Amy & Chris - 5 years

I can't really believe we have married for 5 years.  It's like we just on our honeymoon enjoying the relaxation after the wedding and talking about our plans for the next 5 years.  One thing was for sure we would still be in love and probably also returning to the beach to celebrate our anniversary.

In real life, we are still love and feeling very thankful we got to go get a beer together on a Saturday afternoon.  Such is life when two small kiddos are part of it.  It's no beach, but it is a lot of fun.  Like I said on Facebook I am glad Chris is my partner in this crazy life.  I wouldn't trade it for the world.

Ten years though...is totally going to be on celebrated on a beach.

An Everyday Moment

Chris walks into the bathroom carrying Milo, they stop and play the baby in the mirror game. Then, with shampoo suds still in my hair, I peek out around the curtain to greet my boys. Milo is freshly changed and dressed in his school clothes. It tickles Milo that Mommy appears from behind the curtain all soaking wet. We get big gummy smiles and little boy giggles. Leaning over I kiss Milo's cheek while breathing in his sweet baby smell. Chris and I kiss goodbye. Wishes for good days are exchanged. I return to my shower with a sense of contentment and ease. Another day in our life has begun.

And Baby Makes Three

This week Chris had to leave town to attend a funeral. Milo and I headed to my parent's house and although I had plenty of expert help from Grandma, I had a small taste of what single motherhood would be like and I was not impressed.

Years ago while in grad school, at the height of my I-am-a-strong-woman-and-can-do-anything-on-my-own phase, I remember thinking that should I not be married by 35 (oh the horror), I would just have a baby on my own.

What I failed to realize then was that being a single mother would not be the best choice for me or for any child of mine. In these two quick weeks (and the 9 months leading up to this), I have discovered that part of the fun of parenthood is watching your partner become someone else, someone better. Chris, while still my husband and best friend, has become a great dad and it's been so gratifying to watch him nurture this little being whom we created together.

Everyone who meets Milo agrees he's an adorable, good-natured, sweet baby, but I think it is only Chris and me who really appreciate our little guy. How sad it would be to not experience that connection with another person.

Then there is also the practicality of doing this on my own. It would be hard and a lot of work. It would mean long nights spent alone with a crying baby. I would be lonely if I were doing this alone.

Deepening our partnership to become parents and expand our love to another person has been one of the best and most surprising side effects of having a baby. The family we have quickly grown into simply takes my breath way sometimes and doing it together makes it so much more real.

A Time to Give Thanks

Last year around this time, I was finishing up last minute wedding details and trying to reflect on the true meaning of the holiday. And although I am in a totally different place this year, I am still enjoying the Thanksgiving season. I love that Thanksgiving centers on food and family. Really, those are two of my favorite things.

On Monday of this week, we celebrated our first wedding anniversary with traditional paper gifts and a fancy schmancy dinner out. This year has gone so fast, and I'm so thankful for everything that has transpired in it. The little Olive who is steadily growing inside of me is a testament to the love we share and the life we are building together. And that is a lot to be thankful for this year.

Weddings!

I love weddings (which is convenient because next month we'll be going to three weddings, three weekends in a row). It's always so great to see a couple taking that plunge and making those vows. Since we've been married, I also like to hear those vows again and mentally answer yes. The homily (or sermon) also usually geive some good take-away nuggets of truth. Yesterday, my good friend Nicole married Gavin. The Deacon performing the ceremony, highlighted the need for kindness in relationships. So simple, but so important.

The wedding day was rainy, but we made the best of it swapping the outdoor photo location for a bar (fitting for the couple!). Nicole looked beautiful and Gavin was a beaming bridegroom. It was a great day and it was an honor to be part of it.

Let's Talk About the Baby Daddy

It's his birthday today. Clearly in the past seven years, the day September 11 has taken on a whole new connotation to Americans, but before it ever became that day, it was Chris' birthday and so we choose to still celebrate.

In the months we've been married, we've grown in love and everyday life has been peaceful and rewarding. People have kept asking if marriage is different than life before, and in subtle ways sure, but at the core it's the same safe and comforting place it has always been with him. He's a wonderful partner and I'm proud to call him my husband.

