Counting down...

I'm actually looking forward to going out on maternity leave. My last day of work will be 2/4 and I will be out on leave from 2/7 through 6/3. When I first got pregnant (and even before that), I wondered if I would even enjoy being off for so long. I figured I would go stir crazy. But since being off the one week in December (even though I was sick), I found I actually enjoyed being home. It was hard to come back to work after being off for just that little period of time and here I am taking off roughly four months. I might be singing a different tune once I have been off for a month or so but we shall see.

Once nice thing is I will be going out during a time when things are calm in our department. Right now it is Bridge term in the law school and although we have a busier set up schedule than normal at this time of year, the classes we are scheduled to set up are spread out through the day. This makes the work day somewhat quiet. Spring term starts 2/7 for the law school - meaning things will get crazy (and that's when I will be leaving). When I come back on 6/3, the Spring term will have been over with for a month or so and the Summer session will be in gear (which is another slow time for the department). I can ease back into working without having to jump feet first into a crazy work day.

I didn't plan it this way but it happened. I originally scheduled the time frame so that Derrick would be done with classes and then he would be able to watch the baby. It turns out Derrick will be done in early May with his classes and then we will be home together for a couple weeks. This will work out nicely because then I can show him the ropes (if he doesn't know them by then) and make sure he is comfortable staying home alone with Elizabeth. Plus it will be nice to have all of us home for a couple weeks.