Week 37: Struggles of a “working” SAHM

37, 38, 39 … wait what? Are we really less than two weeks away from welcoming our little man into the world? The end of this week we will mark 38 weeks, and some days I still can’t believe it. Other days (like when I’m struggling to sleep at 3 a.m.) I think, get this baby OUT!
I have been extremely fortunate to be able to stay home since my husband and I got married. When I was pregnant with our first I can remember getting so bored during the day. I would always tell myself, “OK, as soon as the baby is old enough, I am getting a job.” Life became busy when she got here and working was the last thing on my mind for the first six months. Getting a shower and sleeping were pretty much what I thought about when I wasn’t focused on our newborn.
As she got older, my husband and I talked about me working, and he always told me if I wanted to do it because I felt guilty then I wasn’t doing it. If I wanted to do it for myself, then we could talk about it. Again I’m so thankful for this sweet man! He has told me since day one: “Babe, you are doing exactly what you are suppose to do right now, and that’s raising our child.”
So I stopped thinking about it and really just enjoyed being able to stay at home with the baby and taking care of our home. It became a routine that we were use to.
This past August my daughter started pre-school. Three days a week for three hours. I then started thinking about possibly doing something while she was at school. Let’s be honest it isn’t that easy to work during your child’s exact pre-school schedule and be home with her when she is done.
Then before I knew it we were expecting again! We were so thrilled and my focus became completely on our toddler and preparing for our new baby.
When I was about three months pregnant I started a fun little hobby of making headbands for my daughter. Fast forward about six months, and here I am with a successful Etsy shop.
I never dreamed a fun little hobby would turn into what is has. It’s something I really love doing, but at the same time it’s very time consuming. Right now we have a good schedule. I am able to “work” while my daughter is at pre-school and when she is napping. In 12 days I will have a newborn who will be on no schedule at all for months. So, what did I decide to do? Spend the last two weeks of my pregnancy making about 500 headbands, so I can have inventory for at least the first two months of his life. (Let’s just say I’m a little in over my head.)
Today I looked at my dinning room table that’s covered with fabric scraps and headbands and thought, don’t stress out over something so small. My first priority is to be a mom. If I don’t get all of my inventory done before he gets here, it won’t be the end of the world. If I have to stop taking orders for a few weeks, I will survive! I can only imagine how moms who work outside of the home with children feel. To all you working moms out there, I think you’re awesome for doing what you do!