Ode to the Working Mom

I am suddenly overwhelmed by the preparation, required routine (I do not do well with keeping them, but do well in them) and research needed to do the best by my son.  I mean some parents relish in the solid food stage but I have been dreading it so much that Austin is five months and we have only been toying with it!  I mean, we had a routine that worked and now I have to add in solids to the mix, which is in addition to his every 2.5 hour feeding of formula.  For heavens sake. 

Anyways, it got me thinking about all those moms that are working AND doing a great job with their kiddo(s).  I mean, I work but I am clocking in a month what these ladies are doing in a week and I am doing it from home.  How do they manage the nightly awakenings (Austin is still at 2/night and waking up between 6-7am) and make sure their children are getting the bonding time, the reading time, the play time, the discovery of new things, managing the new stages, cooking for the family, cleaning the house, researching the how-to's of parenthood, and fit in some "me" time?  I am amazed.  

During Austin's and my recent visit to my folks, naturally, we talked about what it was like to raise my brother and I and all the things that my mother had to manage, not only working, but for a few months at a time by herself!  My father was deployed on submarines quite a bit when we were younger so my mother often did everything by without the help of a spouse.  A new appreciation for her, I tell you!

I remember in my twenties thinking about whether I was the type to handle "being home" full time and not off working on building my career while a nanny or daycare provider cared for my son during the day.  I was a "climb the ladder" type and often the youngest to get there, always trying to out do myself each step of the way.  How does this extreme A-type personality go from the hustle and grind to staying at home? It was a hard thing for me to imagine for a good while.  It felt like it was an either/or choice because I knew I would not be able to do both very well.

Glad that I have the best of both worlds at this point.  Working a few hours a week breaks things up and gives me some personal, non Austin, satisfaction as well as keeps me in tuned with the "outside" world.  Plus I am doing it at home and my son is now my full-time gig and working with him is amazingly satisfying as well.  I am no super-woman, I have found, and although I am glad about our decision to have me stay home as I would not have it any other way, I am humbled by the fact that there are women that do both and manage it pretty well. 

So, hail to the working mom. You are my heroes!

You call this solid?