Time to say Goodbye



It’s hard to believe I wrote this (The Hardest part) post a mere 5 months ago.  Feels like ages ago. We have come so far and learned so much.

When I wrote the post I was feeling very depressed, extremely emotional and like I was being punished. 5 months later and 3 days to go at my current temp job and I must admit it was not nearly as bad as I thought it would be.  Work was boring but the people I worked with were pretty awesome. Yes there were days where I was so tired and overwhelmed by trying to juggle a full time job and responsibilities at home that it made me crazy hysterical but there were also days where we managed it all and that made me feel quite proud.

I also loved watching my little boy develop into such an awesome little guy partly thanks to the amazing people at his daycare.  As I sit here feeling all emotional about the fact that Thursday will be his last day at school, I cannot even believe I am the same person who cried every morning after dropping him off at school.  I could not have dreamed a better daycare for him.   Such an amazing bunch of people and Ben has gotten so attached to each and every one of them. He also loved the daily interaction with his fellow mostly 2 teethed friends.

So what now? I have joined Recruit my Mom and the ideal situation would be to find a part time job so I can earn the extra money we so need, get the grown up interaction that is sometimes lacking when you are a stay at home mom while still being able to spend lots of time with baby boy. Best of both worlds.  I know ‘best of both worlds’ means everyone is gunning for the few part time jobs available making it difficult to find one but I am choosing to be optimistic.

As we are in the process of moving house, leaving the beautiful but very expensive to rent in Stellenbosch behind for a bigger house in Strand (we are becoming beach people) I am relieved to have some time available to get the new house us-ready.  I am excited to once again be able  to enjoy my baby boys sleepy wake up smile instead of forcing him to wake up so we can get him dressed for daycare. I am also very excited to once again be master of my own time (or at least the time Ben allows me to be master of) but man I’m going to miss that paycheck.

Ben at School

Almost one

I am big on celebrating special occasion. Planning parties is like a Lindt Chocolate Brownie slab while watching Orange is the new Black on a rainy afternoon for my soul.  I love coming up with themes, doing the décor, creating a playlist and playing host.  Like Monica from Friends  “I am always the host”

So you can imagine the level of excitement about planning my baby boy’s first birthday party (except for the fact that the idea of him turning 1 is kind of a mood killer. How did my baby grow up so fast?)  But let me tell you, planning a first birthday party is a whole new ball game.  It might even be more stressful than planning a wedding. Why do I say that? Not because I’m one of those over the top kiddie party moms who fly in Charlize Theron to greet guests at the door. It’s because when planning a wedding you don’t have to work around nap times.  Deciding on the perfect time of day to have the party has been driving me bonkers.

For most parents with babies who nap at the same time every single day this might be piece of cake but when there’s too much excitement around Ben he will fight a nap till someone becomes an over tired cry baby and that someone is usually me.  So over weekends with family or friends visiting there’s no such thing as a definite nap TIME.

Next up is venue worries. I envisioned this lovely garden party with little one’s running around the green grass. Obviously forgetting the fact that baby boy’s birthday is beginning of August and that last year the week he was born the whole Western Cape flooded. So indoor venue it’ll be.
We move into our new house 2 weeks before the party and there is just no way that it’ll be ready (or big enough) to host the party.  Party venues in my area all cater to older kids or when booking the venue you are forced to also take their overpriced boring party packs. No thanks.

Problem number 3. Guest list.  Our close friends are mostly single or newly married.  The friends with babies/kids we will be inviting don't really know each other. If you count the kids with their parents, our childless close friends and our families we are standing at 60 guests. Way to much for a kiddies party.  So we had to cut our close friends from the guest list.  This breaks my heart.

See my problem.