Guest Post Liz Ticona

My name is Liz Ticona. I live in sunny South Florida but grew up in New Jersey. Became a proud mama in September 2012 and I've been delightfully surprised by all the new experiences of being a first time mom. I live with my very supportive partner: Shawn, my baby boy Adam & our cute yet mischievous shih tzu: Checkers. My passions are family, writing and a good glass of wine. Social sites: http://facebook.com/ourlovenook http://twitter.com/ourlovenook or @ourlovenook http://pinterest.com/ourlovenook And here's the blog post: (it's about going back to work, hope you enjoy it :) ... Mama back at work I never thought I'd be the kind of mom who would cry on her first day back at work. I feel like a little kid crying on their first day of kindergarten! After having been home throughout my whole pregnancy and almost 3 months after my baby boy was born, I thought it'd be easy to get out of the house without him but to my surprise, I realized that yes I was that kind of mom. I'm not ashamed that I cried (though I'm ashamed that my perfectly placed makeup had to get ruined before making it's great first impression with my co-workers) The day went faster than i thought it would but I kept on missing my baby boy's warmness, his smiley happy face, his cooing and yes, even his cry. The question: "Was i doing the right thing?" must have crossed my mind every single minute of the eight hour day; each time it popped up I would give myself a little pep talk that I'd be fine but was I really? and most importantly would my baby boy be fine? Was I breaking the bond that we had made? was all this worth it? My job unfortunately is now about half an hour away from home with the potential of being a longer commute at rush hour so the possibility of being home for lunch or getting home before it get dark out is very, very slim. So I wouldn't miss on anything my baby boy is doing, I decided I'd still take care of him during the middle of the night. Last night, Adam woke up four times during the middle of the night and he didn't go right back to sleep (like he usually does), he stayed up crying and I could feel myself getting more and more exhausted by the minute. "It'll all be worth it, when we are able to build memories for Adam by going places" (places that cost money, money that I must earn) I kept telling my self. Or would he be better off if i stayed home with him and built simpler, yet still rewarding, great memories? I don't think any parent has the answer to this question, we just do the very best that we can and that's what I'm set to do. I decided I'll look at this in a more positive light. I'm teaching my son that you have to sacrifice some things in order to have the "American Dream" and that if he works hard enough, he'll be rewarded just the same. I'm teaching him good work ethics and to never quit. On my first day, there were a lot of moments where I was really close to saying "I give up!, I tried it and I don't like; I'm going back home to my baby boy and to my staying home mama life" but I stayed and I'm glad I did. I was able to feel fulfilled again by a job that I do well and the praise i get from doing it. I'm not just a good mom, I'm also a good dental manager. Talking to other adults also made me open my eyes to what's been happening on the outside world. I had made my apartment and my son's routine my world and had pretty much blocked everything else out but now i could discuss current events with other adults which always feels great to someone who has been on the border of having cabin fever! So far today, on my third day, I'm feeling a lot better. I'm feeling lucky that I'm able to not worry about my baby boy since he's being taken care of by someone who i trust 100%. I'm lucky that I was able to find not just a job to go back to , but a really good one (especially in this economy) I'm lucky to have an amazing family who supports me on this difficult transition and i'm lucky enough to come back every night to a warm home where my baby boy is waiting for me with the greatest smile to see his mama. I'm not sure how this will turn out, hopefully this new job is able to challenge me intellectually and I can get to the place of not feeling guilty that I'm the mom who cried on her first day going back to work but that is smiling now every time she steps into that office. I keep telling myself that it's ok for me to be happy at doing something else other than mommy duties; I'm still a great mama. How was your transition back to work?