Working From Home with a New Baby

Working from home with a new baby means the baby comes to the desk. Most of the morning ran that way — one arm around the baby, the other hand on the mouse, the keyboard pulled to the edge of the desk and out of grabbing range. The baby stared at the monitors as if the invoices were the interesting part, drooling steadily onto a bib.

When the work stretched on, the baby went into the jumperoo with the stuffed orange monkey, gumming a yellow teething ring and grinning through a wet chin. Then a stretch on the bed next to the cat, who put up with the company until a yawn that showed the whole back of its throat.

Tummy time on the quilt finished things off — head up, eyes locked on the green ring just out of reach, then straight down at it, cross-eyed with concentration.