My Baby Daddy

8 years ago today I stood on a sandy beach, celebrating having just married my soul mate. Even as I type it, I find the term soul mate to be stale, cliche', and not really the phrase I want to use but I am at a loss to find two other stand-alone words that describe everything Jeremy is to me.

Baby Daddy? Yes, but so much more.
Bread Winner? Yes, but more.
Mocha Maker? More.
Grass Cutter? Financial Planner? Travel Advisor? More.

Jeremy is the best dad I could ever pray for my children. I'm still thankful everyday that they seem to be getting more of his good qualities and less of my bad ones. Chance has Jeremy's curiosity and desire to figure out how things work. I love watching him try to put a puzzle piece in the right slot or fit a ball into a round hole. That's totally Jeremy. He's never afraid to take things apart around our house to try to fix them...and most of the time he does. Luci is the spitting image of her daddy; the prettiest red hair and lots of energy.

Jeremy is gentle and kind and non-judgemental but not afraid to stand up for what is right. Not afraid to confront someone in a difficult situation. He just seems to have a way with people. How to deliver not-so-great news in a way that is constructive and positive. He is a great manager and leader to his team at work.

Jeremy is one of the wittiest, quick minded people I know. He's the guy at the party who you think never says anything...but he just likes to sit back and take it all in. Waiting for just the right opportunity to pounce and all of the sudden he zaps out a one-liner, perfectly timed to illicit laughter from the whole room. I wish I could think of some specific examples but they would just be lost in translation. I do not have the gift of humor and cannot even retell jokes or stories without them becoming total bombs.

Jeremy is the provider for our family. He is not only the bread-winner but helps make sure the bread goes as far as it can. He's conservative, but not afraid to splurg on something that would really benefit our family.

Jeremy has been to more countries than I can count on my fingers and toes. He loves to travel and has given me the courage to visit places I might not ever have considered. He loves learning about other people, their culture and history.

Jeremy took us flying...just the two of us in a tiny little plane after he got his pilots license. He loves adventure. He rides a flourescent green motorcycle to work in the summer. He says it's to "save us money on gas" but I know he loves every minute of it and it is just one little way he recharges his masculine battery.

When I was on bedrest with Chance and Luci, Jeremy made me scrambled eggs with ham and cheese every morning and served them to me in bed.

Jeremy loves me unconditionally. I'm so thankful that more times than not he sees me the way the Lord sees me. All my flaws, bad moods and sometimes just plain ugliness. He loves me when he's vaccuming or cleaning the kitchen floor because he has come to realize that floors are not one of my strengths. He loves me when the kids are throwing food on Louie and the floor and I have obviously lost all patience. He loves me when I drive him crazy trying to tell him something by explaining every last detail instead of just getting to the point. He loves me. He makes me want to be a better person (another cliche' I know). He just loves me.

Jeremy is my rock. Too much of a rock sometimes but most of the time I'm grateful for his even-keel approach to life. Lord knows I have enough extremes for the both of us! He keeps me grounded. I cherish all the more, the times when he does let his guard down abit and I get to see glimpses of his heart.

A few weeks back, we had been praying for our upcoming embryo transfer. I was pretty sure we were on the same page but loved it when he told me out of the blue he had changed one of his passwords at work to "2Morein10". I knew for him, that meant he was thinking and praying about our babies daily, even hourly, everytime he logged in or out of a particular application at work. He loved and was praying for these two new babies as much as I did.

Jeremy never doubted Chance and Luci would be just fine through all the trials we had. He held my hand while they were born, he heard their first cries with me when the Dr's told us not to expect to hear any... he got to change their diapers first...he loved sitting in the NICU with them in the middle of the night, just watching them while it was dark and quiet and I was down the hall sleeping.

Exactly two years ago today we stood at the door of our Dr. unsure of whether or not to proceed with the IVF cycle. We just didn't know for sure if it was God's answer for us, or us just trying to force a baby into our family. God spoke to me very clearly that day and I realized He was in control. He was in control of whether it succeeded or failed. Any baby born from that cycle would be God's will. We could not force it with any amount of medicine or procedures. After dinner out to celebrate our 6-year anniversary, we decided to proceed. I gave myself my first Lupron shot that night.

2 years later we have two babies sleeping down the hall and possibly two more on the way. The first 6 years of our marriage were filled with many blessings but also a lot of longing and praying about when our family would start. The last 2 have revealed the answer to those prayers many times over. I thank God everyday that He brought Jeremy and I together and that He has blessed us beyond our imagination and we know there are many, many more blessings to come.

I love you Jeremy. Happy Anniversary. Thank you for loving me. Thank you for loving our babies.