ECV Update

I'll start right off with the good news: the best possible scenario played out for us on Friday afternoon.  When the resident at the hospital did the ultrasound prior to performing the ECV, they found that the baby had flipped to head down. They did not have to do the procedure...which would have required an IV, muscle relaxing drugs, and a ton of pain for the 2 out of 3 chance that the baby might turn head down. 

I started crying I was so relieved.  Then I joked that we should look to see if he's still a boy.  The resident appeased me, and yup, still a boy.  :)  This time, I saw boy parts.  At our 20 week ultrasound, I didn't feel very convinced.  I have been having a lot of dreams lately that the baby is actually a girl, and this confirmation was kind of nice. 

So, now that he was head down on Friday, I just have to hope that he stays that way.  I have no idea when during the week he turned over.  Apparently, it was not such a momentous movement that I was able to notice it.  This baby has always moved a lot more than Evie ever did, and it's difficult for me to tell what's what most days.

Because we were discharged from the hospital so quickly, and we had free day care (thanks to my wonderful mother-in-law), M and I went out for a nice, late lunch together.  Since we were at the hospital, we were near all of the great restaurants near downtown/campus area in Madison.  We haven't just walked down State St. in forever, and we ate at a campus restaurant that we haven't gone to since my days long ago (11 years now!) at the UW. 

[source]
View of the Wisconsin capitol from State Street

What could have been a potentially really tough day, turned out kind of nice. Hopefully this baby has settled in the way he's supposed to (head down!!) and everything will go smoothly from here until the end. 

I Won the "In-Law Lottery!"

M often jokes that I won the in-law lottery because his family is so awesome.  I have to admit that he's probably right.  As far as in-laws go, mine are pretty great.  M's parents are still together (40 years this year!), and he has two older brothers that are very close to his age, and a younger sister who is 7 years younger than him.  His oldest brother is married and has 3 kids (the youngest is only 6 weeks older than Evie), and his other brother and sister aren't married, but they are in long-term relationships with their significant others for about 5 years. 

The first time I met his mom, I was totally freaked out.  I wanted to make a good impression, and  I barely spoke.  I figured if I didn't say much, I couldn't put my foot in my mouth (which I often do).  His whole family thought that I was very shy, even though that is not me at all.  Over time, I warmed up to them when I realized they are the most laid back, non-judgmental people I've ever met. 

M's older brothers and dad are all jokers.  They love to have a few beers and "tell stories."  Usually this means repeating the same stories that they've been telling for the past decade.  M's dad is not the type of guy who tells you what he's feeling very often, but when he does, it means that much more.  When we called to tell them that we had gotten engaged, M's mom and dad both wanted to talk to me.  M's dad told me that he couldn't wait to have me as a new daughter.  I still tear up when I think about it.  M couldn't believe he actually said that.   

M's mom is probably my favorite of the family.  She is also a teacher, so we have a lot in common.  She will be retiring at the end of this school year after teaching 1st grade for 30 years.  (I have NO idea how she does it!!!!)  She is so supportive of her own kids, and also of her children's spouses/partners.  When M and I announced that we were pregnant with Evie, everyone was a little surprised.  I was teaching full time, coaching during the fall and winter seasons, and only about a 1/4 of the way done with my master's degree coursework.  She said that she thought we'd wait until I finished my master's degree.  I told her that we just wanted to have a baby so badly that we couldn't wait.  She just said, "It's alright.  I know you will do great!" 

I really do love them for all of their quirkiness and for how genuine they all are.  They have always made me feel like I am a member of their family.  It would be difficult not having this sort of relationship with my husband's family.  I really did win the "lottery."

One & done?

It seems like baby fever is everywhere lately.  Some good friends from college just had their second in January.  My sister is expecting her first in April.  Two acquaintances that I see about once a month are both pregnant with their second child.  Two of my co-workers (both of whom are close friends of mine) are currently trying to conceive.  It's no secret that the thought of a second child has crossed our minds in the past few months (see here or here), but I haven't really been on board with the whole idea.

Back when M and I were first married, and we talked about having kid(s) someday,  kid(s) was always plural.  My sisters are my two best friends, and I can't imagine what my life would be like if I were an only child.  M has two older brothers and a younger sister, so the idea of being an only child is foreign to him too. 

