A.A.
Hello N.,
My kids are 22 1/2 months apart, but are 7 and 5 now. Oh, some days I wish I could go back to having your problem- I loved the baby stage. But I digress... I didn't work except for teaching an hour in the morning. So that situation is different than yours. What alleviated the stress for me was to spread out a clean blanket on the floor and let them roll around together. It sounds silly, I know, but it helped by taking away the stress of constantly making sure the older one wasn't hurting the baby. I just decided, on the day they met, that I trusted my toddler not to hurt him. I absolutely needed to have this trust so that I could get a little space since I was with them almost all day. It worked. My toddler daughter never hurt him, and I at least got a bit of physical distance every once in a while.
As long as you show the older one as much love as you can, the two of them will be the best of friends. Being as fair as possible about your attention will help them appreciate each other. And please know that this time goes on forever and ever, and then it is suddenly gone! Enjoy it even when it's terrible, because soon it will be over. Good luck,
Sasha