I'm just seeing this now. I went through the exact same thing Greenie, and yes I was very apprehensive about the whole thing. I took 3 yrs off to be with son o' mine and I loved every minute of it, I loved being with him 24/7 it was such a great experience and I would do it all again if I had to. As soon as he was 3 and could communicate perfectly I figured it was time to get back to work, I wanted to work yet I didn't want to. I have to admit I loved being home and not being part of the rat race every morning. So I found a job about 15 minutes from the daycare center (I'm still in the same job almost 10 yrs later) and it all worked out great. My fear was wondering if I could juggle a full time job as well as being a mom and wife (at the time). It took a little getting used to, but not as long as I had originally thought. It's the thoughts of something that are always worse than the doing. I eased back into the workforce without a hitch. I know things will work out for you and you'll do wonderful. Good luck with everything