BUT....now that I have Evie, I honestly wonder how I could ever have another child. I don't know if it's against the "mommy blogger code" to admit this or not: I don't know if I could love another child the way that I love Evie.  It scares the crap out of me to think about it.  Evie is my world, how do I divide that to include another child?  How could I take anything away from her?

It's hard for me to explain what I mean.  I want everything to be fair, and I worry that I wouldn't be able to do it.  I never want to deny Evie anything because "the baby needs us right now."  I'm probably over-thinking this...or I have weird resentment issues or something because I'm the oldest. 

Is "one & done" right for our family??  I have been wondering this a lot lately.  I am not committed to the idea of having only one child any more than I'm committed to the idea of having a second child.  Some days I think our family is complete.  Other days I think about how much I want M to have the son that he's always wanted. I suppose only time will tell...

Our love story

I found this questionnaire at From Mrs. to Mama by way of Country is a State of Mind.  I thought that it was a fun one, so I decided to fill it out.  You can link up with From Mrs. to Mama through today!!  Have fun!

1. How long have you and your significant other been together?

For 10 and a half years.  We met in July of 2001, and we were an official couple by the end of August!

2. How did you meet? {What's your "love" story?}

We met at a party.  I was at his college visiting some friends from high school who also went to that school.  One of my friends was dating one of his roommates, so we went to their house to hang out.  We started talking and the next thing we knew the sun was coming up...I guess we clicked from the beginning!

  

3. If married, how long have you been married? If not, is this the guy you hope to marry? {do tell}

We've been married for 6 years, since October 1, 2005.

 

4. If you are married, where did you get married at? Big or small wedding?  If not, where would you like to get married? And will it be big or small?

We were married at a state historical park in Green Bay in an old-fashioned chapel originally built in 1832.  Our reception was at a banquet hall in Green Bay.  It was an average size wedding (about 200 guests).

5. Do you have any nick-names that you call one another? Do share!

Nope, no fun nicknames.  He usually calls me "Babe" but that's about it.  

6. Name 3 things you love most about your honey.

I love how he cares about our daughter.  I love how he makes me feel special.  Most importantly, I love how he always tries to make me laugh...even when I'm ragingly angry at him. 

 

7. Tell us how he proposed? Or your ideal proposal?

He proposed in our first apartment together after we graduated from college.  I got home one Friday afternoon, and he followed me around the place while I was trying to change clothes, etc.  I was wondering why he was acting so strangely.  I sat down to watch TV and he got down on one knee in front of me on the couch.  I was thoroughly confused until he pulled out the ring!!  ;)

 

8. Is he a flowers and teddy bear kind of guy for v-day, or strawberries, champagne, and rose petals?

None of the above.  He is a "buy you a ridiculously stupid card that has nothing to do with V-day, but write a really sweet message to make up for it" kind of guy. 

9. Are you a sunset dinner on the beach kind of girl, or pop a movie in and relax on the couch?

None of the above.  I'm a "go out for dinner and drinks" kind of girl.  

10. Tell us one thing you'd like to do with your significant one day. If you could do anything? Go anywhere?
I'd like to spend a sunny day driving around Grant County, WI like we used to in college.   He took me down all of the back roads, and we stopped at all of the historical markers and climbed the big "M."  

World's Largest letter "M."  Near Platteville, WI - Bet you didn't know that existed...

11. Tell us what you plan on doing on this Valentine's Day.

Eating a nice dinner, playing with Evie, and hanging out after she goes to bed.

 

12. Are you asking for anything this Valentine's day?

Nope, just to hang out together!  :)

 

13. Give us one piece of advice of keeping a relationship strong and full of love.
 Keep trying to make each other feel special...doing special things for them.  It doesn't have to be a big gesture, but something that is sincere and comes from the heart. 

14.  Show us a picture of what love means to you.

I have a few...

Visiting Door County in August 2003...we'd been together about 2 years

Our wedding day.

The best one of all...the first time M held Evie. 

 

Top 5 Laughs of the Week

This week was SUPER hectic at our house...late meetings for both me or M depending on the night, and the end of the semester for me, which is always crazy busy.  We did manage to have a few laughs in the meantime though.  :)

In no particular order...

- Evie has started saying "good" when you ask her how she is doing or how her day was, etc.  M figured out that she'll say good to any question that starts with the word "how."  So, he has spent the week trying to come up with goofy questions to ask her so that she'll answer "good."  It's cute to watch!!

