I realized on Monday that I am halfway through my maternity leave this week. I ended up deciding to take 13 weeks because that gives me the few days before Thanksgiving off. I will start back to work on November 28, part-time. Before I had June Anne, I had in my mind what maternity leave would look like for me. I would get all kinds of things checked off the never-ending to-do list that comes with having a baby AND buying a new house! I would finish painting the bathroom, unpack the last final boxes, keep up in the laundry and, obviously, keep the house spotless. Right! Little did I know that none of these things would get done. We bought the paint for the bathroom; the remaining boxes are still, well, reamining boxes; I stay pretty much on top of laundry; and my house is not the cleanest it has ever been. But, the moments I have spent with June Anne the past 6 weeks have been some of the sweetest of my life, and I know I will cherish them forever.
I have heard people say before that "babies don't keep," and I wondered where this saying came from. It's something that has been recited in my mind during the last 6 weeks. I searched the Internet and found this poem.
Song for a Fifth Child
By Ruth Hulburt Hamilton
Mother, O Mother, come shake out your cloth,
Empty the dustpan, poison the moth,
Hang out the washing, make up the bed,
Sew on a button and butter the bread.
Where is the mother whose house is so shocking?
She's up in the nursery, blissfully rocking.
Oh, I've grown as shiftless as Little Boy Blue,
Lullabye, rockabye, lullabye loo.
Dishes are waiting and bills are past due,
Pat-a-cake, darling, and peek, peekaboo.
The shopping's not done and there's nothing for stew
And out in the yard there's a hullabaloo
But I'm playing Kanga and this is my Roo
Look! Aren't his eyes the most wonderful hue?
Lullabye, rockabye, lullabye loo.
The cleaning and scrubbing can wait till tomorrow
But children grow up as I've learned to my sorrow.
So quiet down cobwebs; Dust go to sleep!
I'm rocking my baby and babies don't keep.
This poem has really touched my heart. One day, I'm sure I'll master balancing things in my life a little better. I'm sure I'll be able to love on my angels, keep a wonderful marriage, do well at my job and have a clean house with clothes neatly folded and put away. But, for now, my job is to rock my baby. And that's exactly what I plan on focusing on the next 6 weeks! Because these moments are brief and so, so sweet.
I have heard people say before that "babies don't keep," and I wondered where this saying came from. It's something that has been recited in my mind during the last 6 weeks. I searched the Internet and found this poem.
Song for a Fifth Child
By Ruth Hulburt Hamilton
Mother, O Mother, come shake out your cloth,
Empty the dustpan, poison the moth,
Hang out the washing, make up the bed,
Sew on a button and butter the bread.
Where is the mother whose house is so shocking?
She's up in the nursery, blissfully rocking.
Oh, I've grown as shiftless as Little Boy Blue,
Lullabye, rockabye, lullabye loo.
Dishes are waiting and bills are past due,
Pat-a-cake, darling, and peek, peekaboo.
The shopping's not done and there's nothing for stew
And out in the yard there's a hullabaloo
But I'm playing Kanga and this is my Roo
Look! Aren't his eyes the most wonderful hue?
Lullabye, rockabye, lullabye loo.
The cleaning and scrubbing can wait till tomorrow
But children grow up as I've learned to my sorrow.
So quiet down cobwebs; Dust go to sleep!
I'm rocking my baby and babies don't keep.
This poem has really touched my heart. One day, I'm sure I'll master balancing things in my life a little better. I'm sure I'll be able to love on my angels, keep a wonderful marriage, do well at my job and have a clean house with clothes neatly folded and put away. But, for now, my job is to rock my baby. And that's exactly what I plan on focusing on the next 6 weeks! Because these moments are brief and so, so sweet.
I have a few of these verses framed in the nursery! They serve as good reminders :)
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