Emerging from Maternity Leave

I'm slowly emerging from the sweet, warm cave of maternity leave. These past three months have been filled with countless hours of blissful baby gazing, tears of joy as I marvel at the abundance that is my life, oohs and aahs watching her grow, and much, much picture taking as I try to capture every moment and slow down time! Of course there have also been the dark moments of exhaustion, fear, and self-doubt that tend to accompany major life transitions. I want to remember it all.

This past week I facilitated a workshop I had signed on for before Melaina was born. It was my first big chunk of time away from her and although I held back tears as I left, it felt good to get back into the groove of working. I'm just starting to plan my return to teaching at the studio and seeing therapy clients. I had my first date with my planner pad and highlighters today. I broke out my glittery gel pens and started outlining the final quarter of the year. It feels good to get back to this part of myself that has been lying dormant these past few months. I'm excited to move into this next phase of my life where I plan to spend the bulk of my time at home while continuing to evolve my businesses. I have no idea how exactly it will unfold, but I look forward to the journey and sharing it here with you.

It's easy to see how I spend my days staring at her, isn't it? She is the cutest! And she has already changed so much. Just today she figured out how to use her hands for the first time and really grab onto her toys. Watching her grow every day is amazing; it blows my mind how much change occurs in this short time. I want to savor every minute.

Having a teenager and a newborn is actually pretty awesome! It really makes me appreciate how quickly life goes by. It's like a daily, in-your-face reminder to be present and soak up all the goodness right in front of me. It has been an amazing summer and I'm overflowing with gratitude for this gift of time focused solely on my family.

PS I love my iPhone and the fabulous Instagram app that I used to edit all of these pictures!