- Evie loves to try to dress herself.  She is INCREDIBLY bad at it.  For the most part, she just manages to get the shirt over her head so that her face is peeking out of the head hole.  This morning, M was eating a bagel, and he tried to share it with Evie.  The shirt was covering her mouth, but she tried to push the bagel piece in her mouth through the shirt.  She just ended up with a mouthful of shirt.  We were both laughing pretty hard.

Example of Evie's excellent dressing skills

- M won me over by making me laugh, and he continues to do it pretty much every day.  The other night "Footloose" was on TV.  Of course, I had to watch it even though I've seen it about a million times.  (Who doesn't love Kevin Bacon, seriously?!?!?!!?)  It was the scene where they play chicken on the tractors, and M, being the farm boy that he is, said, "He'd be able to go a lot faster if he unhitched the corn picker."  He said it so matter-of-factly, I just about died laughing.  Only he would think of that!

- Evie has figured out that she can sit in "big people" chairs, and now that all she wants to do.  She likes to sit in our glider rocker in the living room with a pile of books on lap and her baby doll with her.  It's so cute to watch her "reading" to her baby.

- Last weekend in the Dells, M's company paid for a fancy dinner for everyone who was there.  Several of M's coworkers had brought their families, so there were quite a few kids there.  However, there were also quite a few people that did not have young kids, so it was an interesting mix.  The families with young kids designated some kids tables right away when we arrived at the restaurant.  Immediately, all of the moms moved the candles to other tables, moved the silverware to a big pile where none of the kids could reach it, and rearranged the chairs to maximize space for the high chairs.  I thought that it was funny how quickly we all reacted, and it was so apparent how much life has changed in the past 18 months....we used to be the couple that headed straight for the bar.

Hopefully next week will be a little less crazy and we'll be able to enjoy a little more time as a family.

Linking up my top 5 laughs with Melissa over at The Mommyhood Chronicles.  Click on the link if  you'd like to link up too!!

TGIF!

Thank goodness it's Friday!!! 

This may have been one of the longest weeks of my life.  Seriously, Evie came down with a cold last weekend, and she has been sleeping like crap.  I had parent/teacher conferences on Wednesday night, which means a 14 hour work day (on about 4 hours of interrupted sleep).   On top of trying to organize a professional book club for 20 teachers, and my students getting a little crazy as we approach the holiday break....aaaaahhhh!!! 

Oh well, now it's the weekend!!  M and I have very little planned and I think it will be nice.  Biggest item on the agenda is starting finishing our Christmas shopping.  Evie already received part of her Christmas present (see below), but M seems to think that she needs Rock'n'Roll Elmo too.  I disagree....

Super-awesome play tent!

We also still have to do all of our shopping for our extended families.  M's family is impossible to shop for, and they never send out lists.  It's like they expect me to consult a crystal ball to find the perfect gift for them...umm, no! 

Well, it's obvious that I need to stop blogging and open a bottle of wine.  I'm pretty sure I have a bottle of moscato around here somewhere!  I think that's the perfect end for a week like this one!!


P.S.  I have a new comment format that I'm trying out!  Leave me some comment love so that I know it's working!!!  I hope you all have a great weekend!

Top 100 Songs of the 2000s

I LOVE VH1's countdown shows.  Their "I love the 80s" and "I love the 90s" are great too.  M and I were watching VH1's Top 100 Songs of the 2000s the other day, and reminiscing about all of the songs from when we were in college.  Evie was dancing with us to "Hey Ya" by Outkast.



It was adorable!  I don't think it's possible to not dance to that song.

Another dance favorite from back in the day was "Yeah" by Usher ft. Lil Jon and Ludacris.  To this day, whenever I hear this song, I have flashbacks to being incredibly hung-over, attempting to take a philosophy quiz with this song banging in my head....ah, to be young again.  :)



The whole list just brought back great memories.  I was kind of surprised that "Crazy in Love" by Beyoncé ft. Jay-Z was #1.  I thought that some of the other songs on the list were more influential, but I suppose it just depends on who is choosing the songs.

