All good things must come to an end...

...and so has come the end of my maternity leave. I don't even know what to say about it all. The time has just flown by, as I knew it would. Today I happened upon a picture of Jonah at the hospital right after he was born. On the one hand it feels like it was yesterday, but on the other it seems like a lifetime ago! It is so hard to believe that only 12 weeks ago, this amazing baby was tucked away in my belly competely unaware of the world outside. I had no idea what he looked like, or what his personality would be. I worried about how his presence would change the dynamics of our family and whether or not we would bond. Now it is hard to remember what life was like without him, and I can't imagine a sweeter or more wonderful addition to our family. And as for bonding--no problems there. I don't think I could be more in love with this guy. Therefore, I'm sure you can imagine how difficult it is to think about returning to work next week. It really hit me hard yesterday morning and I have spent the better part of the past two days in tears. But despite my sadness I was determined to spend my last two days home with Jonah having a great time. Yesterday I took him on a picnic to a wonderful little park in Minneapolis near Lake of the Isles. It has a little stream running through the middle of it and we soaked our toes in the water. Then we spent some time lying on a blanket staring up into the tree leaves. Jonah loved it! Today I took him to Bread and Chocolate and we had an amazing chocolate oatmeal bar. We had a lovely time. Jonah loves being outdoors and he seems to really enjoy people watching. Unfortunately he wasn't allowed to enjoy any of the chocolate bar. Maybe in a few months...

Anyway, I will be back at work bright and early on Monday morning. I am excited in many ways to be back at work. I really like working and I think it adds a lot of balance to my life--even if it is insanely busy to work full time while trying to be a present and involved parent. I know that in a few months we will settle into a routine and it will all feel normal--just like it did with Mia. But in the meantime it is hard to imagine not spending all day, every day with my little guy. I am going to miss him like crazy. Luckily, however, Jeff is home for the next 7 weeks with Mia and Jonah! Today was his last day of work and he is so, so excited! I am so excited for him. Hopefully he will take over the blog here for a while and chronicle all of his many daddy adventures. Jeff was born to be a dad, and I have no doubt that he will excell at juggling naps, feedings, outings, and fun for both kids.

Below are some pictures of my day at the park with Jonah. I dedicate this blog entry to him. Thank you, Jonah, for making the past 3 months such a joy. You are the sweetest of all sweet babies! I am going to miss you like crazy and you can rest assured that I will be racing home on that bus every night to smother you with kisses!

Jonah enjoying some blanket time at the park

Look how tall this guy is! We met a 7 month old baby today who isn't nearly as tall as Jonah. Where does he get these genes, I wonder.

Me and my boyfriend

Stretching out on his activity mat. Jonah is soooo close to rolling over. I think he
is saving it for next week when he is home with Daddy.

And to top off the end of a big week, Mia lost her tooth tonight while eating pizza out with her Grammy and Grampy! They are pretty sure she swallowed
it with her pizza. Poor thing, she really wanted to see it. We have assured her
that the tooth fairy comes even if she swalled her tooth.