big adjustment but also an incredibly joyful time. Watching my older son become a big brother (and start junior kindergarten!) has been a joy and the first time since I became a parent that I can really feel time racing. Little Grey Farmhouse looks a little different these days because there's a limit on how much I can accomplish, but it's forced me to slow down a little which was what I desperately needed.
Thank you for sticking around and to those who reached out with words of congratulations after the little one arrived. I can feel that there are more changes coming in the next year and they're going to be all for the positive. Exciting times!
Lisa