Work

After one year of paid maternity leave (Canada rocks!), I returned to work on Monday, July 7. I thought I would have plenty of time to reacclimate myself to my job, but alas, I've been super busy since day one! I find myself struggling to extract data that would have been simple before I went and had a baby.

**Boring material follows.**

For those of you who don't know, I am a Health Information Analyst. I extract and compile clinical utilization data, among other types of data, and put them into supposedly reader-friendly reports. I also create and maintain performance measurement indicators. *yawn* This means I sit at a computer all day, using Oracle SQL and MS Excel... *snore*

My employer used to be known as the Calgary Health Region, but Alberta recently dissolved all of her health regions and we are now provincially known as Alberta Health Services. Obviously, big changes happened while I was away! It started with my former department, Quality, Safety and Health Information, being dissolved and the majority of its units making up the new Health Outcomes portfolio. My unit was the only one to be moved over to ITTS, which is Information, Transformation and Technology Services (aka IT). What a mouthful. We find we don't quite fit in...

**End of boring material.** (or is it?)

I actually enjoy my job when I'm busy. I'm just frustrated with my mental constipation at the moment. Shawn teases me about how "hard" my job is. It really is cushy...

I'm looking into advancing my technical education at the expense of my employer. ;) They put me through a course at SAIT to learn Oracle SQL and I'd like to go further in that direction.

Q & A

Do I miss the kids? Nope. I still see them everyday.

Do I feel guilty leaving the kids? Never! They're at home with daddy. He makes a better stay-at-home mom than I ever do.

Do I revel in my child-free liberty? Not revel exactly but I do enjoy it. I'm too busy to fully appreciate it. But I do value my time with the kids more now that I see them less.

Do I gleefully leave the children with their father every morning? YES! It's Shawn's turn to deal with spitting, shrieking Avi and whiny, demanding Taylor every day, all day.

Do the kids miss Mommy? Taylor's a daddy's boy, so no for him though he does run and give me hugs when I get home. Avi's a little clingy when I get home from work, so probably yes for her.

Is Daddy surviving so far? Yes. As long as he can get out of the house, even if it's with the kids, he does well. He's taken care of the recycling, cleaned the kitchen, vacuumed, run errands, cleaned our nasty hardwood floors and all with the kids. Way to go, Daddy!

Am I enjoying being back at work? At first, I was indifferent. It felt like I'd never left. However, someone here (yes, I'm blogging on my lunch break at work even though I'm probably breaking some rule) just said the word 'aspirated' and I realized that I've missed grown up medical talk!

Unfortunately for Shawn, Taylor has been getting up while Mom's getting ready in the morning. Typically about 6:30am. Daddy is not happy.

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So what work does everyone else do? Any return-to-work stories?