Well that was unexpected. I just dropped off the face of the blogosphere for a few weeks there.
It all started when we stayed with my parents for a few weeks. Their country internet connection was painfully slow. And then my dad informed me after I'd been there for a while that they only get so much time per month, and then it slows down even more. So perhaps I shouldn't just leave my browser open all day every day like I'm used to doing!
I still tried to persevere. But the internet became more hassle than it was worth. And oh yeah, wasn't the main reason I wanted to move so we could spend time with family? So instead of sitting next to Miriam with one eye on her and one eye on my laptop, I started taking her next door to visit her great-grandparents whenever no one (she or them) was napping. And instead of jumping online any time my dad got a break from the farm and came inside, I sat around and shot the breeze with him. In the evenings after Miriam went down, I hung out with my parents (and brother and SIL if they were around) and watched whatever bad tv they had on. It was quite refreshing. (Well, the tv shows weren't refreshing. They simply confirmed our choice to not get cable. But the time with family was nice!)
Once we moved into our new house, though, I was ready to plug back in. But the previous owners hadn't cancelled their internet service yet, so I had to wait for that. And then wait another ten days for someone to come out and hook it all up.
In the meantime, Miriam started crawling! Which is adorable. And which requires constant supervision, as we haven't baby-proofed yet. And since she is attracted to cords like a moth to a flame, and since my laptop battery won't hold a charge (never let anyone tell you Macs are invincible), her play time and my computer time are no longer compatible.
That leaves her two naptimes, since I try not to get online in the evening when my husband is home. Okay, really just one naptime, since I've gone back to taking a nap every day, too. So that's an hour and a half (sometimes even uninterrupted) to unpack, search for Dr. Right, deal with the paperwork du jour, do whatever chores need done, and squeeze in some internet browsing (usually searching for furniture or mapping out our afternoon errands).
At one point last week, I atually wondered the unthinkable: was this the natural end to my blogging? And then I got a few spare minutes to catch up on just a few of your posts, and remembered how much I love hearing what you all have to say! I can't quit that!
All this to say, I miss you. And I'm not sure how you other mothers do it! I thought I had this whole blogging with a baby thing figured out, but it turns out that's a very different prospect from blogging with a mobile baby! Do bear with me as I get the hang of it. And in the meantime, if you have any advice on how to manage it all, I'd love to hear it!