Friday, January 23, 2009

Back in the Saddle


I recently accepted a writing/editing project that covers the first quarter of this year. Income, whoopee! The pay is so low that I may as well be doing the work for free, but hey, every penny counts, and it's a start to what will hopefully become a part-time, if not project-based, career.

Thanks to the new au pair, I have less time on toddler duty and more in front of the laptop. So far my husband and I have gone out twice with groups of friends and attended one children's party where we could actually sit down and talk to fellow parents instead of taking turns entertaining Little A, who still hates loud, crowded places, we discovered.

He spent the entire time we were at the party outside the party room walking, reading, playing and then falling asleep. I can't say I really blamed him as I too have a dislike for loud party hosts who never stop talking, and at this particular event, when the host wasn't chattering incessantly into his microphone, there was music blaring out of the speakers.

Despite the au pair's presence, however, my son still refuses to fall asleep without me by his side, and looks for me immediately upon waking up. My husband and I are working out our strategy for this, so that I can be free during the afternoons instead of limited to before and after naptime as I am now.

This afternoon, I will be entertaining a couple of girlfriends at our flat, and tomorrow my husband, son, myself and my entire family (2 parents, 2 sisters, 2 brothers-in-law and 6 nephews and nieces) fly to Hong Kong for my parents' wedding anniversary, which this year falls on the same day as Chinese New Year. It is our third wedding anniversary as well, so let the good times roll!

No comments: