On any day, at any time, new mom 27-year-old Angelica Howay may need to strap on her glock 19 revolver and track down a cheating spouse, play bodyguard to a celebrity or chase evidence for a contentious custody case.

Job: Senior Investigator, Butler & Associates Private Investigations, San Francisco Bay area. 

Who's at Home: Husband José; Son Adrian, 7 months.

In Angelica's Words:

Early Riser
No surprise, I work odd hours. On the days my husband, José, works, I might have to drop off our baby, Adrian, at my parents’ at 3 a.m.—then drive for hours to get to the site of a sting I’m assigned to. It can be hard to get into a family routine when your work hours are so irregular. My husband is totally supportive, and my parents are on board, though they still wish I’d get a 9-to-5 job.

On the job
Most of my work is done out in the field. I might go undercover to catch a cheating husband or chase a guy charged with sexual assault all the way to Cancún. Occasionally I’m in the office with my nine PI colleagues; five of us are moms. My husband, a cable tech, works a four-day week, so he’s off Thursday through Saturday to take care of our son. In a pinch, I can ask the other PI moms to help watch Adrian, since our schedules vary and they’re all goo-goo about babies.

Family time
Most of the time José and I are both home by 7 p.m. Whoever gets back first cooks something simple, healthy and fast for dinner. I sometimes make Peruvian meat and potatoes or a chicken caesar salad, and José likes to grill fish on the George Foreman. We all sit at the table, our son in a baby chair, and he plays with little toys while we eat. I try not to bring my cases home with me so I can focus on my family and not obsess about the guy I lost track of in a chase that day.

Baby and me
I love tummy time with Adrian. I put him on a Boppy pillow, and he bangs on his little piano. His tiny hands reach and press on the keys. He’s so cute because he concentrates so hard. The piano lights up when he touches the keys, and he loves the sounds and light. He smiles and I relax, and that’s something I didn’t have before. Who would have thought that our baby would help keep me balanced?

Before bed
We’re happy when we’re together in the evening to relax as a family. José and I are best friends. We’ve been together for 11 years and married for five. and now there are three of us. Like me, José is so into the baby. Lucky for me, if Adrian cries and cries and I get stressed, José takes over. When Adrian’s down for the night, I like to watch tV to clear my mind of work: Survivor, Dexter, The Biggest Loser—but no cop shows!