I hope my brother doesn't read this.

A real conversation in our house the other day.

Him: "What are these you're wearing...granny panties?"
Me: "(Laughing) NO! They're boy shorts. Totally not the same thing."
Him: "(Pausing and making a face) That's even worse."

I wanted my kid and my dogs to like each other.

But not THIS much.

Luca's newest thing? Opening her mouth when Ruby kisses her. She thinks it's funny. I think I might throw up.

Out in the Open.

I finally bit the bullet and told my boss we're expecting today.

My original plan was to tell after the NT scan, but since we don't have it scheduled yet but we HAVE heard the heartbeat, I decided this was the week to tell.

So, Monday I went into the office because we had 2 new interns starting. Technically, I am their 'supervisor' since I am a social worker and they are in the SW program at ASU, so I wanted to be present for their first day. I was with them pretty much all day, and sent them home early at 3. I was just working up the nerve to go in and talk to her when she popped her head into my office to say she was leaving for the day. I figured asking her to sit down for a pregnancy announcement as she was heading out the door wouldn't work so well, so I bailed on that plan.

Tuesday, we were alone in the office for almost an hour, and then she was out all day at meetings. I *could* have told her in the morning, but we ended up spending a long time talking about the DNC and Michelle Obama's speech, Ted Kennedy's past indiscretions, whether Cindy McCain will be capable of a speech nearing the power of Mrs. Obama's, etc. It wasn't the situation for bringing up a baby. Can you imagine? "Yeah, that Ted Kennedy is a dinosaur but the old school Dems sure love him. By the way, I'm growing what's probably going to become a new-school Dem in my belly right now."

So...Wednesday it was. I talked myself into saying something first thing in the morning, but I wussed out again. I was about to work up the nerve when my co-worker came in for the day. Scratch that plan. The rest of the day my boss had tons of meetings, so I hardly saw her. We did have to carpool to a meeting together, but have you ever tried to talk to someone about something really personal that you are nervous to talk about...in a car? Holy awkward! So the car ride was out as well. But when we got back to the office after the meeting, I decided it was time to come clean. Without letting myself think about it, I headed into her office. In my imagination, I was going to say something really insightful and humorous to ease into the news. What really happened ws that I sat down and said, "Before you leave today, I wanted to talk to you. -Pause- I'm pregnant. -Pause- Again."

Oh yeah...you WISH you were as good with words as I am!

Anyhow, her reaction was a wide eyed surprised look, and then she exclaimed, "Really?!?! How exciting!!" I think I really surprised her and she wasn't sure how to respond at first. She asked when I was due and I told her March...and the quick math in her head told her I'm almost 3 months. This is where i felt bad...for keeping quiet so long...so I explained that we'd decided to wait to hear the HB before telling because of the risk of miscarriage early on. I also told her that last time I spilled to her at 5 weeks because I was new there and didn't want her to think potential morning sickness was a sign I needed rehab. Conversely, she now hopefully knows I'm not a lush or recovering heroin addict if I seem drowsy at my desk, so I figured it was less urgent for me to tell her ASAP.

Anyhow, it went over well, and we told my co-workers as well, so it's all out in the open. I'll have to let the interns know maybe next week, but I'm less worried about that.

This is more for my own memory-keeping than anything else.

I need to remember these things, since my blog is easier to access than Luca's baby book.

Luca started walking and crawling backwards just 2 days ago. I know a lot of kids crawl backwards before they go forwards (gravity of a big diapered baby chubby bum, I suppose), but not our sprout. No, she went from army crawl to monster crawl, and never moon-crawled. Well...now she does. And she also walks backward, which is super cuteness in a pink t-shirt and shorts. I'm not SURE that's baby book worthy, but something tells me it's some sort of minute milestone I should write down just in case.

Also...add these to the words in her rapidly expanding vocabulary. Some of these she was probably saying at 15 months, but I forgot them. Others she's picked up in the last 3 weeks. It's been languagepalooza over here!
- Nice (Niyyy)
- No
- Yeah
- Pretty
- Um
- Melon (melaaaah)
- Naughty (Nau-e)
- More (Mah)
- Night (Ni)
- Eyes
- Eat
- Nose
- Mouth (Mou)
- Sit (to the dogs)

My mom told me that, from 12 -24 months, they should know at least as many words as they are months old. I think we can check that box off on the 'Developmental Pop Quiz'.

