My Husband. My Rock.

Adding Clara to our family has been a much anticipated and incredibly joyous event in our lives.  She is such an expression of the incredible bond that Alan and I have. Before Clara was born, I would get the most emotional when I would think about how she is completely Alan and I - together in a physical way that almost makes me jealous!

Before Alan and I got pregnant, we were told things like "enjoy your time together" or "you should really wait until your relationship is strong enough."

My husband is my best friend.  We've been together since our senior year of high school and have grown together as we continued to mature through the college years and our years as married adults.  I am so thankful to God for putting him in my life.  He is the husband that I was afraid to hope could even exist.  He completes me in every way that I need - and has continued to amaze me at how perfect he is for me that weren't evident when I first "picked" him.  We laugh.  We laugh all the time.  Everything is fun together.  And when things are hard - we naturally lean on each other and - it isn't so hard anymore.

One of the main things that makes our lives together such a pleasure is communication.  We talk about everything.  We share the little things with each other and take joy in knowing what and how the other is feeling or thinking.

One of the hardest things about being a parent is the lack of time available to have those conversations.  Time is short and you have to try to condense everything into a few words and within whatever time presents itself to you.  As a result, even the best of communicators can have a hard time communicating much.  And on the hard days, when I need the most support - there seems to be even less of that time available.  As that communication breaks down, the bigger the divide and the harder even the simple struggles seem to be.

While I don't subscribe to the "be sure you have many years together without kids to be able to be happy together with kids" philosophy, I am so thankful for that time that we did have.  A simple, short hug in the kitchen - in the middle of my poor attempt at making dinner - will bring me back to all the moments we have had together.  The cumulative effect of years of moments have been amazingly powerful and can keep me going until Clara goes to bed and we can have an hour or so together.

My husband is my rock.  My life is the amazing life that it is because of him.  We can do anything together; and everything is wonderful because of him.