It’s gone by in the blink of an eye. I recently emailed a physician, with whom I was hoping to meet, back a week after she emailed me: “The last few weeks have been some of the best of my life but, unfortunately, I’ve been pretty behind on everything. I apologize.” To which she replied, “You should only be “caught up” with mom activities!!!!” And then she suggested that I bring my daughter to the meeting. I love kind people.
If I leave the house for 30 minutes a day, I really feel like I’ve accomplished something. I know being a mom, and learning how to be a mom, is a big thing (if I offend anyone, please let me know)…I’m not sure what I envisioned…I just thought I would be able to do something else as well, just something relating to my field of study or passion…an hour a day?–an hour a week?? But I’ve been blessed with a cuddle monster of a child who is apparently going through a growth spurt and eating like crazy. At present, I’m typing with my body at a 160-degree angle on the couch with my daughter breathing heavily and audibly sighing and squeaking on my chest. I need to learn to be a more productive writer in this position…but I just keep getting distracted by the sound of her breathing, the transient puckering of her lips, the quiver of her eyelashes.
And then there’s this article regarding Yahoo! CEO Marissa Mayer’s decision to take a working three-week maternity leave. I keep thinking about how much freedom I have to take the time with my daughter that I need, how much love and support we’ve received from every direction…and I still feel like I’m at my wits’ ends sometimes, perhaps even often.
To everyone: thank you. Thank you for your help in providing me with the opportunity to love being a mother. I hope I can pay it forward.
anna in med school 