human | And 2 Makes Crazy

Pregnant Brooke and My Guest Blogger…Richie!

I’d like to take today’s blog time to share with you the EXCITING news that next week we will have our first official Blogging Guest. He’s my husband, Richard!

I can still call him a Guest, right? And not make it sound like he was forced to do this or something…Right?

Well, that’s what I’ll call him, then…My unforced (wink) Guest Blogger.

I can’t wait to see what he comes up with—although I should probably be very, very afraid. After all, you have read my past posts, right?

Yikes!

Before we get to the future, though (which means next Monday-Friday), I want to bring you back to our present.

We have been married nearly 13 years.

And, if you meet my husband, you’ll practically see a halo around his foreband (it’s what my daughter refers to as forehead).

And then you’d meet me.

And then you’d especially call him a saint.

But, I am here to tell you the truth…

My husband is very, very human.

Our marriage is very, very real.

In fact, our marriage is so real it’s a miracle that in a month we’ll be celebrating 13 years.

We’ve nearly ended our marriage twice. Not once. But twice.

There was one point in our marriage where I only saw darkness. I saw no sliver of light. I saw no hope. I was certain that our marriage would become a statistic.

And yet, when the tunnel of darkness seemed endlessly long, we found a sliver of light. We survived.

For many more years, that is.

And then I was certain that our marriage, no, that we, had come to the end. The Final End.

I am not going to share the details of our relationship—because, if you are married, you know.

You know that marriage is about two people.

And neither person is perfect.

What I would like to share is this—we serve an awesome God. And he has taught us endlessly about love. He has shared with us endless grace. He has given us endless mercy. And, in our marriage, he has extended to each of us unfathomable forgiveness.

And because God did this for us—we, after a very long and painful road, came to realize that we too could offer this gift—forgiveness—to one another.

And, oh man! Our marriage has never been more glorious.

Our relationship has never been more honest.

Our lives, as individuals and a married couple, have never been so free.

Not free to run and do as we want. If you have kids, you know automatically that’s NOT a good idea.

Please, if everyone ran around doing what they wanted—instead of what they should—it would be a painfully destructive world.

Instead, we have discovered that we are free. Free to do what is best for one another. Best for our family. Best for our lives as people that love God to the very core of our being.

Today, I am here to introduce you to my husband.

And I want you to know he is a GREAT man.

He appears saintly.

He appears angelic.

He appears to have it all together…

But he is a real as you can get—and we fight hard for our marriage.

Daily.

Together.

Because of the grace of God-and the beautiful, unbelievable gift of forgiveness.

Friends, I hope that you will realize that when in darkness, there is light. It is found through the amazing grace of Jesus. And, with Him, you can overcome.

We did.

See you next week.

(As a Reader—because next week I am not the Writer)

Ciao!

I thought my life was full…bursting really to the brim. And then I became a mom.

NOTHING beat that.

The morning sickness of pregnancy (Which means-all day, all night, all 42 weeks into labor itself)…Glorious!

Even labor…

My 1^st labor went a little like this:

“Here, Rich, hold my hair…Puke. Puke.”

Doctor to me, “Are you ready to push now?”

“Yes.”

Puke. Puke.

“Can you push again? She’s crowning…”

Puke. Puke.

“Okay.”

Push. Push.

And, of course, my husband being a first time daddy had no clue…

Doctor to Richard, “Okay—count to 10 for her and she’ll push the entire 10 seconds.”

Richard, “1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6…..20!”

By now, my brain is exploding, my eyes have popped out of my head, my face is blue. I.AM.DONE.

Finally, after Richard’s doubled “10 seconds” are over, I loudly proclaimed, “Don’t you EVER count to 20 again!”

While he thought, “Oh, the longer I count, the longer she’ll push…maybe the baby will pop right out.” Typical man.

My body thought, “Lord have mercy! I need oxygen! Why is this man still counting? Who married him anyway?! Get rid of him and find someone new!” No joke.

Puke. Puke.

But finally, after many more sessions of 10 seconds (ONLY 10 seconds) and lots of puking, we had our first bundle of joy.

Ah. Such pride.

Wait…is that a girl? Is she mine? I am decently cute, her daddy is hot…She looks as if she has been boxed in the face. Is that normal? No, I mean…I love her. Sure, give her to me.

Kiss. Kiss. Cuddle. Cuddle (All for show, folks. All for show. Wanted to make sure that they didn’t take my baby away from me because I was an unfit admirer of this new, blotchy, boxed-looking creature :))

Kiss. Kiss. Cuddle. Cuddle.

Surprisingly—no more puking.

And overnight our lives changed.

Screaming.

Crying.

And the baby did some of those things, too.

And then, just like the sage wisdom my mom passed on…It too did pass. Both the baby’s crying and my crying.

Sleep invaded our home once again.

I began to feel less like a zombie and more like a … Well, like a…Hmmm. Well, let’s say less like a human delivery truck.

Anyhow—and the months flew by! And then the years.

In Poland, they say that time runs. Truly—my daughter won the Olympic Gold of the 100-meter-dash, because, in no time, she went from my boxed wonder to her very own version of her very own self—and that was FUN to watch.

Let me insert something here—had I been thinking clearly, I would have prepared myself for an independent-minded young lady with a style all her own.

But no. I prepared myself for—I shall dress you in pretty dresses and bows and put you in pageants (okay, not really the pageant part) and decorate you like a dolly. Oh how I love dollies!

Why did she NEVER let me do this?

It seems like as soon as she could take off her own diaper—I had no control over her clothes. Her beautiful girly-girl clothes.

Sigh.

Those dolls sometimes make better babies. (Okay—I’m just kidding. Don’t take my kid away from me.)

But because of Adelyne’s uber-I am my own kid and style-self, I have been gifted the greatest gift…Memories of the uniqueness of her life—called childhood! And I wouldn’t trade one moment for a frilly dress and beautiful bow. Although there are times when I would like just ONE picture in the photo album where she is a little less her and a little more compliant. Nah. Who am I kidding? I love her sense of HER!

And, so friends, I give you Adelyne as your very own encouragement…

May you be the YOU that you are…

Whether it is a kite-flying,