Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Maternity Leave - Goals and Surprises

As with my last Maternity leave I had all of these great plans for what I would accomplish during my 4 months off from work. Since I'm a little more than half way through my leave I though I would do a progress check before my time of slips away and I find myself back at my paying job.
During my first leave with our son Dash I spent the first 2 months in awe over having a new baby and really didn't have much desire to do anything else other than take in every cry, coo, and smile of our newborn. I managed to make curtains for my kitchen, but that was about it.
This leave I vowed to get myself moving quicker, and although I still cherish every little sound and move that my baby makes I have also realized I can do that along with many other things too. My original goals for this leave were as follows:

  1. Improve my French - Since I am living in the French part of Switzerland I thought I could spend more time studying and practicing my French about town.
  2. Spend weekends getting to see more of Switzerland.
  3. Read a long list of books I've been meaning to get to.
  4. Lose my baby weight!!

So what have I actually accomplished so far? I am just getting back into studying my French and the list of books just aren't getting read. The book reading is probably better saved for plane rides when I go back to work. We have done a good little bit of exploring over the past couple of months. Some of it has just been around town getting to know the local area a little better. We have done some hiking with the baby in his Bjorn carrier and gone to see some sites around the country.

Most surprising though are the things I have done and learned that I had not planned on.
  • I Started my own Blog! Here I am. It's a fun experience. I'm not sure how many people read this other that friends, but I am enjoying it.
  • I have learned all about Webkinz thanks to presents for my 4 year old from his Grandma and a friend's children. This is a marketing phenomena I knew nothing about, but man is it a great enterprise! They have me hooked!
  • I learned how to ride a scooter. I even went out and bought one for myself. There is nothing like sharing outdoor time with your kids and what a better way to do it than riding side by side with them on a scooter - that is along as I keep upright!
  • Learned the names of Batman's arch-enemies. More fun time with my 4 year old!
So, although my experiences to date may not be very scholarly I feel like they have enriched me greatly. I'll try to focus more on my French over the next 2 months and vow to read at least one book, but I wont feel guilty if I don't. I'm having fun with my kids and my Husband. That is something I would never trade!
Oh, and the weight. I'm not doing too bad, better than last time, but I still have work to do. More time on the scooter will help.

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