Project 857- November 1

This was not my favorite Saturday.

We were down at my parent's for Halloween, and I brought my work laptop with me to go through my work emails and delete ones I didn't need so I wouldn't have to face an Inbox of 2,000 emails (seriously, I get about 500 every 3 weeks!!) when I went back to work.

I was not expecting an email from my HR department letting me know that I was out of paid time off, and that any time I took after Halloween was going to be unpaid.

Ummm... what??

I was scheduled to be on maternity leave until December 3rd.. and I had talked to HR before I had Owen and the explanation I was given made it sound like that whole time off would be covered.

Well, long story short.. there was a big mis-communication, I interpreted what they told me wrong, they didn't break down my leave very clearly.. and BAM.

I was out of time, and Neal and I were facing six more weeks of no paycheck from me if I chose to stay off work until December like planned.

We just couldn't do that, so I made the choice to go back to work 3 weeks earlier than planned.

I spent Saturday crying.

I knew work was inevitable. I wasn't sad I had to go back.. I was sad it was a shock, that the mis-communication happened in the first place.. I felt dumb for not asking HR more questions before my leave, and mad at them for mis-leading me.

I nursed Owen in bed and laid with him for most of the afternoon while he napped.

Even though I went through this with Austin, it's never easy to know you are about to send your baby to daycare. You worry they are going to be scared without you. Or not sleep or eat well.

Owen seemed too young, too small to go to school. It wasn't until I realized he would be the exact same age Austin was when he started school that I started to feel a bit better.

So we had a lazy day at my parent's...

Naps.

Hanging out with the boys out by my Dad's firepit.. in Batman jammies, no less.

Austin also "read" a story to everyone.. this book is simple and he has heard it so many times, he has memorized what line goes with what picture.