The Fabulous Life of Stefanie

Baby Girl enjoying the hotel room bed Last Tuesday was my first day back to work (Mardi Gras, coincidentally) so I spent most of Monday evening packing and checking and thinking and packing more, preparing for my big day as though it was my first day of school (I even had a back-to-school zit pop up, just like high school!). I showed up to work on Tuesday morning with three bags full of stuff - breast pump, lunch, bulldog puppy calendar - you know, the necessities. I also had dry eyes. Like, no tears at all. Nor have I had them yet. In fact, I can say with confidence that it is good to be back to work. Crazy, right? The thing is I love my job. And I have awesome co-workers who decorate my cube and give me hugs and check on me and let me show them twenty five pictures of Maddie doing the same thing over and over and they smile and fuss over her with me. I love them, all of them, I really do. I also have an awesome boss who urges me to slow down and ease into work again (which is such a ...

Since having the baby Matty and I have been lucky to make it out for a date night once a month, though it took us until the third time out to really let loose and not inhale our food and rush back as soon as possible. I have to admit, it was pretty awesome just to relax and enjoy each other, to talk about work and dreams and gossip (my favorite topics, especially the latter two) and to allow Maddie to have her fun time away from us too (ie. getting spoiled with love by her Grand Aunt). We decided to get dinner at the Island Creek Oyster Bar in Kenmore Square as we had been meaning to go there since they opened, but someone was pregnant for 9 months and couldn't have raw oysters, which is the whole point of going there, if you ask me. The spot itself is really well thought out and resembles being down the Cape in an artsy, modernist sort of way. There is a huge mural of the shore on one wall and oysters in cages line another wall while dozens of cans of Narraganset line the bar wa...

I cannot believe that my little baby girl is three months old. My little bundle of sleeping and eating that I brought home in November is now (in addition to sleeping and eating) smiling, cooing, and winning hearts all over Boston with her adorable face and outgoing demeanor. And now, mommy is getting ready to go back to work and it is a big ol' Kitchen Aid mixer of emotions. Look at that face! Leaving that in the morning will not be easy! I am definitely looking forward to going back, which makes me feel guilty. Aren't I supposed to want nothing more than to stay home and stare at my beautiful baby all day? Am I a terrible mommy for wanting to go back? Should I take advantage of the fact that I could stay home (with an extreme change to our standard of living) and just do that and kiss off all of our vacations and my new addiction to the smell of Coco Mademoiselle? I am going to go ahead and give that a big, fat NO; I am not a terrible mommy for this. I will even go as far to...