Balance: You CAN talk youself into it

I know I write a lot about balance, but that is what is on my mind a lot of the time... occasionally I feel balanced, but much of the time it's more like I'm teetering one way or the other. As you may know, my job hasn't exactly been demanding the past year and a half or so... well that has changed! In a good way, for the most part, but as my job evolves, so does my quest for balance.

I took a new job back in June, but really only got deeply into it in mid-August when I returned to work full time. In a way it was a relief to be there the full 5 days per week when everyone else was, and to be able to 'sink my teeth' into something, and use my brain, which had begun to atrophy over the months of maternity leave that had been preceded by months of organizational restructuring. I've been feeling pretty lucky to have such a flexible schedule, and often mentally 'click my heels' at my good fortune.

These days, I have a couple of 'big deal' projects, one for the new boss's boss, and I really want them to go well. Of course, it was this week that Norah had a couple of bad nights (is she getting more teeth???) and I had a couple of 9am meetings. At points, I thought I had the proverbial lion by the tail - last night, I even took Norah out to a dinner party with me where she smiled and was charming until several hours past her bed time. Other times, like this morning, after she decided she needed to be snuggled to sleep between.. oh...1 and 4 am, I wasn't so sure. She eventually went back to sleep, as did we, until her 6 am feeding that is! Then, to top it all off, I had to wake her at 8:15, so I could hopefully drop her off before I had to dial in at 9! I just HATE to have to wake her!!! If it wasn't for the meeting, I'd leave her sleep and take her over a little later... I feel like I barely saw her this morning (at least not since dawn) and I'm missing her terribly today. I guess this is what it's like for most working parents.

As the day has gone on, the feeling of balance is starting to return... I am knocking things off my to-do list, her smiling face (in a picture) is watching me while I work, and I started early today, while she was asleep, so I looking forward to an early finish as well. Heck, I am even planning to cook a chicken for dinner! Wish me luck!