First Day Away

So today was my first day back at school.

I left Istra with Tim at around 9:15 this morning and honestly it didn't feel very weird. It just felt like going to school, which I have done for 20 years now. During the orientation session when I asked Senka what time it was, she assumed that I wanted to know because I was pining for my babe; but I wasn't--I just wanted to know how much longer it was until lunch. I was starving and they had muffins and things.

Okay, so now that I sound like the most cold-hearted mama on the planet I will admit that once I got off the subway I did rush home (as much as I rush these days) to see how she was--but maybe I just wanted to know how much she missed me.

She might have missed me a little bit, but all in all Tim's report of her day up until that point sounded pretty normal: she puked and peed a lot and cried a bit. Yep, that sounds like every day of my summer so far, with a few pleasant things interspersed for variety.

I guess we'll see how it goes when I spend a longer period away from her on Thursday. I think probably my breasts are going to put up more of a fuss than Istra is. Pumping sucks. No pun intended.

In other news, Istra had an appointment with her new doctor today, who will also be my and Tim's doctor. Istra didn't have much to say about her, but I liked her very much. She had stacks and stacks of Mothering Magazine back issues in her waiting room, just like at the Midwive's Collective. Instead of a cold, clinical examination room, she had quite a comfy set-up with couches and a bookcase and interesting art on the walls. She was very soft-spoken and dressed in a flowing cotton dress that was not covered by an ugly white lab coat. Her approach to my questions was very much like that of a midwife; she urged us to read up on things so that Tim and I can make a decision we are comfortable with and seemed supportive of whatever we choose just as long as we have all the facts. In an effort to represent both sides, she's given me a website to read about vaccinations as well as the pamphlets you normally get from doctors. Unlike my former doctor-who-will-not-be-named, she did not lecture me when I told her that I was very concerned about vaccinating Istra. I did not leave her office feeling angry and insulted; I dare say I left there feeling empowered.

Yes, I love my new doctor. I believe she will fill the Elizabeth-sized hole in our hearts.