Emer McLysaght: Missing all that baby talk

With the never-ending lockdown comes the realisation that you would love to be left holding the baby, even if it was just for a minute

Watching friends’ babies grow and change through the phone screen has made my arms ache

I would love a go of a baby. A good ten minutes of holding and squeezing and head smelling and face-pulling and nonsense talk.

“What are you saying?” I would gurn into the baby’s face. “What! Are! You! Saying!?”

The baby, of course, would be saying nothing at all because ideally it will be around five or six months old. That age where they’re good and sturdy and their arms and legs stick out straight ...