Last year was productive. I no longer make the rookie errors of a first-year postdoc; I have deciphered the reagent-ordering system and can now locate our liquid-nitrogen storage in the basement. My project is beginning to show direction and data. Also, my little girl has had her first birthday.

My scientific life has been transformed since her birth. Benchwork is not 9-to-5 like most jobs: I used to be able to work unlimited hours. When I underestimated the time needed to process my scaled-up experiment, I would stay until I finished. Now, I stash the samples in the freezer at a 'good' stopping point and rush home to my parenting shift.

Then there are the days that tear me apart. In the middle of an experiment, I find myself longing to be home with my baby, watching her achieve another milestone. I wonder what would be the shortest possible incubation time to yield a signal. I would really like to be home for her bedtime.

Hiring a pregnant postdoc was a risk, but perhaps my mentor understood the potential advantages of being a parent in science. In all aspects of life, parenthood forces organization,: a desirable quality for a scientist and an experimenter.

As I seek balance between work and home, I foresee the next twelve months to be critical in both raising a toddler and defining my career path. Like most, I began my postdoc with the hope of finishing quickly — after all, a fellowship is by definition temporary. Yet it is easy to become comfortable in the position, especially with a supportive mentor and an intriguing project. So, in the relative calm between the night-feedings of the first year and the onset of the 'terrible twos', I take any quiet moments to consider the trajectory of my career.