Day 5- Being "empty"

So I've been thinking a lot lately about balancing- being a mom, wife, daughter, school counselor, friend, and coach. Before having a baby, I would stay up late to hang out with people or even just pop by my parent's house just to say hi. When I got pregnant I said, "This baby won't slow me down! I'm still going to go out and have fun!" Then Claire came. And with my beautiful baby girl came separation anxiety and sleep deprivation. I concentrated on trying to learn how to be a great mommy and how to not freak out about everything! I learned what is important to me and what is not. Then I started to work again and at first I felt ok, but then I noticed that my quality of work went down and I was exhausted. By the time work ended and I picked up Claire, I was ready to freak out! I had nothing left to give my baby- I was empty. I poured myself into work (being a counselor can take a lot of out you!). I was so anxious about how awful my house looked or how many voicemails my phone had. Then my co-worker Gayle (one of the wisest women I know) said to me, "Years from now, when you look back you won't say 'I wish I had a clean house.' You will say, 'I wish I spent more time with Claire.'" So if you come over, my house will probably be dirty and I may not return your phone calls immediately. It in no way means that I don't love you or that I like to live in filth. It just means that I'm trying to get more giggles out of Claire, trying to get her to nap, or even teaching her how to crawl. People with babies "don't fall off the face of the earth," we're trying to take care of a human being. Please be patient and remember that one day, you too will have a precious little baby. You will also feel like you have no clue what you are doing and you will wonder why you smell bad. But it is so worth it. She is worth every moment and she fills me right back up!