Look at how he's grown

We took two passport photos of Sammy - once when he was almost 3 months old (for his German passport) and the second one (at 11.5 months) to apply for his Singaporean citizenship.

Look at how he's grown! My little baby is no longer the mega chubby, 100% breastfed baby anymore. He still looks like a baby but his face is slimmer and he's beginning to look more like a toddler.

My heart is so filled with nostalgia when I look at these two photos. He's less than one week away from his first birthday and I love him to bits! I could cuddle and squeeze him all day! I'm so thankful for hubby sharing the same conviction of me being a SAHM (stay-at-home Mom) so that I can be the sole caregiver of Sammy.

I wouldn't exchange this job for anything in the world. I want to enjoy my baby all day, everyday - even if it means he's crawling around the house while I do my chores. I pick him up and we do crazy stuff like dance around the apartment, or I get down on my knees and play catching / hide-and-seek with him. We go for daily walks to the supermarket / playground and I just talk to him along the way. We read books and I teach him about the different ingredients that I cook with, while letting him smell the different herbs / spices.

I know he enjoys being around me and I'm doing the whole SAHM thing simply for the relationship with my kid. I can't think of a more satisfying job than just to be there for him. My mentor told me this before, "The one who mentors your kid is the person who spends the most time with him / her" - I can't agree with her more.

There is of course the one big drawback that being a SAHM does not draw a paycheck the way a regular job does. As such, we do have to be more prudent with our expenses. After almost one year of living on hubby's income and reduced income on paid maternity leave, we've learnt to make do with what we have.

I believe that having a baby is all about setting priorities. We don't need to go on expensive holidays or buy all sorts of toys for our little one. I have never even gone for any baby course like baby massage or baby swimming. It's mind-bogging what type of courses they have for babies these days.

We bring Sammy swimming but I don't see the point in paying 80€ for a special swim course for babies when all Sammy does is to splash around in the water. Sammy hardly has any fanciful toys. He has lots of books that we borrow from the library and the usual mini toys that one can bring along in the handbag.

And I'm a strong believer that God will provide for all of our needs. Hubby and I have gone 7 months without income when we went for bible school straight after we got married. It's this period of time that God has proven Himself to be our financial provider in every aspect. We had enough money right until the time we relocated to Germany, rented an apartment and hubby started work again.

At the end of the day, I just want to wake up each day knowing that I will enjoy this day with my baby and vice versa. I want to look back 10, 20 years down the road and know that I have had no regrets being a SAHM during my kid's crucial developmental years. The time I have with my kid is simply something that I can't quantify with money.

I know that there are various reasons why a woman would go back to work and I'm not writing this to prick the conscience of one who has decided not to go down the SAHM path. But I'm writing this simply to share my side of the story of why I chose to be a SAHM.