2003-12-30 - 10:06 a.m. - Cycle day:

After being away for a week, coming home again feels almost like bringing the baby back from the hospital. We just had eight solid days of constant baby help and free meals and no laundry. Getting back to the reality of our family life feels like getting the wind knocked out of me. Plus M. has added a new trick to her bag - she's mobile! As of December 25, 2003, she can roll over. It was a pretty neat little Christmas present, but it added a layer of complexity to our everyday lives. It changes my entire daily routine. No more setting her on the chaise while I do my first morning email check. No more unattended time in the co-sleeper. No more lazy weeks of neglecting the dog hair build-up on the rug. It's still pretty exciting, though. She gets over and up on her arms, and lifts her round little head and smiles like she just invented the entire upside-down concept. I'm proud of her strength and coordination, and hope that the way we've been raising her has contributed to her development.

Other than that dramatic advance, our holiday week was a pretty mellow one. Filled with people, but overall rather quiet. M. got to meet her great-grandmothers, and five sets of aunts and uncles, including her namesake. She also met a few friends of mine from high school, all of whom were appropriately enamored with her. She got so many gifts that we had to bring home an extra gigantic suitcase, and we were still over the airline weight limit on one bag. (Now I don't feel so bad about not getting her anything.) It was a really great trip, and the first time in a long while that I left my parents' house with a lump in my throat.

Speaking of which, while we were in the area, The Husband had a meeting with a private college where his former colleague is now a dean. They seemed very interested in hiring him to head their recording department. The pros and cons of this possibility are overwhelming us at the moment. The idea of being half an hour away from my family is glorious, and the job would offer much higher pay, possibly more prestige, and the option of living in an area where we could send our kid to public school with a clear conscience. But there are negatives, too - from the weather to the idea of working with someone who has, in the past, been a major drain on The Husband's morale. It's really hard to talk about, or even think about, without running into conflict.

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