M and I have pretty strong opinions about music.  When we found out that I was pregnant, M made it his goal to make sure that our child only listen to "good" music.  Of course, that is by his standards, so other people would probably disagree.  I can picture Evie now: she will be the only 5 year old in kindergarten who can sing the entire 2-disc set "The Essential Willy Nelson."  Wow...writing that I realized that our poor kid doesn't stand a chance at being cool.  Oh well, I'm sure she'll thank us for is someday!!  ;)

Getting my priorities straight

I was cruising the headlines on Yahoo! and I found this article, Loving the Husband More Than the Kids is Key to Good Life.  I am a sucker for relationship-related articles, and this obviously piqued my interest.  The author supports putting your husband ahead of your kids as crucial to a happy family.  Often, women feel that they must put their children ahead of their spouses (and themselves) to prove to the judgmental world of other women/mothers that they have their priorities "straight."  It's all supposed to be about the kids, right??  She says that if women put their marriage ahead of their children, the whole family will be happier in the long run. 

As a mother/teacher/human being, it's been driven into me that the kids (my students, the starving children of Africa, my own child, etc.) have to come first or I will be a bad person.  Obviously, my child is important; I'd do pretty much anything if I knew that it would help her.  Most of us probably feel that way, right?  DUH!  I'm not promoting leaving your kid to cry in his/her crib in a dirty diaper so that you and your husband can have a quiet dinner, but I do think that creating couple time is essential to a happy family.

As much as I believe that, M and I have been doing a pretty poor job lately.  Before Evie was born, I thought that our first year of marriage was the most difficult.  And it was difficult.  We had lived together before we got married, but something about making it legal changed things for us.  We weren't always very considerate of each other, and we had to find our groove.

About a month after our first anniversary, we were out for dinner one night, and we were laughing and having a great time.  I looked at him and it hit me that we had gotten past the rocky, newlywed period.  I said, "Being married to you is really fun."  He said that he thought so too, and from then on, it was the two of us: married and loving it!!

Of course, we both knew that having a baby would change our relationship, but I didn't think it would take us this long to find our groove again.  I still love being married to M.  He is my best friend, my biggest supporter, the only person I want to talk to about my biggest dreams, and my biggest fears.  After Evie is grown up and living her own life, he's the one I still want to be with. 

Reading that article really made think.  Who have I been putting first?  Have I been giving so much to Evie that I don't have anything left for M?  How must that make him feel???  I showed him the article, and we had a long talk about it.  I hope that it changes the way we think about our family.  I want Evie to learn what a loving marriage looks like, and I want to start putting M first.

Thanksgivings Past

Two years ago on Thanksgiving, M and I found out that we were going to be parents.  M had to work that day, so we couldn't drive to either of our parent's houses for the holiday.  We went to big Thanksgiving buffet at a local country club, and celebrated the holiday just the two of us.  We didn't want to announce our pregnancy until Christmas, so it was kind of nice to spend the time with each other, without our families. 

It's hard to believe that it was two years ago already.  In other ways, it's hard to believe it was ONLY two years ago.  This year, we are going to M's parent's house; Thanksgiving on the farm, as I like to call it.  It will be fun.  I love my in-laws and they don't get to see Evie very often.  But lately, I've been thinking  that it would be fun to tell each of our families that we are going to the other one's house and just spend the holiday here, as our own family.

I could never really do that.  I'd feel way too guilty.  Plus, as Evie gets older, I know she'll want that time with her grandparents and her cousins.  The holidays are so hectic sometimes.  I guess I'm just feeling nostalgic for that Thanksgiving a couple of years ago when it was just me and M. 

Football Widow? No, I have a child to distract me.

I saw this in the paper today, and I couldn't help but relate.

"Real Life Adventures" Comic Strip from 11/5/11

 M loves football.  It goes beyond the usual "fan" and become fanaticism.  He will watch any game, big or small, whether or not he cares about the teams.  He likes some teams better than others (Miami and *obviously* Wisconsin for college teams, and Philadelphia and Green Bay for NFL), but overall as long as it's football, he'll watch it.  

Most of the time, this doesn't bother me.  Before I married him I knew that I would not have control of the remote from the Saturday morning ESPN Gameday coverage through the Monday night football game.  But some days....aaaarrrrrgggghhh!!!

It's become a joke between us and our families that I'm technically single from late August through early February.    My brother-in-law even got me this as a gift for Christmas when he had my name a few years ago.

It's a decorative throw pillow.
BARF!!!

