It is week four of my “Mommy Rotation,” which is what I have nicknamed my maternity leave.  Realizing that I had only planned to take four weeks off, I am kind of thankful that with Anika coming early and my having a c section, I took six weeks off instead.  I am definitely not ready to start rotations yet, and I am glad for another two weeks of recovery and time with my baby.

I can’t help but feel a little sad that I am behind my classmates.  I see so many posts on Facebook about exciting patient encounters, and I really wish I was sharing their experiences.  I know I will be soon enough, but it still just feels weird that I’m not joining in.

However, my Mommy Rotation is going very well.  I am still recovering from surgery, but every day I feel a little bit more like my old self.  This past week I’ve been cleaning and cooking.  I even baked some blueberry muffins and chocolate chip cookies.  But I still get worn out easily.  We took a trip to the mall in Scottsdale the other day, and after only about an hour I was starting to wear out.  Hopefully I will have more stamina before rotations start.

Anika is doing very well.  She is finally starting to get some fat on her, and she looks cuter and cuter every day.  She can be pretty fussy at times, and there have been a lot of nights with little sleep, which worries me for when I have to get up early for rotations.  I guess I will just have to adjust to constantly being tired.

We’re very, very close to being completely unpacked.  We still have a box of stuff that needs put away, but our little apartment is starting to feel like home.  I can’t wait for my recovery to be over so that Anika and I can head to the pool.  She has gotten several swimsuits as gifts in the past few weeks, so she is ready!

Not much else is new.  Anika will be four weeks old this Sunday.  How time flies!  Next week we are flying back to Nebraska for her baptism and to visit family.  We are a little nervous to take her on her first flight.  I just hope she doesn’t cry the whole time.  Nobody ever wants to be “those people” on the flight, but I guess there is nothing we can do if she does.

Two weeks doesn’t seem like nearly enough time before I have to start rotations.  I am already sad to leave Anika, but I am starting to get a little bored.  It will be nice to be busy again and get out of the house.  Plus after touring some different daycare facilities, I feel better about leaving her in someone else’s care.  That doesn’t mean that I won’t cry the first day, though!