End of Quarantine

Today was officially my last day of working from home.  After 9 weeks of working in the middle of my living room, I will be reporting back to the office starting on Tuesday next week. This is only possible as Declan is going back to preschool starting on Tuesday and I have to say it is all very bittersweet.
At times it's been extremely hard to work from home.  Some days I couldn't concentrate and just wanted to do something fun with my son.  Other days, I put my headphones in and went to town with little to no distraction as was able to get twice as much work done as I would have in the office and other days, was a combination of work craziness and home craziness.  I wouldn't change anything about the last 9 weeks...well, maybe besides my level of patience and cutting myself a break when I felt like I was failing at everything.
But, the silver lining is that I got to spend more time with my son and watch him grow up so much! Each day he's learning and absorbing more and more and I'm just so happy I got to be a part of it every day.  I loved having him come up to me while I've been working and hugging me and saying "mama work" or making animal noises at me.  I loved hearing about the tractors and lawnmowers he saw while out on his daily walk and checking in on him while he napped.  I've loved getting the extra time with him on my furlough days and while we haven't had any extravagant plans, we've been able take walks or play in the rocks or stop by Nana and Papa's to check on the construction progress at their new house.

One thing I'm really proud to have done during this quarantine is a project at my mom and Michael's new house.  My mom wanted ship lap in her bathroom and I thought it would be fun to help make it happen.  I bought the ship lap supplies from Home Depot (Michael picked it up curbside) and helped Michael install it one afternoon when I was off of work.  I learned how to use a nail gun and how to install ship lap properly.

I'm a bit nervous to go back to work in the office. It reminds me of how I felt when my Maternity Leave was over and I had to drop Declan off at school for the first time. This time will be a bit different though as there still are health and safety precautions the school will be taking to ensure the kids stay safe so I'll be unable to come in and spend extra time with him when I drop him off.  I'm sure it will be harder on me than on him but I can't help but worry a bit.  I plan on getting as many extra cuddles as he will allow over this long weekend.

Mother's Day Recap

Another week home during self-quarantine and we're getting by.  Today has been another furlough day for me and besides answering a few emails, I'm trying to stay off of my work computer and enjoy the warmer weather with my boy. (He's napping right now so I thought it would be good to update the blog.)

We celebrated Mother's Day this past Sunday and even though we weren't able to go out like we have in years past, we had a good day.  D and my step-dad planned and made me and my mom brunch.  We had a variety of breakfast treats and a few drinks to enjoy the day.  I was also able to take a much needed nap while Declan napped.  Mama naps are few and far between as there always seems to be something that needs to done here at home so it was very nice to get some extra zzzzz's.

I got some really sweet gifts from Declan, D and my mom and Michael.  Declan even handmade me some picture frames out of shaving cream paint for cute pictures of him and Kinny.

We still haven't really ventured out over the last 8 weeks besides going hiking a few weekends ago but we may start to loosen up a bit so that we can focus on the new normal. Obviously we won't be going all over the place, but I don't know how much longer we can stay cooped up at home without going insane.  The weather is finally looking up so we may just take a few more walks and play outside.  Declan's school is thinking about reopening late May or early June and he will be going back.  He's flourished here at home but I know he needs the social interaction with other toddlers to keep growing. 
When Declan's back in school, I'll head back to the office.  I have realized over these weeks, that I need to be in the office in order to manage my team.  Being offsite for this long is difficult and I've overcompensated by working more, which is not good for my mental health.  I haven't gotten the break I need to remain successful at home and at work since my "office" is in the middle of my living room. 
I know we're facing a "new normal" and I think we're about ready to see what it is all about.

19 months old and no where to go

We're 7 weeks or so into our quarantine and my how different things are.  With the weather getting nicer, we're all getting the itch to go out and do things but we've been pretty strict and have stayed put.

Declan and I did make one trip to the doctor for his 18 month checkup a few weeks ago and while it was a bit scary with everyone in masks and gowns, I was glad we were able to keep up with his schedule and see the doctor.
He's on schedule growth-wise at 25lbs and 32 inches tall and is going to be smarter than his mama in no time.  Even though this has been hard working from home and having him here and on the go, I am very glad to have the extra time with him.  He absorbs everything going on around him and is so smart at such a young age. I truly feel like he's blossomed during these weeks at home.  He's talking up a storm now and some of his favorite words are:
Mama
Dada
Papa
Nana
Hot
Purple
Yellow
Blue
Hi
Bye Bye
Night Night
All Gone
More
Ball
Truck
Uh-oh
Clock
Shark
Bubbles
Tractor
Outside
No
Yeah
Thank You
Cracker
Ipad (we've had to resort to using the iPad for learning, reading and keeping Declan occupied but we've limited this usage)
Poop (we're somewhat happy about this as we hope it leads to potty training!)
And everyday he seems to add more words to his vocabulary.

He can sign "Please", "More", "All Done" and "Thank You" too.

His smile and laugh are infectious and he's become a love bug lately by giving us hugs and kisses.  He also knows when he's doing something wrong and will come over and hug your leg and say "hi" in the sweetest little voice.

In the month of April, my company enforced a 5 day furlough for all employees and they've extended the furlough for May.  These extra days have helped us and allowed me to be more present with Declan during this crazy time.  Sure, my patience is tested on a daily basis....who's wouldn't be with a toddler, but I'm lucky to be working from home and able to see Declan's growth through all of the uncertainty.

Decorating Cookies with Mom

Cheese!

Learning Trucking Sales with Dad

Mom's Accounting Assistant -- he looks thrilled, right?!?