Finding a Balance

Back in December, I really started to question if I wanted to continue working full time.  As I watched Frankie growing up, I started to realize that I just wanted to spend more time with him.  But I really like my job – I like what I do and I like my company – so I was hoping for a chance to work part time and be at home more during the week.  Kind of get the best of both worlds, in my eyes.  So, in January, I approached my supervisors with my wishes.  Thankfully they were very receptive and a few months later, starting April 1, I officially started my new part time schedule!  I’ll be honest, I was nervous at first.  It’s a big change.  Was I doing the right thing for my family?  Was I doing the right thing for me and my career?  Was I doing the right thing for Frankie?  

And then my first week as a part-timer, Frankie got sick.  Really sick.  Double ear infections and the doctor was worried that he was also developing pneumonia.  Yikes.  That scared me.  The poor boy had a fever that ran a few days around 104-105 degrees and he would just shiver.  You know when we get sick and have a fever and are hot, but cold at the same time?  That must have been how he felt.  We just had him in a diaper because he was roasting (and it was the week that temps were in the 90's here), but he had goosebumps and was shivering.  So, so sad.  My heart broke.  But my mind almost went insane.  My son was miserable.  There was no pleasing him.  He cried all the time - like back in the early days when they cried and you had no idea what was wrong.  I rocked him and let him sleep on me as much as I could.  We pretty much couldn't put him down.  And then there was his medicine.  It tasted horrible and we could not get him to take it.  We tried forcing it in but no matter what we did, he would spit most of it out.  We tried mixing it in yogurt, etc - but he just didn't have much of an appetite.  After reaching out to my mom's group for advice and desperate for Frankie to feel better, I decided to mix 1 mL of his meds with 1 mL of Hershey syrup in the syringe.  Yep, you read that correctly.  But it worked.  He took it all.   

That was a tough week.  And then Frank got sick with strep throat.  And then our nanny.  And then me.  It wasn't fun.  And I'm not going to lie, I wondered if I'd made the right decision staying home more. 

But...

Fast forward one week and everyone in our house is healthy!  And I get to do fun things with Frankie during the week!  Like take him to Frying Pan Petting Zoo with Grammy...

 

It looks like he's pointing to the cows in the field, but really he was checking out the school buses from a field trip

Farmer Frank

And I get to go into the office and be a grown-up for three days, too!  Yea, I'm pretty sure this is going to be a good fit for me, for Frankie, for our family.