Welcome Ruby Dylan to the Workplace!
It’s true. I’ve finally spawned. Consider yourself appropriately warned. Ruby Louise Dylan was born on May 22nd, 2007. In order to make a dramatic entrance appropriate for a daughter of mine, she arrived after 68 hours of labor, and was born fist-first, essentially punching her way out. And, in true hardworking American fashion, she pushed me into active labor at around 8 in the morning and made her appearance just before quitting time (4:57 p.m. Hawaii time). Guess I have an 8 to 5 baby. If only she'd taken a lunch break...
Luckily, since then she’s been a generally easy baby, sleeping fairly regularly and eating well. And since I’m back to working from home part-time, she has become my latest co-worker. Though I’ve never before tried working with a co-worker strapped to my chest in a baby sling, so that will take some getting used to. As will the coffee breaks being replaced by poopy-diaper breaks, and my on-call hours now being round-the-clock.
In addition to the paid part-time work I’m doing from home, I’ve now entered my latest job that I would be remiss in not adding to my resume: that of a mother. The hardest and least acclaimed job many women will ever have. Need I remind you how undervalued the stay-at-home moms are in our culture? How people grow bored and walk away from them at parties, or ask “Are you going back to work?” as if what they do isn’t work? Luckily I haven’t gotten that so far, but then I’m still homebound most of the day, and people are still fascinated by the concept of a newborn.
Just remember, folks: moms work, they work for free, and they work much harder than the rest of us. They should be hugged and provided with free cookies.
