#327 Time

If this blog had a theme other than Eric, it would be time. Time is so precious and so fleeting and so unpredictable. We never know how much we are going to get.




Time passes so quickly sometimes. It is incredible to me that my oldest child is seven and that I now have a third baby. How did that happen?? And soon my baby won’t be a baby anymore. Every moment of his babyhood seems extra precious to me in part because I know how fast this will pass and in part because I know this is my last baby.



I was originally planning on taking 2 months off from work. I can take 3 months according to FMLA, but I wasn’t going to take the whole time. My leave is all unpaid and I only got to take 6 weeks with the other boys so I thought 8 weeks would be plenty of time. I was wrong.



I have been stressing all week about whether or not to take the extra 4 weeks. On the one hand, I get to spend more time with my baby and the other boys. On the other hand I have another month of missed income and my tech has to reschedule a month’s worth of patients. Everyone whose advice I’ve asked for has told me to take the extra time. I can work forever; my son will only be a baby once.



I don’t know why it took me so long to come around, but I am taking the full 3 months. If I have learned anything from Eric’s death it’s that time is precious. I have this one opportunity to spend my time where I want to, with my family. I’d better take it; it’s not going to come by again.