And, on a fun note, our good friends Troy and Jessica were in town from Vegas, and we convinced them to bring their kids , Lydia (2.5 years) and Jonah (4 months) over to hang with Luca. Lydia is QUITE the ham. She acted like a demure little girl until we brought Luca down from her nap, and then she showed her really fun and giggly side. SO cute! And Jonah is the SWEETEST butterball baby I've seen in a LONG time. He was so good too! Of course we LOVED seeing Jess and Troy as well...Jess looks like her normal gorgeous and enviously skinny self only 4 months post baby, and Troy is really close to finishing Med School. We love you guys!!!










For comparison, these were taken almost a year to the day before, on 8/23/07:

1st Appointment.

We had our first appointment with our Midwife and her Apprentice today. It was great! The midwife we chose does appointments at the office in her house, and lives in an acre with dogs, cats, horses, and chickens. We got there a little early, so Luca played with 2 of their cats and a dog who were on the porch outside, and we talked to MW's husband, who was sipping a cup of coffee on the porch swing (how freaking idyllic is that???). When she was ready for us, we went in and went over our paperwork, and she asked us if we'd be willing to be part of a study on homebirth (looks at risk factors, care, nutrition, and outcomes for mom and baby) and we said yes. She also gave me a nutrition tracking form for the next week, and we talked about the importance of protein now to help baby's development, as well as leafy greens to prevent excessive bleeding in labor. The leafy greens, she noted, are most important later in pregnancy. The protein, however, needs to be something we watch starting NOW, since I'm not much of a meat eater and eggs are touch and go for me while pregnant.

We also talked about an exercise program to help make labor easier, and a lot about my pregnancy and delivery with Luca. Her Apprentice was there, and when I told her the name of the Midwife who attended our birth with Luca she FLIPPED out, she was so excited I'd worked with her. She then proceeded to tell me some story about a delivery she was at with that MW when she was in school, where the MW actually told the nurse to get the hell out of the room because she was trying to intervene with the baby and the MW knew baby was fine. LOVE it!

There was no physical exam, and no bloodwork yet. I go back in 3 weeks to have the regular bloodwork for the first trimester done. We did listen for the heartbeat, an experience that freaked little Luca out. They have an exam table in the office, so I layed down and let them try to listen with the doppler. As soon as both women were standing over me, Luca got veeeery still on the other side of the room and her lip started to quiver. I could see her eyes were rimming with tears, so I had Darrick grab her and bring her over so she could watch. It took a few minutes, but sure enough we all got to hear the heart beating clearly...our first real sign there is a growing person in there! It was awesome...my husband is SO excited!!

I also had to step on the scale, something no woman looks forward to. I know from weighing myself at home regularly (i.e. obsessively) that I've gained somewhere between 0-1.5 lb so far (it fluctuates all the time). So I got on expecting a certain number and her scale weighed me at 4 pounds less than that. It's not a big deal at all, since her real concern when it comes to weight is not what I weigh NOW, but what I gain between now and the end. She didn't give me a goal or a range, just stressed a healthy diet.

All in all, we are so happy we picked her, and we really like her Apprentice as well. When we left today, we both were really excited and it really hit us that we're doing this! It's a tiny bit scary and overwhelming, but between those two women, they have 13 kids and 9 of them were born at home. I think we're in capable hands.

Just Randomness.

My first appointment with our midwife is this Saturday. First, how awesome is it that she does weekend appointments? Second, even cooler, the appointment is an HOUR long at her in-home office, and the whole family can come. I'm pretty excited for it, but also a little apprehensive. This is a whole new world for me, so I don't know what to expect. I'm certain she'll try to find a heartbeat (not so certain she'll be able to, since I'm a bit...uh...rounder in the belly???...than I was last time) and that she will draw some blood. Other than that, I imagine we will talk about my history, what to expect from the visits, and probably a little about planning for this whole adventure. One cool bonus is that she's participating in a midwifery study on homebirths, so I will be part of that. It involves sharing some of my medical history, keeping a nutrition log, and possibly a few other things. Pretty cool! I think all those things together will make for a very involved and aware pregnancy experience...and hopefully a healthy one too!

