A Moment to Exhale

My girl was wonderful today. She's getting easier to handle by the day, knock on wood. She's still a bit of an intermittent napper; some days she takes lovely, long naps, and other days they're quite short and infrequent (making for a cranky baby). However, she is a great sleeper at night. Usually goes down by 6pm, and tonight she put herself to sleep, precluded by a long and adorable session of babbling to the bears in her mobile and the mirror in her crib. So I actually have a moment to blog, research Christmas gifts, and exhale...

I'm in the last month of maternity leave, and I have mixed feelings about this. On the one hand, I am really looking forward to going back to work. I crave the mental stimulation and social interaction with other adults. And let's be honest, people - I look forward to going back to a dual income. But on the other hand...as the above paragraph explained, my baby is starting to become a real joy as she matures and has seemingly out-grown her colicky stage. She'll be going to a wonderful daycare center, which I also have mixed feelings about. It has a wonderful curriculum and learning opportunities above-and-beyond your typical center, and I think the socialization benefits she'll gain will prepare her well for school. But I hate that someone else is raising her during the day. My current feeling is that this is the best route to go, as it will allow me to remain a well-rounded individual which will help make me the best mother and wife I can be.

So my current "thing" is getting ready for Christmas. We debated about putting up a tree this year, especially on the days that I was real exhausted from the baby. We decided to go for it this weekend, and I'm so glad we did. The tree is done, and looks so lovely. Of course the baby loves looking at the lights, and was a great audience while I decorated. She enjoyed sitting on the couch and watching me work...I didn't go all out on the holiday decor, but what I did do I am really pleased with. I'm just waiting for the holiday stockings to arrive in the mail, and it'll all be complete.

Well hubby just got home so I'm signing off for now...