Yes Sir...No, Sir, Knee-High Chief!

I am currently enjoying a hiatus from work. Yes, I don’t have a (9-5) job and it feels good to say it despite the all-time low Dow Jones plunge recently that made US declare that it is officially in recession. I do however, hold the highest ranking position at home…a Home Minister with strong international affiliations :) That's a Malaysian me managing my home with an Indian hubby and a US-born son.....three citizenship in harmonious love, all under one roof!

For those sighing out loud thinking "lucky woman" hang on, hold your horses….wait for me to explain my current job-free-yet-round-the-clock-working state. Well, I have had my time of slogging in a deadline-oriented 9-6 office job. Somehow, my current position as a stay-at-home mom makes all the adrenaline rush I had then kind of mild! My regular ‘work’ day starts at around 6.30am. That’s when almost one commander-in-chief wakes me up from his comfy crib with a continuous squeal of ‘mmammammaammaa’ which to the still droopy-eyed me (due to two midnight nursing) sounds like an army chief with a voice amplifier yelling “move it, move it, move it” to his less enthusiastic recruit.

From then on the day quickly fills up with so many activities that pretty much revolve around him. Well mostly I should say because I still do get to squeeze in some ‘me time’…whatever time a stay-at-home gets to indulge in herself without feeling guilty. But then again, my ‘me time’ is completely at my knee-high chief’s mercy. Yes, his afternoon nap determines my having of some quality ‘me time’. If it happens to be forty winks that literally means that, then that afternoon will pass by with me being his playdate. If my little boss’s nap happens to be the regular two-hour siesta, then that day I would be awarded with a deluxe ‘me time’!

Anything goes during the two hours or so…surfing tv channels, browsing internet, reading magazines, having a facial, forcing myself to workout or simply pulling out the recliner and slowly snoozing off looking at the calm scenery outside… basically anything that fits my mood for that day. Although generally not an afternoon napper, on certain days (thanks to unexpected midnight mommy services due to teething, gassiness etc) my eyelids get so heavy by mid-afternoon that trying to keep them open can be an unusually daunting task. More often than not, it’s easier to just give in to such a snooze attack. In fact, I find such ‘me time’ session to be helpful as it keeps me sane and rejuvenates my energy level so that I can be all prepared to hustle and bustle with the little ‘dynamite’ as soon as he awakens.

As much as I am fully indulged in my current state of being, I am not planning to be a stay-at-home mom forever. I have duly embraced this new and exciting chapter of my life without losing my passion for a career. I made the decision of staying at home with my baby till he is at least a year old or so when I had first conceived. Yet, I eagerly hope for a refreshing re-entry into the job market. I am hoping to be lucky enough to land myself a job that would allow me to do what I enjoy the most. I shall not get into this here. It’s a totally separate loop, this job thing-y.

Until then, I cannot think of anything else I’d rather do than to enjoy my baby who seems to be growing up too fast. I have seen him achieve all the important milestones till now...smile, sit, crawl, stand, say da-da and ma-ma indiscriminately (he now calls me amma distinctly), cut first tooth, self-feed and most recently, walk! It feels extremely special to be able to watch him achieve everything at first hand, one milestone at a time. The day I get back on track with my career, I hope separation anxiety will not be a problem for him when I send him off to a daycare. I know that it will be for me :)

By far, I cannot thank God enough for this wonderful phase of my life. Coming to think of it, it is okay for you to think that I am lucky because I am! I mean having all these months to exclusively watch my baby grow, from birth to toddlerhood, is like having a super cool office job plus getting a bonus every month!