So far, I haven't gained any weight (well, I hadN't gained any weight, but that Oreo shake I had tonight might change that one), but I feel like I'm going to be showing sooner. I had quite a bit of bloat early on, and it comes and goes, so some days I feel sure everyone is guessing something is up, and others I'm sure no one is the wiser. With Luca, I didn't get any comments from strangers until I was about 26 weeks along, but I know it won't be that long this time. I have what my former MW (not the one who attended the delivery, but the one I started my care with) refers to as 'Hammock Hips'...simply a euphamism for wide birthin' peasant pelvis and a big ass. I'm ok with it...it meant Luca had more room to hang out deep in my pelvis before I started to show. Everyone tells me I'll show earlier this time around, as most second time moms do, so we shall see!

Anyhow, all this talk about showing is because of one thing I'm still torn over: telling my boss. Last time around, I told her right away, mostly because I was brand new on the job and: a) I didn't want her thinking any puking (never happened) or fatigure (TOTALLY happened) was me being a lush, and b)In case she was a little rusty on her math skills, I didn't want her thinking I started the job knowing I was pregnant and lied to her. This time around, Darrick was really insistent about not saying anything until we heard a heartbeat. As I mentioned above, my first appointment is this weekend, and we may her one then, but there is no guranatee. We are getting the first trimeseter screening done, though, so if nothing else sometime probably that next week we will see the little sprinkle in action and know he/she is ok. My dilemma, though, is how long I can hide the pregnancy from my boss...both physically and emotionally. Physically, who knows when I won't be able to hide it in looser tops or button downs any longer. Also, there are times in my job when I need to do things like lifting heavy boxes (such as today), and I can't go on doing that for too long. Emotionally, I am one of those freaks who actually likes my boss and respects her, and I feel like not telling her is almost deceitful. Luckily, it's been easy to avoid this lately, since she's been out of the office most of the last 3 weeks, so there is no real 'avoiding' needed. But I think next week might be my breaking point. I don't know how people go 12 weeks...much less 16 or 20...without telling people!

All that said, I cannot believe that I am almost through the first trimester already! It seems to be flying by, and with a busy workload, a trip to Mexico, and the holidays all approaching faster than I could have imagined, it's just going to continue to fly by. More updates after my appointment Saturday!

These things, they happen.

I should preface this with a little Good News/Bad News.
Good news first: Darrick competed in a jiu jitsu tournament this weekend. It was his first in a few years, and he took home two gold medals for the heavyweight class.
Bad news next: He also took home a severely effed up shoulder. He actually injured it in the second competition, the one where they go without their gi (you know, the Karate Kid outfit?) and wrestle in shorts and t-shirts. A giant man landed on his shoulder and - we think - tore a ligament. Of course, being that my husband is more manly than metro, he continued on to wrestle 4 other giant men and jack the shoulder up further. The result is he's practically an invalid who can't move one whole arm, is in pain, and can't even do simple things like put on his shirt or carry Luca.

So all day today, we've been dealing with this injury, meaning he's had to avoid most things he's usually really good about doing: filling Luca's sippy cup (it's a 2-handed job unscrewing the top and cleaning it), putting away dishes, carrying things, taking out the trash, etc. About an hour before Luca's bedtime, he also had to ask me help him record grades for his classes, since sorting through papers and entering scores would not be very efficient one-handed. I agreed to help, but made him take a break about 20 minutes before Luca's bedtime so we could play with her. We checked her diaper before getting her jammies on, and she had a dirty diaper.

****WARNING: If you are offended by talk of baby poop, kindly stop reading here****



So, it's a mom euphamism to refer to a poo-filled diaper as 'dirty'. We all know it's not just dirty, it's also foul smelling, dangerous, and often a very clear reminder of just how balanced - or not - your darling child's diet is. In this case, we were reminded that Luca really likes corn...and that corn essentially looks the same on the way out as it did on the way in. Darrick offered to try to change the diaper, so we both sat on the floor, facing each other, with Luca between us. I had the head end, he had the bum (Which, by they way, happens to be one of her new words: Bum.) end and the wipes. He pulled back her diaper and I did the 'dipe swipe' wherein you attempt to get all poo possible off the bum and into the dipe so you can avoid: (a) having to clean gobs off with a baby wipe, (b) baby getting a foot or hand into the poo, (c) baby rolling away too fast and taking off running with poo bedazzling your floor, and/or (d) poo on your hand. This manuever was successful enough, but with the corn niblets in the mix you can never quite get it all. Regardless, he did the back/booty swipe, also one handed, and moved the diaper to the side.

