February Highs & Lows

Another month has come and gone. February seemed to pass by 10 times faster than January. So many good things happened this month, it was actually pretty hard for me to think of any "lows!" Here's the round up:

Highs:

• Going back to work this month was definitely a major highlight of this month. I don't mean to sound snotty, but everyone was so dramatic about my plan to return to work after maternity leave and it made me really nervous. I think some people doubted whether I would go back at all, and some people thought I would go back and be miserable and quit immediately. And to be honest, I had those concerns, too. LUCKILY, none of those thing happened. I wrote about this a little bit already, but I have really loved being back at work. It's more than just "getting out of the house." I feel really in my element at work. There are projects with concrete deadlines and meetings and big ideas. It hasn't been a perfect transition, but overall I've been really happy and I hope things continue this way!

Just a picture of me casually working! Lol!

• Valentine's Day! I feel obligated to mention Valentine's Day even though it wasn't necessarily the most notable part of my month. I tried to decorate a little this year and that made me really happy. Cob was a sweetheart and bought me flowers (even though I told him he didn't have to), and we went to The Greatest Showman and got sushi. It was a perfect day.

• Peter's baby blessing. After putting off Peter's baby blessing for the entire month of December (don't get me started) we decided to bless him at my parents' home in Salt Lake. There was a fairly small crowd there, but it was absolutely perfect. Cob and I talked a lot about what we wanted to give Peter and what Cob should say in the blessing, and these are some of the things I remember.

Peter was blessed to be:
-Optimistic regardless of circumstances
-A bright and noble spirit
-An example to his family
-A close friend to Jesus Christ
-100% responsibility for his life
-Married in the temple
-A receiver of Priesthood and posterity
-Generous and full of desire to share his abundance

• Anything and everything to do with Peter. Guys. I am OBSESSED with this baby! He is so sweet. He sleeps through the night (usually 8-10 hours), he rarely cries, he smiles often, and he makes the cutest little sounds! I can tell that he loves me because his face just lights up when he hears my voice or sees my face, and it melts my heart. Having a baby is hands-down the hardest thing I have ever done, and I am terrified to do it again, but the love I feel for my Peter is absolutely overwhelming and empowering. I love being a mom.

Lows:

• Pumping at work. Let me tell you something: Pumping at work is THE ABSOLUTE WORST. I bought a hands-free pumping bra (look it up, it's ridiculous) and that has helped me a lot, but I haven't been able to really get a great pumping routine so I end up with no free time and clogged ducts and spilled bottles of breastmilk on my lap and sore nipples. My office has a mother's lounge with a nice recliner and a little fridge, but it's still a little icky. I'm glad that I've been able to breastfeed for so long, but I can't wait to be done.

I cropped the breast pump out of this picture #yourewelcome

• Work-life balance. I know I made it sound like going back to work has been perfect, but there have been some definite challenges. One is the fact that I used to have (almost) unlimited free time and now I only have about 5 hours a day of unstructured time. I'm also struggling with making the most of my time at home. I get home from work in the evenings and even though I would like to do something with Cob and Peter, I'm usually so exhausted I just collapse on the couch and veg for a few hours. I would really like to maximize my time with my family and do one meaningful activity every day. Yesterday I did some "Mom & Baby Yoga" but today I just sat in bed and watched The Office. Balance, right? Ha! I'm sure I'll get better at it.

• Social media. I know I talk about social media wayyyyyy more than I should, but I just can't decide how I feel! This month has been bad for social media. On the one hand, I've been really happy with what I've posted and I feel like I have a better idea of what I'm all about. But I've felt really discouraged following so many people who post affiliate link after affiliate link and one million "Like It To Know #LITK https://li.tk//" captions on their posts. Nobody shares anything important anymore. Nobody can just post a picture of their family or their kids. It's all about products and tutorials and coupons and crap that I don't care about! I'm slowly, slowly unfollowing accounts I don't care about and spending less time on social media altogether. I'll let you know how it goes.

February has been a great month. I feel overwhelmed when I think about all the good things that have happened this month and all the people that have looked out for me and helped me make adjustments in this new season of life. March is going to be great!

♡♡♡
Rebecca