Rejuvenation

Mondays for a working mom are tough. At least they are for this working mom. Spending two full days straight of family time makes the week ahead look so long and depressing, five entire days until another weekend. Add to that a to-do list as long as my arm, piles of papers like a blizzard on my desk and a calendar chock-full of meetings and requests and it all makes me want to fast forward the week to Friday at 5pm.

Since that is impossible, I look forward to the next best thing:
My lunch time appointments with Barrett.
These are the best appointments on my calendar all week.

I love that ringing phone call from the daycare, telling me he's ready for his momma. When I walk into that classroom, his face lights up to see me and he knows what's coming. I pick him up, twirl him around, and he smiles that big toothy grin. And just like that, he's all mine again.

We rock gently in the chair, all alone in our quiet room, and I sing and talk to him for that half hour, rub his back, tickle his legs and hold his feet in my palm. We stare into each other's eyes and he plays with my hair as he eats, silent and peaceful. Some days he drifts off into sleep and I just hold him while he rests quietly, looking down at my baby.

This is one of my favorite times of the day. My office, about one mile away in distance, is a million miles away in my mind. I block out To Do lists and phone calls to make and emails to send and concentrate on just being his mom. The demands on me when I'm in that florescent-lit building mean nothing to me when sitting in that rocking chair, being demanded as his mom. It makes me feel rejuvenated and at peace again and there's no better way to spend a lunch break.