Foreign films

I travelled into work with my NCT buddy today, nothing really unusual in that. We travel together most days, meeting at Nursery or en-route, dropping off our little girls and heading for the 8:09 to Waterloo.

There was also nothing unusual about the fact that in those 30 minutes on the train we cover all topics (yes we are the girls having a giggle and the occasional cry on a packed commuter train).

Today we covered dating, drinking, tantrums, work - she hates PowerPoint, I hate spreadsheets and we both have a day of our hates ahead of us, we did say 'swap'.

But we also talked about how sometimes no matter how dear a person is to you, how much of an in depth shared interest you have like say a daughter, that there are times when although you hearts are on the same page it's almost as if you are a badly dubbed movie - you are the voice and he is the picture but you just really are not in sync.

At times like this it is really tricky to work out how to co-parent.

Hey, ho girls coming over tonight, yoga tomorrow, party on Saturday; nothing really wrong with this picture as long as I don't allow myself to be dubbed.

Eight Weeks

Isobel is 8 weeks old this afternoon. She is a happy, healthy growing baby who seems to aquire new skills by the day - smiling, then giggling for example. I don't want to miss any of these things, but undoubtedly I will.

The past 8 weeks have been the best weeks of my life. I love being Isobel's mum: I love the fact that the first smile of the day is nearly always for me, and that each one that follows during the day is equally charming, and equally heart melting. She is becoming a very smiley little girl - yes even when a little overtired.

Yesterday she weighed 10lbs 2 ozs(4.58kgs) and was a whole 56 centimetres tall, although with all her stretching I'm sure she must be taller today! (Both measurements are just below the average but above the 25th percentile - in case you were wondering!)

This morning I have signed off my Company Accounts and I am feeling a little sad. The figures were healthy, as is the hefty cheque I now have to write the taxman, but I'm sad because it reminds me that all too soon I will have to look for a new job.

What skills do I need to secure a job that enables me to work only 3 or 4 days a week? Do I therefore have to give up some of my Isobel time to train myself? Can I ever afford my bookshop so Isobel can grow up running around the shelves?

I'm a third of a way through my Isobel time...