How Sweet It Was...

...To be on maternity leave.  But like one of my favorite Dave Matthews Band songs says, "All good things must come to an end sometimes."  And today, my maternity leave ends and I go back to work. =(
I have been dreading this transition for quite some time now.  I know that everything will be ok.  I can tell myself over and over again that Jillian will know how much I love her.  I try to convince myself that I am doing the responsible thing, the right thing, by showing her that you can be a strong woman who can balance a career with a family. 
But all the reasoning and all the convincing doesn't change the fact that my heart is breaking at the thought of not spending every moment with my Jilly Bear.  After all, she has been my constant companion for almost 11 months now, since she was conceived, grew in my belly, and came out to grace us with her presence.  All day, everyday, I have loved every minute of soaking in my sweet baby girl, and I have cherished all the freedom of getting to spend so much time with Julian too.  I just wish I could split myself in half so that I could still be home with Jilly and Juli always and go back to work.  I never could have imagined that it would hurt this bad.
But, when I wake up tomorrow morning, I will do what I need to do to make it a good day.  And I will continue to do that everyday, and hopefully, it will get easier.  I am sure that we will get into a routine where I can enjoy time while I am at work, but more importantly, really treasure time with Jillian and Julian.  My heart is happy to know that she will not have to go to daycare just yet as she spends some days with her Daddy and some days with her Mami Mari, who is graciously coming in town to take care of her. 
I have so many sweet memories of my family that will carry me through the long 8 hours until I get to come home to hold my Jilly...

...like early morning baby conversations or watching cartoons...

...and mid-morning naps with Jilly and Daddy...

...and late morning trips to the park...

...and early afternoon naps on Mommy...

...or naps with her monkeys...

 (what can I say, she sleeps a lot!)

...and mid afternoon play time...

...and some of my favorite memories, late afternoon picnics with Daddy!

Oh, How Sweet It Was...