First Day Of Work

Okay, we didn't take any pictures of Tyler's first day at work, sorry! I returned to work when he was exactly six weeks old. (I work as the director of Camp Wellness - a health and wellness program for people with serious mental illnesses who receive Medicaid.) I was very nervous about how having a baby at work would turn out - would staff feel like he was a burden? Would his crying and other sounds make people mad? Would his presence disturb some of the students, especially those who've lost their children to CPS? And how would I get any work done???

It turns out that it's a blessing to have a "Camp Wellness Baby" at the Health and Wellness Center. He brings joy to staff and students alike. He's already made his acting debut during our "Lenny Da Liver" health education play, has slept through a "Jubilation Celebration" with me MC'ing, met a countless number of people including a state senator during an open house, played a role in data collection by cooing at subjects while I took their blood pressures, has attended several staff and research meetings, and participated in the "Fishbowl Fairy Friday Drawing", though I haven't subjected him to wearing the fairy wings (yet.)

Tyler is one mellow, happy little dude. He usually sleeps through morning meeting, then I take a break to feed him, then he plays quietly in his bouncy chair with the occasional catnap until lunch. He either sits in his bouncy chair or I wear him in the sling during lunch so I can eat with the students. After lunch, he plays and sleeps some more in the chair, on the floor, in his pack-n-play, or visits with staff members taking a break from their hectic schedules. Sometimes we'll take a quick break from work to run from mirror to mirror throughout the building, where Tyler smiles and flirts with the baby in the reflection, until he gets bored and we move on to the next mirror. And when I get too caught up in the petty hassles of the job, he gets my attention and forces me to remember to let the small stuff go and focus on the bigger picture. The students have been wonderful towards him, and it's been especially touching to see mothers offering me advice, and the fathers reminiscing about when their children were this small...

I know the day will soon come when Tyler will need to go to daycare, but I hope he'll be a frequent, welcome visitor to Camp Wellness, and that he'll continue to lift the spirits of staff and students.