On the Disabled List

Upon leaving the hospital, the looming question for Rachel and I to answer was how do we reduce stress at work and home? A tough question to answer for anyone with two young children, a busy work schedule and the regular high demands of being a grown-up. I spent 3 weeks at home trying to answer the home half of the question.

During that time, I got to walk Morgan to school most mornings and pick her up afterwards most days. I spent a lot of time bonding with Olivia, playing with her and learning to better communicate with her. I also learned how to communicate better with Rachel...to not keep in things I was previously tentative about saying.

The first week was the toughest. I wanted to find the proper balance of helping around the house and resting. Week two, Barry came to visit and help out for a few days. Then Rachel had to go to San Diego for Stroller Strides, so Steven came to visit while she was gone. Their help and company...invaluable.

I can't say enough about the Stroller Strides families who mobilized and came to our aid. We had dinners prepared for us every night for as long as we needed them. Our friends in Atlanta also sent us prepared food. All of our friends had it right...let's help them with the little stuff so they can focus on the big stuff. The amount of support we experienced was overwhelming and wonderful and I thank everyone!

Week three was just the 4 of us again and I spent that week preparing myself to go back to work. Staying at home and eating good for me foods and remembering to take my meds became the big challenges.

Of course, during my leave time, things severely changed at work. We lost a few good people and restructured some departments. I picked up the HR department in addition to my already significantly piled on responsibilities. The transition back to work looked even more difficult now. All I wanted to do was stay home and play with Morgan and Olivia.