Working Mom Wednesday [my first one]!

So one of my lovely Nestie buddies wrote her own WMW, and I linked up to see what this is all about. I found this super blog written by a super mom, started following and decided to start participating. This should be fun and help me get on a roll with blogging more.

Anyhoo, today's topic is working life BEFORE kids vs. working life AFTER kids. Interesting topic. Let's dive in, shall we?

When I started working full-time with my first big-kid job, I was 21 weeks pregnant but feeling great. And, I'd taken off almost three months because I couldn't find a job, so I was ready to work. I had so much energy after work, even at that point in my pregnancy. I got in a full night's rest [most times], so I had the energy to see friends afterward, hang out with people and just chat it up. After JJ was born though...everything changed. So long, full night's sleep. So long, being in bed before midnight. So long normal bedtime routine.

During JJ's first year, I barely got any sleep, worked nine-hour days [and was on the road at least one week out of the month with my old job] and was really, really tired all the time. I usually worked late, got home late, dealt with an over-stimulated baby [who really, really hated baths] and was just generally exhausted. My sister lived with me for the first seven months and was a big help, but she had her own college stuff going on and was gone a lot. So, for the most part, it was me and JJ. I don't even really know how we made it through the first year in one piece - it was rough.

Now that he's older and sleeping better, it's been easier for me to sleep longer than an hour at a time. And, I moved to a much less demanding job, which has helped SO much. I don't work late anymore, don't travel, and I don't work weekends [all of which i did at my old job]. We now have a routine established for after work, and it's made my life so much easier. It's still a little tough raising a toddler by yourself, but our lives are way better now than they were last year. Thank goodness.

I guess the biggest change between working life before kids and working life after kids is that I have no free time after work - it's all JJ. I can't go with people to happy hour or meet up at the club on a Saturday night. Work functions after 5pm require me to find a babysitter [which is usually my sister, who lives an hour away], which can get hectic. But he has - and always will - come first. I want as much time as I can get with my little man after work as possible, so I try very hard not to work past 5pm. My sleeping habits suck [mainly out of habit than anything else], but I'm working on that. And, most nights, I have more energy to do stuff after work, so my apartment isn't nearly as much of a disaster area as it used to be. Adjusting to a routine that would work for me and JJ was very, very hard - but now that we've got one established, life is good.

I think as JJ gets older...and after J and I are FINALLY living under the same freaking roof...it will be easier to have more of a social life and energy. It's tough raising a toddler by yourself, but we make it work. I love being a working mom and, at the moment, wouldn't change a thing about it.