On days like today, when I'd rather slowly drive a dull pencil into my eye socket than watch even one more play, it's nice to have a child around to distract me.  It was a gorgeous day outside, so Evie and I took a long walk with the dog.  I also caved and gave her one of her Christmas presents.  (She'll never know that today isn't Christmas.  ;)  Right??)

Crayola Adventure Dome Child Kids Play Tunnel Tent Giga...

I really just wanted to see her play in it, and M wasn't around to stop me.  She loved it!  Tomorrow, while M is watching MORE football, Evie and I are going shopping.  She needs some news shoes for winter, and I need some new sunglasses because she broke my last pair.

I'm sure we'll have another fun mommy/daughter day!!

The Resentment

Since Evie was born, I feel like M and I have had our highest highs and our lowest lows as a couple.  I'm fortunate to say that the highs have been more frequent than the lows.  Some days I just feel like we never see eye to eye anymore.  I know that both of us are to blame for these days, but it's easy to get caught up in the resentment.

During the summer I was surprised to find that I was more resentful of him when I had been home with Evie all day.  I think that I felt guilty that I couldn't do it all by myself.  I didn't want to ask him for help because he had been at his "real" job all day, and I was at home "doing nothing."  He never said that to me...not EVER.  I think I felt that way.  I thought that since I was home all day, I should always have everything under control.  The house should be spotless, supper should be on the table, and Evie should be stimulated and educationally entertained all day.  (This HUGE amount of stress and responsibility is one of the reasons I know I couldn't be a full time stay at home mom.) 

I was resentful that he had been at work all day without that self-inflicted stress.  If I felt like he even hinted at the fact that something around the house hadn't been done during the day (which I don't think he ever actually did), I flew off the handle!

Now that I'm back at school, I become frustrated when he is home from work by himself for hours before me, and then is angry when I ask him to do stuff for me at night.  I feel like he needs (and gets) so much more "me" time than I do.  I feel guilty asking for any time to myself at all, and I feel like he should feel that way too.  I know that this is not uncommon, but as a couple, we haven't found a way to work it out yet.  

It's another one of those things that you can't be prepared for before you have a child.  I know that we'll make it.  We both just have to work at it.

Six Years

Six years ago today, I married my best friend.  

Our wedding day was a beautiful autumn day.  It was warm for this time of year, and it was very sunny.  

We got married at a chapel in a historical park in Green Bay.  It was the first church built in Green Bay in the early 1800s.

In between the ceremony and the reception, we went to Lambeau Field with our wedding party.  

Our first dance was "My Best Friend" by Tim McGraw(which is also the source of the name of my blog).

Everyone ate, drank, and danced the night away!  

It was an amazing day, 
but everything that has come after that has been the best part.  

Then and Now - Going Old School

Our first picture as an official couple - August 2001
Yes, his hair was bleach blond and I still dated him...we were in college, who knows??

Ten years ago, M and I officially became a couple. I was 19, and he had just turned 21.  I was going into my second year of college, and he was starting his third.  It was before 9/11.  It was before everyone had cell phones.  It was before facebook and blogging, and real jobs and adult responsibilities.  We were pretty innocent, and we really just wanted to have fun.  (Duh, we were 19 and 21!) 

Halloween 2001
He was a made up superhero "Duct Tape Man."  I found a cheap bumble bee costume.

When we met, I never thought that he would be the person I would spend the rest of my life with.  We were both very into partying at the time, and I didn't think I could meet "the one" at a beer-fueled college kegger.  The night we met, something just clicked.  I could just talk to him.  Before we knew it, everyone else had gone to bed, the sun was coming up, and we were still talking on a ratty couch in his basement.

On a camping trip in Door County - Summer 2003

We've certainly been through a lot in 10 years.  A year into our relationship, I left for Spain for 5 months.  The distance sucked, but it definitely made us stronger.  When I got back, I knew that I never wanted to be away from him like that again.  We've been with each other through ups and downs, but one thing that M says is that the good days have always outnumbered the bad ones.  Any rough patches have always just brought us closer together and made us a team.  

Our wedding - Fall 2005

We kind of grew up together.  I feel lucky that we still want the same things together that we did 10 years ago.  A lot changes in your 20s, and we've made it though all of those changes as a couple.  In the past two years since we decided to add to our family, we've really had to be there for each other.  The number of good days keeps growing.  

Brewer Game - Last week

We have so much to look forward to.  I can't wait to see what the next 10 years has in store!!!