At this point, it became obvious that Darrick was no longer able to complete the diaper change one handed. I was holding her hands to keep them from wandering into poo-zone, and he couldn't hold her feet and wipe with one good hand. I asked him "Do you need help with the poop?", and that's when Luca decided to chime in by blowing raspberries, mimicking the 'poopy' sound effect her dad loves to make. Laughing, I grabbed a wipe and chipped in, holding her feet with one hand and wiping with the other, all the while my leg being sprayed by Luca's 'raspberry' blowing. I mention to Darrick she's got corn nibs on her bum, and the raspberries stop and are replaced by, "Bum. Bum. Bum. :::rasapberry::: Bum." That kid cracks me up.

So, cleaning done (we nearly had to call in back-ups for that one), we prepared to put her diaper on, which was when she decided to try to make a run for it. This is where my presence REALLY came in handy, as Darrick still had a poopy wipe in hand, and nearly smeared Lu's leg with it as his reflex kicked in and told him to grab her before she took off. I wrestled her back to the ground and we got the diaper on and let her go. Darrick reached across his body to pick up the dirty diaper, and out rolled....a corn niblet....onto my leg...and then onto the floor.

I lost it. There was nothing else to do, so I laughed. And it wasn't just a giggle, but a full on crying, shaking, silent laugh, with Darrick doing the same, and Luca staring at us like she was not sure WHY she had to have such crazy parents. And then, as though startled with the realization of what just happened, our little Sprinkle-Butt pointed to the corn nug on the floor, yelled out "POOP!" and laughed so hard she tipped right over.

Tutus and Teddy Bears

It's been really fun to watch Luca grow and become more of a 'kid' and less of a 'baby' over these past few months. In addition to her language skills, she's playing like a kid plays these days. She's discovered dolls, which she carries around, hugs, places in an unmbrella stroller, and even tries to give milk to while cradling them. She's also fallen in love with stuffed animals, and every nap and bedtime she chooses one or two to take to her crib and snuggle with. She also really loves this one bear in particular, a giant brown one with a red bow around its neck. I think it's partially the softness, but it's also the novelty of having something bigger than her that she can manipulate. One of her favorite spots in the house is the staircase, and the bottom 3 steps have become 'her' zone, where she sits and talks to her dolls or plays with Q-Tips or looks over the hard cardboard pages of one of her books. So it's no surprise she decided to take Big Bear over to the steps and hang out with him for a bit. I love how she interacts with him in these pictures.







She has also discovered the joy of the tutu...this one was from the dollar bins at Target, which happens to be a great place to get stuff for kids. It fulfills the Target shopping need and it's cheap, so when your kid ruins, loses, or eats whatever you bought them, you don't really care. However, as much as she loves the tutu, I'm not sure she quite understands it yet. Rather than wearing it as a skirt, she much prefers to put it on ass a veil or, just as cute, her own homemade bolero. Check out my little baby fashionista.

Luca's First Haircut.

My wonderful sister in law, Jaimi, cuts hair for a living. So you KNOW when we finally decided to get Luca's hair cut, we asked her to do it. We only trimmed her bangs up front, and I think it looks really cute. But, I admit, it made me a tiiiny but sad to see her looking so much like a KID and so little like a BABY.

Here are some pictures:

Happy 15 Months!!

Miss Lu Lu Belle turned 15 months yeterday. She had a big month. I swear, each one gets more fun than the last...hard as that is to imagine. I swear we are ALWAYS looking at each other and saying, "THIS is the best age!"...and we've been doing that since the day she was born. Ok, maybe not the day she was born, but at least the day she started sleeping more than 45 minutes at a time! ;)

She had her 15 months appointment this morning, and it was all good news. She's now up just over 21 pounds (25th %) and 31 inches tall (75th %). She's right on track with development, and although the nurses seemed to make her very leery, she loves her Dr. It is funny, though, because Pediatric appointments with your little one start to feel a little like Parenting: Pop Quiz!

