WMW: You know you're a working mom when...

* You fall asleep with your toddler - and get up early to finish what should've been done after they went to bed, which includes answering e-mails and texts from the night before, as well as packing lunches and sippy cups.

* You rush out the door only half put together, finish some of it when you pull into the parking lot of the daycare, then finish the rest when you pull into the parking lot at work.

* When you go on a business trip, and all the women hit the mall, they shop for new clothes and shoes - and you do the same, but it's for the kiddo, not you.

* When you go on a business trip and leave the kiddo behind with Dad or grandparents, you call every hour to make sure he's OK. And demand they send pictures.

* Your child's diaper bag also doubles as a briefcase, which you cram all your important stuff in so that you have enough hands to carry said child up the stairs AND carry the bag.

* You never take sick leave for yourself - it's always because the little one is sick.

* Your lunch breaks are spent picking up medicine for the child, groceries for the child, taking the child to doctor's appointments...just things for him in general.

* When you go on a business trip and have to sit through boring presentations, you consider that a vacation. Of course, you'd rather be home with your son, but at least in the presentations, you can tune out and relax for an hour.

* It wasn't done on purpose, but your kids know where the keys are, grab them and try to get you out the door on time. My toddler does this - he'll grab the keys from their designated spot and start banging on the front door to make sure I know it's time to go.

* No matter how stressful work was, you sit in the parking lot at daycare and have a "Woosah" moment. You let all the negativity go before you step inside and pick up the child that's been dying to see you all day. And you look forward to that moment every.single.day.

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.