Maternity Leave

 Here sits what was once my Maternity Hoard. It took me from June to January to acrue this much inventory. The last 2 weeks or so of my pregnancy, as I was slowing down more and more each day, the Hoard began its descent.
     I started to feel like those crazy coupon ladies on "Extreme Couponing", you know, the ones with the basement full of non perishables.... I would sit at my work table and panic as the neat rows started to diminish. The fullness of the shelves made me feel safe, made me feel like I could have my baby, but once the slowness hit me, well, let's just say at 6 days postpartum, I am feeling pressure to go back to work.
    

 I thought I had it under control. haha. Joke was on me. A client in Chicago decided to do a wall installation with 40 of those little tiles. Yep.
    And then Etsy freakishly picked up, literally the second that I went into labor. We were up with early labor at 5:00 a.m. updating Etsy announcements and emailing clients. YEP. That happened.

And then the wholesale orders started coming in.
   
    And now, my husband is reporting that my hoard is dwindling to a drastically low level in some categories and is beginning to panic.

       

 Things don't go as expected, and though the get up and go part of me is ready to start getting back to life and work as we know it, I ended up with a difficult labor and  C Section. I will most likely have to take it easy for longer than I was planning, dwindling hoard or not. My clients will most likely have to wait for those tiles to arrive a little longer than expected, and I will have to hire some help for when I get back because I am now recovering from major surgery as well as adjusting to life with a new baby.
    Pregnancy and Childbirth have brought with them new priorities and perspectives. I can slow down and still be myself. Life can happen in unexpected ways and will still go on.

Caleb is now the first priority here, and since I am responsible for his well being in every single way, I am pretty darn important too. The work will get done, just not as quickly, and that is finally okay with me because I have found the most amazing fulfilling love and duty in this little boy. The sense of panic is gone.  I HAVE to move slowly, take more care, be more present, and be accountable for my business and figuring out the balance is no longer an impossible request, it is a requirement.