Questions and Answer Key:
1. "Is she drinking from a cup now?"
Give yourself 5 points for drinking from a straw, 2 points for drinking from a sippy, and -9 points for still only taking the bottle.
2. "Do you brush her teeth?"
Give yourself 7 points for brushing after each meal, 3 points for brushing once a day and letting baby play with her toothbrush, -5 points for "Brushing her teeth?"
3. "Can she climb up stairs?"
Give yourself 5 points for yes, 3 points for "She could do that before she could even walk.", and 0 points for "Not sure, we haven't exposed her yet."
4. "Does she mimic you?"
Give yourself 8 points for yes, 0 points for not really, and -16 points for "Yup, she's already perfected yelling 'Oh SHIT!' whenever she drops a toy."
5. "How many words does she have?"
Give yourself 10 points for more than 12 words, 3 points for 5-11 words, and -5 points for, "Just 'Oh SHIT!'."
6. "Does she recognize words even if she can't say them?"
Give yourself 6 points for yes, 2 points for very rarely, and -6 points for "Just 'Oh SHIT!."
7. "Can she feed herself with a fork and/or spoon?"
Give yourself 5 points if baby tries, 2 points if she has no interest, and -7 points if your answer is, "Shoot, her DADDY barely knows how to use a fork!".
8. "Does she understand and respond to basic commands?"
Give yourself 10 points for "Yes, she does and she even throws away her own trash.", 3 points for "She understands basics like 'no', 'stop', and 'come here', and -4 points for, "She's excellent at fetching Mommy's valium and Daddy's beer."

Lucky us, we scored 45 points, so we were sent home with a sticker for Luca and a follow up appointment at 18 months.

The one question that did make me pause and think was how many words she has. I know she has quite a few, but I've never sat down and counted. So, in order to help me remember in the long term, here are her words:

~Hi
~Bye
~Up
~Ball
~Dog
~Uh-Oh
~Mama
~Dada
~Wow
~God! (blasephmy at it's finest)
~Shoe
~Apple
~Nana
~Hot
~Go

She also can tell you what dogs, cats, monkeys, and monsters say. She has an obsession with shoes (if you take yours off in our house, she'll bring them back and try to put them on for you), is very into closing things like doors and drawers, and loves to give kisses. In fact, if you tell her to 'be nice' to the dogs or one of her stuffed animals, she gives them a giant hug and a kiss.

In other Luca news, she had a pretty big month. She visited the Mesa Museum for Youth with her BFF Melody. They had so much fun playing with the fake veggie garden, sitting on the couch together with some books, and going down the slide feet first.










We also took Luca's first 'real' vacation, to California. She got to see her Great Grandma and Great Aunt, as well as her Aunt Ann. She also saw Yosemite for the first time, and went on her first boat ride. It was such a blast!!





Last, but not least, Luca helped her Daddy celebrate his 30th birthday in style! It was a great month for all of us, and I can't wait to see what the next month brings!

Weird Realization.

I just realized I posted about being 8 weeks pregnant....and last time, 8 weeks was when I had my first appoitment with my OB's office. This is just one of the many differences between an OB's office midwife and a private midwife. When I interviewed homebirth midwives a few weeks back, they all said, "We CAN see you whenever, but before 12 weeks, all we'll do is tell you to get your rest and take your vitamins." And, truth be told, I am kind of appreciating this laid-back approach to prenatal care. I think if this was my first pregnancy I'd be more worried about things and more anxious to start appointments. I remember with Luca, I knew at 4 weeks, and waiting until 8 weeks to see the midwife was a form of torture like none other. Mind you, at the first appointment, nothing at ALL exciting happened. But it still made it real and official....and that was something I was SO eager to have happen.

This time, though....I think my whole approach is more calm and relaxed. I am pretty sure things are ok, and if they aren't, a Dr's visit won't change that right now. I have to leave things up to faith and chance, and I'm able to do that and to just believe it'll work out for the best.

So when I do start seeing my midwife at 12 weeks, I'll have some bloodwork done, and I'll also get a referral for the nuchal translucency test and AFP bloodwork. A lot of homebirth families opt out of this testing, which is done in the first trimester (11-12 weeks is ideal timing) to test for markers via ultrasound and blood test of what could be Down Syndrom or Trisomy. To us, this is important and something we really believe in having done. We do have to pay for it ourselves, but we're willing.

The catch to this is that we also have to choose whether or not to pay for what many women refer to as the 'BIG' ultrasound...the one typically done between 18 and 22 weeks. This ultrasound can generally tell you the sex of your baby, although this time around I don't think we're going to opt to know that. It also (and more importantly) includes measurements and screenings to make sure vital organs are functioning and developed properly, there are no signs of a cleft palate, and development is on track. Some argue it's not a necessary procedure, unless there are other signs the baby may not be growing properly. It's another procedure we'll be paying for out of pocket should we opt to have it done.

