Goodbye 2012 and HELLO 2013!

Alright I know that we're almost into end of January already but I've always done a year-end blog post, so I shall endeavour to continue that tradition on my blog. :)

2012 marked my first full year as a Mom / SAHM.

It's so incredible how life really does change when one has to look after a mini human being. But I must say that I'm really loving it. I'm enjoying everyday that I can kiss, cuddle and chase my little one around the house.

I love how I managed to witness every stage of his development. It's really crazy how proud a parent can be just because her baby made his first turn / sat down on his own for the first time or ate by himself for the first time. 

I'm also proud of me (ah-hem) that I managed to document Sammy's development on my blog so that I can read it up in the future and think back on those lovely memories! I certainly do hope to be able to continue doing that for #2! :)

On the other side, having a baby also means that I hardly have me-time anymore. Couple time has become very deliberate and planned. If we don't arrange to do something together, we'd just end up having his-time and my-time (ie. individual computer time). We also have to plan babysitters in advance if we want to go on couple dates. Hence, most of the time, we usually just bring Sammy along wherever we go and he would have to sleep in his stroller - which he's still doing, so we're very thankful.

Nothing helps me to reflect better than looking back at my blog entries in the past year. So sit back, relax and here's a brief lowdown on my highlights of 2012, with the accompanying links.

1. We brought Sammy back to Singapore to celebrate CNY and meet my family for the first time

It was such an epic trip, surviving the 12-hour journey as well as 6-hour time difference with a 5-month old baby. Sammy was such a champ though as he slept through most of the flight. It's a different story now with a 16-month old toddler. We had no idea when / if we'll be doing any long-distance flying this year!

In front of the Singapore skyline

Meeting my Dad for the first time. See the family resemblance?

2. We finally visited the capital of Germany, Berlin! It was a fantastic time just bonding with hubby and baby. Food was fantastic and weather was awesome. I liked the hustle and bustle of the big city so much so that the hub told me that I'm not allowed to visit Berlin too often if not I won't stop bugging him about moving there.

On second thoughts though, I doubt that I would want to relocate from Stuttgart. I'm pretty settled here and have my very close friends and love my church. :)

In front of the Berliner Dome

One of my favourite shots of him at a playground in Berlin

3. Enjoyed hubby being at home for a month cos of his paternity leave. We made used of the time to visit Tenerife, Spain for the first time. It was the perfect destination to get some "solar energy" before the onset of winter.

Oh yah, we first found out that we're preggy while on holiday! I was getting these horrible mood swings and couldn't quite pin-point why I was all "PMS-y" so I took a pregnancy test and got a huge shock a pleasant surprise when I saw those two lines. :) 

Look so angelic right? Looks can be deceiving. LOL

4.  Turned 30! 

Had such a fabulous, unforgettable costume party with great company and food! 

5. Celebrated Christmas over with 4 visitors from Singapore

LOVED my Christmas! Every bit of it. Awesome. 

5. Completed my 1st year of monthly updates of Sammy's development 

It has been such a life-changing experience for me as a Mom. I really enjoy having a baby to call my own and continue to treasure each day that Sammy's at home with me. Oh yah, I also completed uploading more than 365 daily photos with captions of Sammy on Facebook. It was pretty tedious and required so much discipline but I'm sooo glad that I grit through my teeth and finished the task!

Yup! I think that's about how 2012 was for me / us. We're so thankful to God for helping us to sail through our 1st year as parents to Sammy. There's been many ups and downs but we know that we're in good hands because God remains the same today, yesterday and tomorrow. That even when our circumstances / phases in life change, we can always hold on to our Father and His promises. We are still learning each step of the way and trusting in God to guide us in His grace, gentleness and patience. 

"But from everlasting to everlasting the Lord's love is with those who fear him and his righteousness with their children's children... " Psalm 103:17