In the months, since we've decided to start a family, I've seen not only the great partner I knew I had, but also a budding father. He's the one who makes me warm lemon water each morning in lieu of my usual coffee with milk (which he made in the pre-baby days). He follows me around with a glass of water on the weekends to make sure I am staying hydrated. And every night he has been tucking me and the Olive into bed. My body and life is going through a much more obvious transformation, but he's going through one too and I can't wait to see what is the other side.

Happy Birthday, honey! Here's to many more happy years.

Six Months

About this time six months ago today, I was nervously and excitedly waiting to walk down the aisle. I should have eaten something (and maybe laid off that prosecco), so I wouldn't have had that unfortunate blood sugar crash later in the day. But should have, would have, could have. Other than eating breakfast or lunch, I wouldn't change a thing about our wedding day, overall it turned out to be a great day and the perfect wedding for us. Some parts of the day are kind of a blur, but I know I'll always remember the happiness we both felt that day. All of our wedding pictures feature me with a huge smile on my face and Chris looking thrilled. Several people said I was the happiest bride they had even seen. I was living the princess fairytale with the added bonus of getting to live with the prince for a lifetime. We both felt so blessed and lucky to have such a beautiful wedding and to be able to share our special day with our family and friends.

In the six months since we married, the leaves on the trees have finished changing color, fallen, made it through the winter, flowered and are now in brilliant green once again. Likewise, we've fallen into the comfortable rhythm and cycles of married life. Lazy weekend breakfasts, yard work, dinners at home with a bottle of wine. Waiting eagerly for Lost each week and cuddling on the couch. Talking each other down from work crises (okay, really, Chris talking me down). We're enjoying this marriage partnership.

Today we are celebrating with more of the same, really. A small cookout tonight, cleaning up the house and yard today. We did find an overlooked wedding present that somehow made it's way to the garage (thank you card is in the mail now!), so that was kind of fun. I'm also listening to the mix cd my brother made for the wedding, which is such a great mix. It must have pained him, but he included some of my favorites - Madonna, Jimmy Buffet and Jack Johnson. The songs bring back all the wedding day memories for me and it is a favorite of mine.

Today

His and Hers

We've been married for just shy of six months now and today for the first time we did something I'm pretty sure only married couples who love each other very much do. No, not that. We bought matching phones and signed up on the same phone plan. Seriously, the same phone except that mine is maroon and his is black. We thought there had to be some slight difference to discourage morning mix-ups.

In spite of the icky-degree of cuteness associated with it, the same phone actually makes sense. We can use the same charger which will make it easier for vacations and what not. Also, Chris is way more into techy stuff than I am. He's spent the afternoon enthralled with the buttons and settings. I took a picture of the pretty iris in the backyard, made that my wallpaper and got on with me day. Luckily for me, now whenever I have a question about how to do a phone related task, Chris will know the answer.

I understand this type behavior can be a slippery slope, so if you ever see us and Chris and I are wearing matching outfits, please intervene.

Washing my Hands of It

As I might have mentioned before, Chris and I have some differences in style in the way we approach problems. I think this mostly stems from the way we were both raised. Chris' father renovated a house, learning along the way and using Chris as his apprentice. Chris says helping his father with house projects are some of his favorite memories from childhood. My dad, on the other hand, isn't so much a do-it-yourself type guy. Instead, he famously always knew somebody who could do the job for a good price. Rewire a fan, no problem, his assistant could take care of it. Paint the windows, some guys from the pizza place can handle that. We might have had second thoughts about letting some of these characters in the house, but the work always (mostly, if you count the finishing of the basement) got done in an efficient manner. Consequently, my favorite childhood memories stem around all that extra time created by farming out tasks when we would take off to Florida for weeks in the summer. Different strokes for different folks, I guess.

I give you this background just to clarify why when we were buying the dishwasher at Sears the other day, I immediately started trying to visualize my Outlook calendar to know when I could be home to let the delivery / install guys in. While I was visualizing, Chris was telling the sales guy that he would pick the appliance up at the warehouse and install it himself. Huh? Do you know how to do that I asked? Sure, it's not that hard, he said.

Famous last words, I think as I glance into our kitchen where two dishwashers are currently taking up residency and neither is installed. Chris is on his third trip to Lowe's and I'm thinking the $129 delivery / install fee is sounding like a better and better bargain.