Busy, Busy Weekend

It's been a crazy week at our house!!  First there was Evie's surgery.  She has pretty much completely recovered, and her eye looks great!  I think that the blockage has been cleared up, and hopefully there won't be any more eye goop problems. 

Thursday morning, Evie and I made the couple hour trip to my parent's house.  Both of my sisters were there too, which was really nice.  My parent's house is fairly big, but when my sisters are both there with their husbands, and M and I are there with Evie, it seems like you can't find an empty corner.  To make matters worse, one of my sisters has two LARGE black labs, plus Keeka thrown into the mix, and the house seems more like a zoo.  M, Evie, and I have been sleeping at my grandparent's house across the street when we visit to alleviate some of the commotion.  It's nice to spend a little more time with my grandparents too.  They are only in their early 70s, and I hope that Evie will be able to really get to know them.

Saturday morning M and I had to leave early to come back home.  We had tickets to The Great Taste of the Midwest, which is a craft beer festival.  M works for a beer distributor and he received some leftover tickets through work.  I am not the beer snob that he is, but I still thought it was pretty neat.  Imbibing to intoxication is not really the point of the festival, but it's pretty much unavoidable.  We tried A LOT of good beers, and had fun hanging out just the two of us. 

Yesterday was spent recovering and playing with Evie.  I have to begin going to school this week to prepare my classroom.  I can't believe that I only have two more weeks before school starts!!  I know it's cliche, but time sure does fly when you are having fun.  I'm looking forward to a new school year.  I'm not coaching this year, and I finished my master's degree in May, and there are so many cool things I want to try out this year.  I feel like I'll have more time to focus on implementing and perfecting some of the things that I learned in my master's program. 

Before all of that, I need to clean my house.  I better get to it before Evie wakes up!!  

Vegas, Baby!!

Next month M and I will celebrate 10 years together.  I can't believe that it's been that long!!!  We've been married for almost 6 of those years...  And to think, when we met, I was only 19 and he was only 21....  It's crazy to me now how young we were.

To celebrate, we are heading to Las Vegas for a few days!  We are going with two other couples who are really good friends from college.  The two husbands were actually M's roommates when I met him.  Both of those couples have been together as long as we have, so we all kind of "grew up" in our 20s together.  We all also have kids under the age of 3, so it will be a nice chance for all of us to get away and let loose!

Evie is staying with my in-laws while we are gone, and I know she'll be fine.  I'm dreading leaving her, but I know that Grandma has all sorts of things planned.  They also live in the same town as M's brother, who has 3 kids.  Evie will probably get to spend quite a bit of time with her cousins, which will be good too.  (These are the things I've been telling myself so that I feel less bad/guilty about leaving for three days.)

So, if you stop by between now and Friday, I won't be here.  You can just picture me laying by the pool with a cold beverage nearby!! 

M and Breastfeeding

While I was pregnant I knew that I wanted to breastfeed.  In the beginning, I didn't know what I was getting myself into, but I did a lot of reading, talked to several friends who had breastfed, and learned as much as I could.  I didn't really have a goal in mind, like that I wanted to BF until a year, or anything like that.   Frankly, I was scared to death that for whatever unforeseen reason, I wouldn't be able to do it.  I had heard a few horror stories (mostly from my mom who tried to BF my youngest sister for a few weeks).  My normally very helpful sister-in-law also gave me some very unhelpful "advice" that  "Breastfeeding is REALLY hard, just so you know.  A lot of people can't do it."  (Yes, that was a direct quote.)  Thanks for letting me know....

M knew that I wanted to BF, though overall, he was fairly indifferent about the whole thing.  Over the past 11 months, M has become my biggest BF cheering section.  His support was vital in the first weeks when Evie wasn't eating well because of her milk allergy.  Then, he cut out most dairy products with me (at home anyway) during the time that I was very strict about watching what I ate.

In the past few weeks, Evie has been more distracted than ever.  She is eating more and more table foods, and she has become disinterested in nursing.  It's been much more difficult, and I really have felt like quitting for the first time since she was born.  M has been the most supportive during this time.  Two nights ago, her bedtime feeding was especially exhausting.  He took her, read her a book, and got her to sleep so that I could have a few minutes to myself.

He wants us to make it to 12 months of breastfeeding as much as I do, and knowing that helps me through the hard parts.  I couldn't have made it this far without him, and I hope that he knows how much his support means to me.