1. The look on his face/reaction in general when I was finally in his arms in San Antonio in May. (This was following a lot of tears and fears that he wouldn't be present for Audra's birth, as chronicled in this post.)
2. The day he and I relaxed in the pool before Audra was born. Seems stupid that this is in my top 5, but it was pure bliss at that moment. School was still in session, but I wasn't teaching-- I was with him, in San Antonio, the only ones in the pool, floating on our rafts, feeling the warm breeze, waiting for our sweet baby girl's arrival. It was heavenly.
3. Our first moment as a family of 3. No more explanation needed.
4. When I was leaning my head on his shoulder during labor so I could hear and mirror his breathing. It was just so close and intimate.
5. Lazy mornings with the 3 of us in bed, cuddling.
Have I ever told you about how great he is? Because he really is. He's great enough that I really could say something wonderful about him every single time I post, but I seem to get sidetracked. Just this morning, Audra woke up right around the time of his alarm, so he offered to take her. I hadn't been getting much sleep the last few nights, so I was happy to let him do it! He fed her and put her back to sleep. Then he came downstairs and put the diapers in the dryer, washed the dishes and ran the dish washer-- all before he went to work! See, isn't he great? That's just the every day kind of stuff he does.
It's not just the every day kind of stuff he's good at. He really pulls through when I need him most. Like last Sunday. Sunday I had the STOMACH FLU. Guys, it was AWFUL! It started out with just a normal stomach ache, but by the 4th trip to the bathroom within half an hour and no relief in sight, I started thinking it may be something more. I was running to the bathroom about every 10 minutes for HOURS, and later in the day it was coming out both ends. (Probably TMI, I'm sorry!) It was intense, let me tell ya. I actually thought, in the worst moments, I am so miserable. It really took it out of me, and I was just physically drained with zero energy. I really wanted to sleep, but of course, running to the bathroom doesn't allow for sleep. Luckily, by that evening things had gotten a teeny bit better, and continued to get progressively better with time. By the next day I was completely good around 3:00 or so. Having the stomach flu and a 4 month old don't mix so well. Nic took her all day long. He went to the grocery store, went and worked out, brought me Gatorade and chicken noodle soup, made any bottles when I wasn't up to feeding her (though I tried to feed her as often as I felt I could) (don't worry, breast milk has AMAZING immunity properties!), put Audra to bed, changed the sheets before he went to bed WHILE I LAID IN THE BED, and was just an all-around rock star that day. I'm one lucky girl.
It's hard to believe that within 3 years, we've lived in 3 different states, I've held three different jobs, he's gotten ANOTHER degree (nursing makes 3 for him!), joined the Air Force, and we've had the most beautiful baby I've ever laid eyes on. And in between there, we've taken many Christmas and Thanksgiving trips and all of our siblings got married!
I don't want to be all life is perfect, we walk on clouds all the time sounding. Because it's not ALL THE TIME that things are this perfect. We're what I like to call normal. As in, we have our share of squabbles and we get annoyed at stupid things and then stubbornly fight (which is fun, since we're both first borns). And then we get over it. That's the main thing: we get over it. Until I was with him, I'd never been with a guy that was so good at saying sorry and at showing me how much he loves me. Almost makes me feel guilty when I'd been so stubborn. ;-) Arguing every now and then is natural, and it never lasts too long. Times like those help me know that we're there for each other, thick and thin. I know he must really love me if he'll put up with me at my worst. :)
He and I often say that we wish everyone in the world knew what it was like to be this loved. We know couples that have gotten married for the seemingly wrong reasons, or friends who have told us about their relationships with their spouses and seem to be surprised at the level of sharing and intimacy Nic and I have. And it makes us sad to think that not all marriages have couples who feel this way toward one another. He's my best friend. He's honestly the only person in the world who I feel truly and wholly understands me, and I like it that way. :)
So, 3 years. 3 WONDERFUL, AMAZING years of being married to this beautiful MAN. I can't wait to see what the next 3 hold.
Sorry this one was taken with the iPhone, but it's still one of my faves!
