ThanksLiving Thursday: 8 Weeks

I have so many people to thank for making my maternity leave possible!  Instead of taking the traditional six weeks, I opted for eight weeks.  As soon as I found out I was pregnant, I was determined to take eight weeks.  I hadn't thought through the logistics of it and just how difficult it might be for a first year teacher to take eight weeks off.  I hadn't thought about the fact that I would need to save every single sick day, and I'd still be terribly short!  I didn't think about the fact that disability would not help any because I was already pregnant when I took the job (although I did not know it when I took the job, I was only a few days pregnant at that time)!

The newness of the excitement of pregnancy certainly had fogged my brain!

As soon as the fog began to clear (the newness and excitement stuck around for a while), I began to realize how unrealistic eight basically unpaid weeks was going to be.  I was still a graduate student who had not had a job in over a year due to the demands of graduate school.  I had no money in savings, and had not even received a paycheck at the time.  I would have seven days of sick day saved up if I did not have to take any sick time.  Um? A pregnant woman not get sick? Not likely!

So my first note of thanks is to my mom.  She knew that she could donate some of her saved up sick time to me, and donated an entire month.  We definitely could not have survived without her generosity!  So, I say thanks!

My second note of thanks is to my incredible co-workers who had to fill in while I was gone.  I did have a long term substitute (who also received many many thanks!), but as a Special Education teacher, there are much more responsibilities than just teaching!  Many meetings had to be covered including IEP meetings, behavior Manifestation meetings, and meetings to discuss the meetings beforehand (yes, really).  My students and I definitely could not have survived without my tireless co-workers! So, I say thanks, thanks, thanks!

Because of the generosity and understanding of so many people, I was able to really relax and enjoy my break and get in some good bonding time with my sweet Ella Kate.  As most new mommies are, I was ordered out by a doctor for six weeks.  Although I only took two more weeks, those two weeks gave me just enough time to start to get her on a routine (seriously, she started sleeping through the night at six weeks!) and prepare my new-baby-brain for going back to work.

This ThanksLiving Thursday goes out to everyone who made my eight weeks happen.  You are all amazing!