The other 'basic' tests and procedures done in pregnancy are included in the cost of hiring our midwife. So...now...I just need to stop procrastinating and HIRE her.

Cutest Conversation...Ever?

I just got off the phone with my friend Lindsey. When she called, I almost had a heart attack. First, I thought maybe she was being held captive and I was the only person who would answer my phone. Then, I suspected maybe she was sick...perhaps dying from cancer? My last guess....that she had made a sudden last-minute trip to the AZ...was also false. Turns out...she JUST WANTED TO TALK. Meredyth will appreciate how unexpected THAT was.

Anyhow, that wasn't the cute part. The cute part was our kids. Luca loves when we talk on the phone, so she came over and said in her munchkin voice "Hi!" and waved at my cell. Linds started cracking up at the weeness of it, and I asked Luca to repeat. She then decided she would rather give kisses, so poor Lindsey only heard "MMmmmmm" as Lu leaned in for the kill. Well, this all promtped Lauren, Lindsey's 4 year old, to want to say hi to Luca, so we put the phones on speaker and they did a little "Hi" back and forth. The conversation was capped off by Lauren referring to Luca as 'Becca' (an honest mistake). SO precious!!!

Oh, and of course, there was this gem which Lauren came up with later on, as I was still talking to Lindsey. Linds was telling me how Lauren is, "...smart and funny and..." and in the background, Lauren piped in with, "I AM funny." As in, "Do NOT undersell THAT quality mom. It's one of my best!"

God I love kids.

8 Weeks.

Today I am 8 weeks pregnant. It's still kind of surreal, but not as much as it was with Luca. This pregnancy is so vastly different already. With Luca, in the first trimester, I never really felt sick but I just had NO appetite. This time around, I feel nauseous half the day, and I need to eat or it gets worse. But, nothing ever sounds good and the nausea is ever present, it seems. I just keep telling myself SO many women have it much worse...so I should just suck it up and be thankful. I think the hardest part about it is that we haven't told my work yet, so it gets tough sitting at work, feeling like I want to crawl out of my skin, and trying to act normal. And it's not like I can bring Saltines in and have them on my desk to snack on. NOTHING says, "Hey, I'm knocked up in here!" like a pack of Saltines on the desk. So I'm trying to find covert tricks to hide how shitty I feel. So far I've tried the following, to varying degrees of success:

- graham crackers: They only really help WHILE being consumed, and unless I want to gain 80 pounds, I can't very well eat them all day long.
- popsicles: Not exactly condusive to work, but they are good for when I'm home, and you can eat them without taking in too many calories.
- carbonated drinks: The problem here is trying not to drink caffeine. So then I have to be obvious with 'Caffeine Free Diet Coke', or slightly less obvious with root beer or sprite. Sometimes these help.
- cheese crackers with PB filling: So far, so good. But a costly and fatty habit to get into
- Honey Nut Cheerios for breakfast: the simple carbiness of them helps, but doesn't fill me up for long.

It's been suggested I get ginger candies and eat them, but I'm not there yet. I may cave if it gets worse, not better.

Aside from the morning sickness, I'm really doing pretty well. I'm not quite as bone tired as I was last time, which is a relief. I'm not sure how I would do first trimester exhaustion AND work AND caring for Luca. And I'm not showing yet, although I'm still carrying some of the weight I gained with Luca, so I'll probably just look fat for quite awhile. I did take a picture of my belly last week, which I'll share here, but please do note I am sucking it in. I cannot tell a lie.



On another note, I totally forgot that we changed memory cards the first day of vacation, and I had some pictures on the old one to download. So, I pulled them down and found these, which I thought I should share. We stopped on the drive up to Yosemite to get some peaches and nectarines, fresh off the trees. Apparenlty, Luca LOVED them, because as we were driving, she waited until I turned my head and stole a juicy one from the bag on the seat.

If There Was A Contest For Hottest 30 Year Old

My husband would win it today.

That's right, the boy I met at 18 is now a 30 year old husband and father...and how lucky are we?!?! He's my best friend and a wonderful dad to Luca, and I'm so happy for every birthday I get to celebrate with him!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Darrick!!!!