Working with Baby

Right now I am on Maternity Leave from work because I had a small child way back in April. Here in Canada, Mat Leave is a year long which is flipping amazing to say the least. Being able to stay at home has been fantastic and I really hope that I can continue to do so even after my leave ends.

At first I was worried. Not about staying home and being bored, I am a complete homebody and don’t get cabin fever too often, but about being able to work on Pip & Pin from home while keeping a baby fed and entertained and alive and happy. And at first my worries were completely justified. Newborns are hard. (Especially ones with acid reflux, maybe a touch of colic and who absolutely refuse to be anywhere but in my arms). I had trouble just keeping the house half decent and personal hygiene definitely took a nosedive. But then things just started getting easier.

At about three months is where things started to turn around. She started sleeping and eating more regularly, her reflux and colic started clearing up and she started realizing that it’s OK if I am not righttherealways. And I was able to start drinking milk and eating cheese again. Yay!

Now at almost six months, she’s becoming this whole little person. She can play with toys and smile and giggle and babble and wiggle around. Even if she gets frustrated because she can’t do something yet or falls over and can’t get back up and screams bloody murder, she really is pretty awesome.

While I thought having a baby and having a business would be insanely impossible, I’ve realized that having a baby has actually made me better at what I do.

I am 10,000 times better at prioritizing my time now because I know I really only have a few hours in the morning to work while Georgia’s napping, and maybe a few at night if something really needs to get done, but I’de rather spend that time with N. I can make a list of things I need to do, see what is the most important and (here comes the most shocking part) actually do it. Knit City, our first market of the season, is only about a week away and I have so little to do I almost feel guilty. I basically just have to organize my stock, figure out what I’m taking with me out to Vancouver and… that’s pretty much it.

I also learned how to take breaks. Now instead of working for 12 hours straight and burning myself out for at least a couple of days, I just do what I can when I can do it. Mornings are really good, which is weird because I have never, in my entire life, been even the slightest bit a morning person. But Georgia’ll wake up at 7, eat, play for a little bit and then go down at about 8 for an hour or two, wake up for another hour or so and then take another nap. This means that I only work for maximum two hours at a time and then I am forced to take a cuddle break. It’s a pretty tough life.

I know it sounds all ooey gooey sappy babylove over here and it kind of is, but I’m pretty OK with that. How can you live with this face and not be consumed!

I really shouldn’t even publish this because I know as soon as I do, absolutely everything about what I just said will change…