We need to move more than ever. It's good news that I have taken over as the head of front office model validation but it is having the obvious impact on my workload. Whereas previously I managed six people there was a separate full-time manager for the whole group. I now have to manage seventeen people as well as doing my old job. So I have to get up to speed with the work done by highly skilled people in areas with which I am not familiar as well as dealing with more straight management issues such as planning promotions, sorting out disputes and hiring. It is ironic that this promotion delays our move to the States at the same time as requiring me to set up a new group in New York. So I have been talking to people in London about the possibility of moving them, not me, as well as conducting telephhone interviews for some of the new positions.
The commute is intolerable and our neighbours are as bad as ever. There are so many things going wrong withe the house at the moment - they are not major issues, more leaking taps and the like - which we are not motivated to fix. We have given the buyers a deadline of next week to get a date for completion so let's see.
Despite my elevation at work I don't get any material benefit at the moment. I am expecting things to improve significantly next year but there is no realistic chance of starting surrogacy again because everyone wants to be paid up front. However, we have contacted the agency to let them know we want to start the ball rolling again and got some very positive news that they have a surrogate in mind for us. She carried twins successfully for an Australian gay couple and won't be available till November. We can get the contracts, psychological screening and all the other admin sorted out around then with a view to starting in the New Year.
We desperately hope that Harriet is not too old before she has a sibling. At the moment she just seems to change so quickly. She now wants to be on her feet all the time and she is growing more confident with her walker and moving around the furniture. We have two huge front teeth and two more on the way. Her hair is starting to come through and it is clear that our baby is truly on her way to becoming a proper little girl.
