This past week the silence in our house has been peaceful, yet distracting (where's the baby? is she alright?).

Now that we have Baby, there's a new level of listening. You're either trying to hear what she's doing, or you've got an ear out for what she's not doing. I expect this aspect of life will only intensify when she becomes mobile, but may reduce when she can actually talk meaningfully. OTOH, at that point she may knowingly choose silence when trying to get away with something!

Anyway, I've certainly missed my girls. On the other hand, I am most grateful they were nowhere near me this past week, for I should not want them to have caught the dread from me!

They'll be back tonight, both bouncy and happy I hope, but possiblly tired and cranky. It will depend on how the flights turn out and who gets how much sleep and when.

For my part, hearing's about 25% reduced at the moment: my eustacian tubes remain plugged, although essentially all other symptoms have abated. It's like having your ears full of water after swimming. I'm waiting for them to pop and drain and get back to normal. The doctor said to try Sudafed for a week, so hopefully that will take care of it.