Our New Family

I've been meaning to make this post for a long time, but haven't been able to keep my eyes dry long enough to write it! Yes, this is going to be a sappy one, so if you aren't into that sort of thing, just move on to the next blog that you stalk and come back later when I talk about the stream of pee pee that I experienced for the first time the other day... because, yes I'm going to make this post anyway!

So here we are... the three of us. The New Leach Family. What a miracle it is that just a little over three weeks ago, there were only two of us and now there are three. (Plus Georgia, of course.) And he's totally complete. He has fingernails (and hangnails) just like I do, only they're minature... and he sneezes just like I do (always twice in a row)... and he has hair (that we think is awesome)... and although he doesn't know what he's smiling at yet, he smiles! How can you look at a baby and not believe in God... and a LOVING God at that... One that causes everything to take place for a reason!? The miracle of birth is just that... an absolute miracle. I am absolutely convinced that there is NO way that a bang created that.

Anyway, that's not what I am posting about, although I did have to put my two cents in on that really quick. What I wanted to post about was my husband, and our marriage. If you had asked me a year ago, I would have told you that the most UN-romantic thing to do in your marriage would be to have a kid. (Now I'm not talking about "making" the kid if you get my drift... but actually having a newborn... or a toddler... in your house at all times). I would have probably even told you that a few weeks ago, because my pregnancy was definitely not a romantic one. Although Jeff was constantly there for me, I did not feel as though it were a "romantic" thing at all....

So, basically, the night before we went to have Brady, I was totally thinking... "Here goes the romance in our marriage. No more date nights, or late nights, or vacations or notes left on the dresser. There's not going to be time for that. This is it... we're too young for this..." and all sorts of stuff like that. I cried to Jeff about it, and I can't totally speak for him, but I think he was probably thinking the exact same thing too. Not only was I thinking this, but I was WORRIED about it. I was worried we were going to end up on the Dr. Phil show discussing how our beautiful child killed the romance in our marriage... I know this sounds awful... but I MUST share this part.

Because... I could not have been more wrong. I have never been more in love with my husband than I am at this moment.... (ok, here are the tears.) I have never felt loved by my husband as much as I do right now... and I would have to tell you that he agrees with me on this one because we talk about how amazed we are that God has done this new and fresh work in our marriage amongst our utter exhaustion and hard work. There have definitely been moments where we've snapped at each other over the past few weeks, but more often than not, we've been learning to lean on each other more than ever. We feel like more of a team than ever before. It's amazing how this new addition to our little family has made us remember falling in love for the first time 10 years ago! I have been on an emotional roller coaster the past three weeks and Jeff has been right there with me to catch me when I fall hard and to laugh with me when I look back on it and think... "Why was I just crying?"

What a wonderful blessing it is to have a partner in life, and to be a team. I can't imagine doing this by myself... or even with someone who was ambivalent about the whole thing. But praise the Lord that I have a husband who shares in all of it with me. He tells me often, "We're in this together" and it's so true.

So here it is...the moral of the story: If you are preggers, do not waste your time being worried about this. Bringing a child into your marriage will only make you both stronger, or at least it did for us... and is continuing to do so.