Although there's no substitute for being a stay-at-home mom and caring for the baby 24/7 until he gets older, the eternal optimist in me time and again try to look at the bright side of being a working mom instead. Here's my list:

Evan loves his bathtime. He is fascinated by the feel of water on his hands and feet, the splash everytime he kicks and the glistening trickle of water that falls from mommy's hand. One time mommy blew a big bubble and he was startled when it burst. Evan at 3 months (13 weeks).

1.) An Hour of Just-ME-Time Uninterrupted. Lunch hour. During my maternity leave when my husband would babysit Evan I just end up doing errands for my "free" time. Old habits die hard. I try not do that with my lunchbreaks.

2.) Better Breastmilk Supply. The breastpump sessions do a more efficient job than my slow-eater son. The supply comes strong nowadays that Evan can't keep up at times.

A plus is having the drinking fountain in front of my cube. What couldn't be a more obvious reminder to drink more fluids. A must for breastfeeding mommies.

3.) Unintentional Office Workout. I forgot how much walking (burn calories burn) I do at work that I made a mistake of wearing heels one day and swore that that will be my last. A plus is that it gets so busy that I have no time for munchies. 24-inch waistline here I come. Yeah right.

4.) No Cabin Fever. I just think about the prospect of being cooped up inside the house during winter and it's enough cure for me from handing my resignation everytime I miss Evan badly.

5.) 8 Hour Readily Available Mommy Warmline And Support Group. When I have mommy questions and concerns help and advice are available from my fellow mommy officemates, pronto. This will drastically reduce our long distance bills.

6.) Third Set OF Eyes... and pair of arms to watch over and care for Evan. This is another way of looking at our day care provider Mrs. X. As what her former client told me, she was like a grandmother to her son and she now seems to be that way to Evan. Although mommy-knows-her-baby-best it's also nice to get a professional child caregiver's opinion about Evan's well being.

7.) Good-bye Tendonitis. Well, not totally yet... but cutting back the frequency of carrying and burping the baby has put my wrists on the road, *knock on wood*, to recovery. What is tendonitis? It's a pain on the wrist that makes doing ordinary things like brushing your teeth, hooking your bra, slinging the strap of your bag on your shoulders, twisting cap from bottle, scrubbing your kitchen sink make you feel scorching white heat and see stars.

8.) Less Baby Burn Outs. Mommy has more smiles, enthusiasm and patience for baby compared to before.

9.) One Less Worry...about jobhunting when nearing 40.

10.) An End To Watching Endless TV. I can't even remember the last time I turned on our set after I started working again.

New Evan photos in his  album

Don't You Just Hate It?

That 15 minutes after you have put your baby to sleep (on the night when it was harder than usual) the smoke alarm located on the hallway nearest him goes off. You and your husband scramble to look for a footstool, shove your cat who is in the way and turn it off. 3 minutes later the sharp loud beeping goes off again, echoing in the silence of 11pm. Swear words and curses as your husband yanks it off from the ceiling. The baby mercifully goes back to sleep without fuss.

Quotable Quote

"Did you shave his head?" our daycare provider Mrs. X to me the first time she saw Evan.

Currently listening to: Howie Day's "Collide"
Currently reading: Penelope Leache's Your Baby And Child
Currently watching: Good Night And Good Luck (George Clooney)