Monday was my first day back at work. I was excited yet a little worried about the boys. I wrote a list of instructions for Robin and kept reminding him to do this and that. I could tell he was quite annoyed at me at some stage… but I could not help it. Anyway, he was nice about the whole thing and told me not to worry. He promised he would send Calvin to day care and look after Athan.

The day went quite slowly despite the fact that I was already given work to do. I really needed time to get the momentum back. It was difficult to think about work after being at home for so long. All I could think of was my boys. Thank God that my colleagues were understanding — they did not push me or give me pressure to complete my job. They even spent some time catching up with me and introducing me to new staff etc. That really helped.

I picked Calvin up from day care on my way home. The staff told me that Calvin had a great day and was very happy. I was happy to know that. As for Athan, he was well looked after and happy. He did not seem to miss me at all! *sigh* I’m really thankful that Robin has put in so much effort to help look after the boys while I am at work. He did a great job. He has even prepared dinner for us!

My second and third day at work have been much better. I feel myself getting back into the working mode without much struggle although I have to admit that I still need time to get used to working again. I guess what has helped me is to know that my boys are well taken care of.

There’s so much to learn about balancing work and family. Being a working mum is no easy feat. I feel this time round is tougher mainly because we have 2 children now. Please pray that God will grant me strength and wisdom to manage my work and home.

It was about a year ago that I started my maternity leave. And now, a year later, I am going back to work. Next Monday. This day has come quicker than I thought! Honestly, I am not too looking forward to going back to work although I know I will enjoy the work that I am doing in time to come.

Perhaps I have been at home for a long time now and it is hard to imagine going back to work. The thought of not seeing the boys and not knowing what they are doing during the day is something I struggle with. It is hard. All of us have to get into a new routine and this, will take time. I will have to learn to focus on my work while at work and manage the boys when I am home. I will be busy. Robin has promised help, so that’s a comfort to me. Athan will be cared by my mother-in-law when I am at work (Monday – Wednesday) and Calvin will continue with his day care and kindy. Please do pray that the transition will be smooth for us. Pray for me too, that God will grant me strength and patience to face each day.

Being able to leave Athan with my mother-in-law is a relief to me because I know she will take great care of him. I do not wish to send Athan to day care just yet because he is still too young, in my opinion. I have not been writing about Athan for a while and so here’s some updates.

Athan is now 11 months. He is turning one next month! I can’t believe it. Seriously. He has been an absolute joy for Robin, myself and Calvin.

He is now able to pull himself up with the support of furnitures that his hands can reach. He is *talking* a lot more and he loves to play. He smiles and dances (bob up and down on his bottom and wave hand at the same time) when his he hears music or song, especially his favourite nursery song “Wheels on the bus”. It is so funny to watch him.

Athan loves to eat. He eats almost anything that I feed him. These days, he has a tendency to spit out food (especially if he felt some chunks — e.g a piece of carrot) and put it in his hands. He wants to see what’s he is eating and when he is satisfied, he will stuff the food back into his mouth. As a result, I have a lot to clean up after his meal. He also prefers to hold the food (e.g cracker, pieces of fruit) offered to him and feed himself rather than for me to feed him.

Athan is small in size as compared to Calvin at this age. He has short legs. 🙂 I often worry — like I always do — that he is not growing normally. But I have been assured that he is fine. I should just let him grow up naturally.

Here’s another dose of Athan for you.

By the way, this little boy still screams (not cry) very very loudly when he is upset. *sigh* We are so used to it now. And we still love him to bits! 🙂

This is Calvin getting ready for school! His backpack and his lunch bag are all packed and ready to go. Yup, he has to bring his lunch and eat from it with his peers in school. My boy is now old enough to go to school. I can’t believe it!

Yesterday was his first day. I think I was more nervous than him. I kept telling him not to cry, and kept reminding him to go to the toilet, wash his hands etc etc. Robin laughed at me and said to me “I think you would be the one crying, NOT Calvin!”. He was quite right. Calvin did not cry at all. Thank God for that. He settled right in as he found something that he was interested to do. There were 2 teachers in the class. Both of them were really nice and have lots of experience working with children. I spoke with the teachers a bit and I lingered in the classroom for a while to make sure Calvin was alright. When I left, I was, in a way, emotional and yet at the same time I was proud of my son. He has indeed grown up. I did not cry.

We have enrolled Calvin in a 3-year-old kindergarten near our home for this term. It is not necessary for a 3-year-old child to attend kindy in this country, but we thought Calvin is quite ready for a school environment and we believe he will benefit from the many activities they have there. I actually *struggle* with the decision as I think kindy is similar to child care centre which he is already attending. I went to visit the school and spoke with the teachers there. My thinking somehow changed after that.

Well, the truth is, kindy is in fact similar to child care centre. There’s a lot of play time, and the activities are similar. The main difference is that it is a school environment and all the teachers are qualified early childhood educators. They have a structured learning program designed for the children. In addition, the children will learn many skills to help them to be independent and to behave outside their home environment. I think there’s where I have come to the decision that the kindy will be good for Calvin — that even though I teach him many skills at home, like behaving himself, feeding himself, gluing, cutting, colouring etc, but he is now learning to do all these things together with his teacher and peers in a school, outside his home, outside his comfort zone. He has to learn to listen and follow instructions from his teachers — not me. In any case, I hope and pray that we have made the right decision for him. We’ll wait and see.