It's Off to Work I Go, Part Two

(Phoebe's 4 months old as of yesterday (!), but I'll post about that following her well baby visit on Wednesday)

Amazingly, I have been back to work for four weeks now. I can't believe how fast the time has flown, and how crazy it is.

As you'll recall, I started a new job, so this was a huge change in of itself.  This is also the first company I've worked for that is HUGE.  My previous job was the largest company I had worked for to date, and it only had 40 people. Working for a large company is really different.  There are 1500 people at this campus, with a total of 4,000 throughout the country.  It is bureaucratic and kind of slow-moving.

The first day was awful.  I had to spend the morning doing a health information privacy training and then filling out pages upon pages of paperwork.  By the time I was done it was past noon, and I really needed to pump.  My new boss, who is very nice, escorted me to the building where we work.  I asked him about the pumping room (making things very personal on the first day), and he of course, being a guy, really had no clue.  It was clear I needed a key for the pumping room, but my boss didn't know whom to call.  Finally, we discovered that I had to call security for the pumping room.  When I asked about getting my own key, I was informed that I wouldn't be able to get one for awhile.  So for a full week, I had to call security in order to gain access to the "Quiet Room."  They got to know me very well.  But now that I have a key, I am so grateful for a room that is truly dedicated to pumping -- there is a large, comfortable chair with a tray on it, a sink, a small refrigerator for storing the milk, and a bunch of trashy magazines to pass the time.

Apart from the sheer bureaucracy of this company, I'm getting the hang of my new job pretty quickly. It's a lot of legal analysis, which is different, but I like it, because it's kind of like putting a puzzle together.  My boss is super nice and flexible, and he really doesn't care when I come in or leave.  However, in the interest of putting my best foot forward, I try to get to work by 8, so I can leave at 4:30.  The shortened commute is so nice!

There is also a gym on-site, which is a first for me, so I've been trying to take advantage of it when I can.  It's small, but it has four treadmills, two ellipticals, and one stationary bike, in addition to medicine balls and a few weight machines.  It can get crowed, but it's nice to use during work hours to maximize time with the girls in the evening.

But I know what you all are wondering -- how is getting two girls ready in the morning going?  It was really hectic at first, but Chris and I have developed a pretty good routine.  The biggest question mark is Phoebe.  If she sleeps straight through the night, she's usually up by 6:30 (this is happening with less frequency, probably because of the crazy milestones she's hitting all at once) and up for the day.  This makes getting ready in the morning challenging because I have to drop what I'm doing and feed her, although I appreciate the uninterrupted sleep!  If she wakes up once in the night, then I'll wake her up around 7:00 and feed her and get her dressed.  Meanwhile, Chris wakes Charlotte up shortly after 7 and gets her dressed and ready to go.  Charlotte and I hop in the car to drop her off by 7:30, so she can have breakfast, and then Chris drops Phoebe off a bit later (D isn't open until 7:30).  In the evening, whoever is leaving first gets Phoebe, since D closes at 5:30, and KinderCare is open until 6:30.

Overall, it's pretty exhausting, but we're making it work.  Last week and this week are particularly hectic because Charlotte is taking swimming lessons every day from 5:40PM to 6:10 PM.  She's doing great, but it's frantic having to pick her up, race home, get her swimsuit on, and then rush to the high school pool.  Luckily, the new high school is only 5 minutes away from home, so even when we're cutting it close, we get there on time.

Back on Wednesday to tell you all the fun things Phoebe is doing.  I'm also guessing she's about 27 inches long with a super long torso - those 6 month onesies are getting tight and she's at least as long as her daycare playmate, who is 9 months old!