Mascaras Packed

This morning my cheeks have been a bit tear stained... had to leave this sweet girl and head back to work.  

Sleepyhead Mallie just before I left

Thankfully she gets to stay with her Daddy, and my Mr. Whimsy, but leaving was still pretty hard.  Now its noon and I'm, doing better... so long as no one asks me how I am doing!  I've got my mascara and a set of glasses packed just in case though.

I've been praying for strength and have been blessed with works of encouragement and humor from friends and family.  Thank you.  5 hours + travel time till I'm back home with my love.

Daily Grind Begins Anew...

My days of empty schedules and endless cuddling with my sweet baby girl are slowing coming to an end... I go back to work on Tuesday - and I am a bit heartbroken about leaving my love for a full 8-5 plus travel to and fro.  

A bit of background information - When I considered applying for my current position with my employer earlier this year, I knew I was pregnant.  I honestly did not think about having leaving my baby-to-be behind until a couple days before my interview... then I reconsidered my interest in the job altogether.  After much prayer and discussion, I decided that I would disclose my pregnancy in my interview... and also say that in order for me to accept the job (if it were to be offered) some pretty specific needs of mine would need to be met.  I felt at peace with this and knew that if it was the right position, and employer, then God would take care of the rest.  I prayed that God would give me the right words to say when making my requests during my interview, and that God would open the ears of my interviews and make them open to a creative work arrangement.  Mr. Whimsy and I agreed that if it was God's will then it would happen, and they would be receptive to my needs, and if they weren't, then it was not the right situation for our family.

I got a call a couple days later with a job offer that more than met my needs.  God had a better plan for our family than even I could imagine.

I accepted the job, and until my maternity leave, have enjoyed the position, the challenges and the work/home life balance it has provided me.

Fast forward to last week... in the middle of church, I realized that I only had 12 days until I left my baby and I couldn't help but shed a few tears.  Since then, at the mere mention of going back to work I tear up.  I have been really struggling with letting go to say the least.  I know going back to work is the right thing to do but gosh darn-it, its going to be tough.  

In full disclosure, I will be able to work from home two days out of the week and Mr. Whimsy will be able to stay will Mallie for the majority of the other three days, at least at the beginning.  The days he can't keep her or has to go out of town he will try and bring her to one of our parents house, and if that is not an option, we found a really sweet lady at our church, The Ark, that will keep her as needed.  So, I know I do not have it as bad as many moms that go back to work and have to bring their baby to a day care... but still, letting go is really hard for me.  

REVELATION

When I finished typing the above, I got up to cook dinner... and I had a revelation of sorts, and since I already wrote the above, I figured I would continue to share.  Here goes:   Going back to work and leaving Mallie is going to be hard, really, really hard.  That being said, when I accepted my position, I prayed long and hard about whether or not it was right for me and my family.  I was offered more than I expected when offered the job; it was obvious to me and Mr. Whimsy it was very much God, not merely man at work making the arrangements.  God would not have set up the perfect situation for me in order for me to fail once I got to the finish line (with the finish line being the time I go back to work).  

SO, in conclusion, I know that: 1. God's fingerprints are on my work arrangement and 2. God wants what is best for my family. So, following through with my work arrangement is what is best for my family.  As a Believer, I have to trust that, and my actions have to reflect that.  That does not mean it will be easy but, for now, I know its right.  

This week as I prepare to "let go" and next week as I actually head off to work are going to be huge struggles for me.  I would truly appreciate your prayers for strength, faith and wisdom as I take these next steps.  If any of you super moms have suggestions or advice for me I would REALLY love to hear it!

Until the big day, I am going to get as many lazy morning snuggles in as possible... who can blame me with this girl being my snuggle partner???

Baby Whimsys Nursery Debut

I have finally put forth the effort to both take pictures of the nursery and upload them to my computer!  Quite the accomplishment based on all my pictureless posts lately.

A brief overview of the nursery - all the furniture in this room was redone by me and Mr. Whimsy.  It was a lot of work but really fun to work on together.  I hit up garage sales, other rooms in the house, and friends to put the nursery together (the matchy-matchy store stuff isn't really my style) so it matched the vision I was going for.  We (Mr. Whimsy) primed and painted everything with heirloom white spray paint, then (I) applied a glaze and poly-acrylic to it.  This was a very slow and long process (as you could probably see from my never ending to-do list) but I am really happy, and proud, of how it all came together.  Mr. Whimsy actually spent many evenings while I was sleeping hanging up things, shifting things around and re-hanging up things until they looked just perfect.  Several mornings I had the pleasure to wake up to a more complete nursery (seriously, it was fantastic).  He has a really good eye for room design and item placement.

In the beginning, I knew I wanted to use a light aqua and incorporate some things I have had for a while and haven't found the right home for in my home - namely a vintage aqua lamp that was missing a lampshade, a ton of doilies and a toy box/trunk I got from my Grandma a while back.  I also really wanted to use baby pink and have the room really sweet and feminine.  Apparently I have a thing for blue birds as they seemed to turn up in a couple places in the nursery.  

I took tons of pictures of the individual projects, and at some point will probably do post highlighting some of my favorites, some of my flops, and some of my most challenging one.  Let me know what you think!

Life Update :: Busy Busy Busy

Well I am officially 3 days away from the halfway (20 week) point in my pregnancy.  My icky pregnancy symptoms have gotten much better - I still get a bit sick in the morning and when I smell something with strong food odors (I stay away from the fridge if there are leftovers in it) but all in all, I am feeling way better.  Funny side note - I have become a quasi vegetarian during this pregnancy.  Right now most meat products completely gross me out... that is except for ground taco meat.  Mexican food remains a safe bet... which is not a bad thing!

I have not blogged lately because I have been flat out busy.  Rather then me taking life by the horns, I kind of feel like I have been quasi strapped in for a crazy roller coaster and I better hold on otherwise I will be sent flying over the edge (long run on sentence intended... I am lacking control people!).  I am certain that with prayer and determination that soon I will again take back reigns though.

I have been pretty tired and worn out but that is probably just as much due to my starting a new job then this pregnancy.  I had been working for the past 2ish years with Mr. Whimsy's company but was offered a great opportunity in the tourism industry this past month.  The job is a constant (and everyday eye opening in a new way) challenge but I honestly think it has really helped with my feeling better because I am constantly going and my mind is working overtime.  

In addition to the new job and preparing for Baby Whimsy, my renal company, LindseysWhimsys, has taken off.  I never expected it to grow as fast as it has but its very exciting.  I pray that I make wise, strategic business decisions and take full advantage of this ever growing business.  

Despite the out of controlness of it all, I know that Mr. Whimsy, Baby Whimsy and I have been incredibly blessed.  We have prayed for opportunities and they have come at us in abundance and for that I am very very thankful.  We can look at our lives and see very clearly that God answers prayers and constantly provides and that is an incredible thing to have experienced first hand.

Oh - and friends, I can not forget - APRILFEST 2012 is set!  We will be playing at the house the last Saturday in April, the 28.  Mark your calendars now (if I do not have your email, please send it to me if you want the official evite - lindseyswhimsys@gmail.com).  A theme has not been set so if you have suggestions, please let me know!

I promise to do a dedicated Baby Whimsy post soon... I just wanted to give a quick update on our lives.