I'm Dancing as Fast as I Can!

Two years ago I was on a panel at the ALA conference in New Orelans called "I'm Dancing as Fast as I Can". It was about balancing family responsibilities while working as a librarian. I hadn't adopted Henry yet--he was born less than a week before that date and I didn't hear about him until February 2007. But I had already set up as best I could the steps to juggle my life and work.

Things have changed alot--as I indicated in my talk they would. In the past I was always the one to drop everything and stay late at work when somebody didn't show up or got sick and left or some scheduling confusion left things unattended. As a result by the time I adopted Henry I had over a hundred hours of comp time that I had worked over and above my regularly assigned hours--and no foreseeable way to work them off. It was like being on a treadmill that I couldn't get off of--I felt compelled to keep the library attended at a high caliber in detriment to my own private and work schedule.

It's totally different now. It is interesting to talk to other librarians hee at ALA about the season of changes that people go through as they are raising children and the rest of the staff kicks in to back them up. It has been an adjustment to me to expect that and to allow that to happen.

And with the work expectation of attending and participating in conferences I am glad for those like ALA that provide child care. Not every conference does that. Henry was uneasy being left the first day, but now on the third day he was complacent--now that he knows I will come to pick him up at the end of the day.
We arrived in Santa Ana airport after leaving at 5 AM. I had a hard time finding parking--the first two lots were full. It was a dash to get to the gate but we made it, even though I was putting Henry's shoes on as we were boarding the plane. I sat next to a retired librarian and on the other side of her was another man with a baby. Henry was really good on the three hour flight. I didn't get up--planes are so crowded now. I did manage to change his diaper in my lap--at the time he needed it there was a six or eight person line to the one rest room. I guess with all the budget cuts they have also cut down on the number of toilets on planes.
Henry enjoys the room, although it did take me three days of asking to get a crib in the room. The first two nights had lots of waking up and I was constantly watching to see that he didn't roll out of bed. I moved back and forth between the beds. But last night with the crib things went really well and we both had a good sleep.
I brought a little travel stroller. It's hard to push because it two or three inches too short for me. As a result I have to bend over slightly to push. But it's a lot easier than nothing. I have had to walk a mile twice to a grocery store for soy milk. Yesterday I bought some medicine--Henry has a slight ear infection. It is not bad enough that he has a fever but it is sore and draining.
We've only eaten out once. I guess from seeing Henry color that he is right handed. I have never given him anything to write with.
I will have to write more about all the things I have learned and heard about libraries and working as a librarian. I am thinking I will start another blog that is library related. So much of the technology of libraries has changed, and librarians are on the cutting edge of the growing number of changes in the internet and the changing expectations and skills of the millenium generation.