For some reason I woke up this morning and decided I had to cut the baby again. I don't know why I thought of this, but it suddenly came into my head that the narrative is a straight line and somehow the baby complicates or deviates too much. Right before the baby enters, the story is focused on subtle abuse in a relationship, and it rises to a clear mini-climax where the MC is changed. So it seems like maybe I'm switching gears with the baby, like I made a point and now am diluting it by heading off in another direction.

However, yesterday I also added back in one of the characters I'd cut, only in a smaller and different way. The character isn't so much of a character anymore as a little tiny peak of plot--a feeling I want to bring in. There's no development or backstory and I don't have to carry the character all the way through the book and juggle him with other plot threads and other characters' entrances and exits. So, we'll see. There's no telling if he'll end up staying or going.

So today I'll be interested to see how many pages I lose when the baby's gone. And I'll have to move some other stuff I'd tied into the baby--must see where that can go. I hope it can go somewhere.