5 Years....

I recently hit my five year anniversary at work...

 I was a 29 year old, childless newlywed when I started working for a large orthopedic medical device company on April 1, 2014. [Unrelated: my coworkers swore I would not show up as an April Fool's joke -- what kind of lunatic do they think I am!?]

This past Friday, during a team meeting, my boss handed me my 5 year certificate and I have to admit, at first my reaction was a very casual, "OK. Cool." Big deal, right? Plenty of people are at their jobs way longer than five years- I was certainly nothing special. I didn't honestly think this was an achievement at all or even give it a second thought. As Ariana Grande says, "Thank you- Next!"

Then I got back to my desk, where my certificate was staring me right in the face- right next to a picture of my two babies (you know how obsessed I am and have their pictures and artwork allllll over my desk). Right then and there it really hit me. This WAS a HUGE achievement.

Over the course of those five years, my life had drastically transformed many times over. My husband and I bought our first home in July of 2014 and entered the world of home ownership- yardwork, home repairs, and a whole new level of responsibility. This was real #adulting, folks.

But, by far the biggest transformation in the past five years- and if I am being truthful- in my whole life, was when I became a Mother. I found out I was pregnant with Charlie in January of 2015. I worked through severe all-day morning sickness and my sweet coworkers not only cheered me on throughout my pregnancy, but they threw me a huge, gorgeous baby shower shortly before Charlie was born. There was a group of corporate visitors (accountants, no less) in the office on the day of the baby shower and they celebrated as if they had known me for years. I honestly could not have been surrounded by more support.

Past my due date with Charlie at work...I looked so tired- Yikes!

 The sweetest teddy-bear baby shower

This cake was insanely delish

I will be the first to admit I did not want to come back after maternity leave. Leaving my precious newborn was significantly harder than I ever imagined it would be. I will never forget that first day back- I cried my eyes out the entire day. I don't even think I am overstating that- The. Entire. Day. This is almost an entire blog post in and of itself...it was HARD y'all. I remember physically aching from how much it hurt to leave Baby Charlie. So many people rallied around me that day and I will never forget their kindness. I was greeted back with welcome signs and pictures of my kids all over my desk. Cue more tears.

I pumped throughout the workday and since my precious angel adamantly refused formula (ugh), I was pumping milk for him around the clock for THIRTEEN months. Yes, you read correctly. Nothing but the best for Sir Charles.

Then....SURPRISE! I was pregnant again by September of 2016. Through another round of severe morning sickness AND nursing AND taking care of toddler Charlie, I forged on. I took pride in my work and the relationships I had built and remained steadfast in my dedication to my job. I never stayed home, despite puking nonstop for a large part of my pregnancy. I showed up every day and gave 110%. Again, the people I worked with and for carried me through the tough days and celebrated with me on the good days. They knew I was a Mom first and foremost and respected that was the main role in my life. When I found out I was having a little girl, they immediately started planning another shower- this one pink and green and celebrating my love for the signature Lilly Pulitzer colors.

9m pregnant with Maddie- my sweet coworker took my 'bump' shots

Celebrating our baby girl

The sweetest pink and green baby shower

Coming back from maternity leave after welcoming Baby Madeline was honestly not much easier than the first time. I contemplated quitting. I contemplated going part time. Yet someway, somehow, I did it. I pumped again for well over a year (another baby who refused formula- surely they don't get their high maintenance tendencies from moi).

There were so many mornings of getting two babies out the door into the freezing cold where I thought I could not do it one more day. This journey has tested my strength in so many ways. I have had to run home mid-day for pump parts. I have worked from home with a sick baby on my lap. I have come to work wearing God-Knows-What because I literally ran out the door. This gig is NO JOKE.

The bags I took to work every. single. day. as a pumping mama

So many people have stood up to be my village when the going got tough, and it did get tough many many times. My best friend, also a working mom, took every crying phone call and encouraged the heck out of me. My thoughtful Mom sent me so many pretty things so that I would feel taken care of when I literally did not have two seconds to care for myself. My Mother-in-Law has been such an unwavering support- even with a last minute 7am phone call saying that I had locked all of us out of the house and needed to be rescued. My coworkers-turned-friends who have shown me so much grace and understood when I needed to run out the door mid-sentence to pick up a kid. Our saint of a sitter, who has become family to us, has loved our kids and provided them with a loving daily routine beyond our wildest dreams. And my husband- there are no words for the teammate he has been to me and how much he has supported me and loved me at my worst.

So, this certificate on my desk may not look like much. But to me, it is literal blood, sweat, and (many) tears. I truly don't know what the next five years will look like, but I consider myself a blessed-as-heck mama for what the last five years of my life has looked like. Cheers y'all!

5 years !!!