Bigger and better adventures

I needn’t have worried about the childcare situation - I contacted my line manager and she told me that due to budgetary constraints, they would not be taking on any casual staff in 2008. So I will put myself back on the waiting list until after next winter. It feels like the right decision.

Today we tried carrot (mixed with formula and farex). Some of it stayed in, and we’ll try a bit more tomorrow.

Tonight was the first night of Hannukah. It was strange to be lighting candles and singing to Talia by myself, but Daddyfeatures is in Singapore again, all week. It is the first time he has been away since Talia came home from hospital. I thought I might feel lonely but between Talia and the cat and the computer, I am too busy!

Before I had Talia, I planned to go back to work after 6 months maternity leave, then I decided it would be better to take 9 months. When she arrived three months early, I arranged to take 12 months off instead. I put Talia’s name onto waiting lists at two childcare centres while I was still pregnant, but was told I might not be able to access a place until she was two years old due to the very limited number of places available for babies. So I have been more or less expecting to be out of the workforce for about two years.

I was completely surprised to receive a phone call from one of the childcare centres this week, offering me a place starting in January 2008. I definitely don’t want to go back to full time work, but would consider part time. There would be some advantages - for example it would help relieve my sense of social isolation. But could I leave Talia with strangers for two days a week? (Am I being paranoid?)

The centre need a confirmation next week, so I will be contacting my line manager on Monday to ask if a part time job is possible. In some ways, if she says no then the childcare decision will be taken out of my hands. If she says yes, I have to decide what I want to do. Aaaargh.

As I said, before I had Talia, I planned to go back to work after 6 months - my maternity leave would have finished this weekend.

It’s all too soon…