Thanks everyone for your replies. Dh has already been away on several shorter trips this year (1 week) and is about to go off for a full fortnight. I still have no idea how to get through except to say that Family Day Care will be a big part of my coping strategy! I've been having a hard time as DD has been really clingy for a long time, seems like I can't take 3 steps away from her without her starting to whinge which escalates quickly to full blown crying. She's also frustrated since she can't crawl yet, she just lies there flapping her arms (like that's going to do any good). She's also waking 3-5 times a night, which just adds pressure to the whole situation. I don't do sleep deprivation very well.