My pledge

My pledge to myself, my son, my husband and my job, on the eve of my return to work:

I pledge to keep my family my number one priority, while still performing as an integral, dedicated and valued employee.

I pledge to work harder than ever from 8:30 a.m. to 5 or 5:30 p.m., Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday for the next nine months. I pledge to only take breaks for pumping and to rarely take lunch, so as to get as much work done as possible before the end of each day.

Because at the end of each day, whenever humanly possible, I pledge to leave on time to see my son as soon as I can. I pledge to greet him each evening with a boob for nourishment and comfort, and I pledge to give him as much of me as I can until we're all used to the new routine.

I pledge to leave work at work each day (mostly) so that my two hours before bedtime with my baby are spent soaking up his little moments, rather than dwelling on big-kid stuff.

I pledge to work harder than I ever have three days a week so that I can enjoy four days a week with my son, free of guilt. However, I also pledge to not try to accomplish a week's worth of work in three days, both because I don't want to be drained on my days with Cayden, and because the fact of the matter is I'll be collecting a paycheck for three days of work, not five.

I pledge to be the best employee I can possibly be, understanding that I have a new number-one priority.

Remind me of all of this when the shit hits the fan at work, and when I try to take on the world in my typical no-challenge-too-big, no-reward-too-small style.