52 Fridays: Money

When Hannah came home from the hospital in October, we were advised not to put her in daycare. Her tiny body needed more time, before she was exposed to too many germs. In fact, we were told to pretty much keep her in the house during the winter. So we made the decision that I would take a leave of absence from work and be a stay-at-home mom. I have always admired stay-at-home moms. It's not an easy gig. I honestly feel like it's a promotion. It was a huge adjustment to go from working in financial reporting to being a full-time mommy. There is no compensation package. There are no vacation days. (This one was actually more of a shock to my system than the lack of a paycheck. I was in such a habit of saying  "I can't wait until the weekend/holiday." that it took me a while to realize, mommy's don't get those days off. lol) In exchange for the paychecks, the vacation time, the ability to clock in and more importantly out, I gained so much more than I could have ever imagined. The time that Hannah and I have had together is more valuable than any paycheck, bonus or thrift plan. I am so blessed to be able to spend this time with my baby girl. It is so worth the sacrifice. It's worth the adjustment of going from a two-income family to a single-income family. When I say my cup runs over or that we are blessed abundantly, I don't mean financially alone. We are blessed financially, but we are blessed in so many more ways. We are blessed to have a healthy daughter. We are blessed to have a successful business. We are blessed to have our family and friends. We are blessed to have each other. We are so very blessed. It's true that the best things in life are free, in that they don't cost money, but they might cost time, effort, or sacrifice. It's also true that the rewards far outweigh the costs. As far as I'm concerned, being Hannah's mommy is priceless.