Im back, Im back! Ive actually been back over a week now, but have been revelling in cuddles and building towers and cutting tiny finger foods and changing bums.
I liked Paris a lot. But I LOVED London. The first hour we were there I called Jer and told him to start applying for jobs over there, because come hell or high water, or, a bad economy, we were moving to London.
I loved being yelled at by crackwhores in the tube .
I loved the ads for freaking ‘mayo chickens’ everywhere.
I loved the delicious and good for you fast food places. Yes, really.
I loved the free museums. Free. Museums.
I loved the tube.
I loved the buildings actually built on to one another.
I loved the fashion.
I loved the abundance of men (not that I was looking, obviously).
I loved the lack of snobbery.
I loved the pubs.
I loved the all in one shops.
I loved the history.
OMG I love London.
But I didnt love having to call home to hear Jers voice, and not being able to snuggle up on the couch and watch criminal minds.
I didnt love missing Maddys tooth come in and hearing about her crawling around saying “mum mum mum”.
I didnt love having to press my face into the nightgown I brought from her room to try and find the last spot full of her smell.
I didnt love being away from him, and her.
So I was happy to be home, and to hold Jer’s hand and see his face and hand gestures while he told me stories. And to feel Madelyn’s new little snaggle tooth and see her smile so proud. And to press my nose against her neck, and smell her deliciousness direct from the source.
Ahhhh, I love my life.
And its about to change. I go back to work in less than a week. February 2nd. My heart is hurting at the thought. When I was pregnant there were quite a few women I work with who said “You will miss the adult interaction, I bet you wont be able to wait to get back to work” and I scoffed. As if. I couldn’t wait to spend days playing with my little baby girl. And then three months of colic, followed directly by two months of heavy teething, all on top of post partum depression. I started tring to think of ways to go back to work, and let Jeremy just have her. But, then the clouds parted, and I started to enjoy my long and tiring days. I started to enjoy our routines of nap time, and play time, and destructo-rampage time. And I didnt want to go back to work. I started trying to think of ways to adjust our lifestyle so I could stay home with her until she was school aged.
But its not a reality…
Not with a wedding seven months away.
Not with a $1600 mortgage payment due every month.
Not with the cost of diapers.
Not with my addiction to starbucks.
And certainly not after that little trip to London. Because Im going back, and this time Im bringing her (and Jer) with me. Maybe permenently.
I shall post pictures soon. But right now? Its totally time to build some towers for destructo-rampage time.
Like the Reef 
I’m moving to London with you guys. That is all.
Oh, except Flickr for the pictures. Then I can see them all. It’s all about me, apparently.
I’m happy you fell in love. With London and being home with Mad.
A couple things….
Yay for loving London. Everyone I know who has been there has loved it equally as much. Can’t wait to see pics!!
On the going back to work thing? Well, I wanted to be a full-time stay at home mom, too, but we could not afford it also. It just seemed so highly unlikely that we could live comfortably having me home. So I went back to work. For six months because it killed me to leave my babies everyday. I felt like they were becoming more attached to their sitter and I was loosing them. So, I quit my job and Colin and I tightened the reigns and I was able to be a stay at home mom!!! I was overjoyed. Finally!! And I spent two years or more with them and it was amazing.
But last summer is when the whole “adult interaction” thing started getting to me. Also, I felt like I wasn’t giving my kids the best. All of their friends and cousins were in preschools and daycare centres and they were all learning amazing things. So at the age of three, I put them in a Montessori school and went back to work and it was perfect. For about six months.
And now I’m craving some time with them again. I want a perfect balance so badly.
Also, recent studies have shown that it’s better for moms to work full-time when the kids are babies and then start shortening their weeks as the kids get older. My cousin worked full-time for a few years after her kids were born and has no eased off to three days a week not that the girls are 5 and 3.
Whoa, long 🙂 But hope that helps a bit!!
so glad you had an awesome trip…
i can’t wait to see the pictures!
(and happy birthday!)
I haven’t been to London yet, but I feel likewise about the other parts of the UK. It’s like a home away from home. Edinburgh is pretty awesome! (I’m possibly biased since we just returned from there.)
Oh and the free museums are amazing. They have them all over Europe.
yeah, post some pictures.
I just love you. You are an amazing writer. I know I have tol dyou this before, and so have many others, but everytime I read anything you have written I am filled with emotion.
I should stop by more often.
And did I say, I love you?