12:10 PM

In just a few short days, Lydia will be a whole month old. A month! It is unreal how quickly the past four weeks have gone. And while, yes, they've definitely had their challenging moments, overall the transition-to-parents has been easier than expected. I know...shocking, right?!! There are a few things I attribute this to: the fact that my mom extended her trip and stay with us for the first week Lydia was home (THANK YOU AGAIN, MOM!), the kindness from our friends/ward for supplying us with dinners, and last but most certainly not least, having this amazing man  by my side.

It's funny, during the few weeks before Lydia came, I read a lot of articles to help myself "prepare" (like that's really possible) for life with a newborn. One common theme I saw in these articles focused on how the marriage relationship is impacted once there is a baby. Interestingly, ALL of the articles I came across implied that this relationship-shift would be negative. These articles had titles such as, Why You Hate Your Husband (After Baby Arrives) and You'll Probably Want a Divorce After You Have a Baby (It's Normal). I even read about a study that said, "the drop in happiness experienced by parents after the birth of a first child is larger than the experience of unemployment, divorce or death of a partner."


Not one article I came across talked about how much more love and appreciation I'd have for my husband. How much more grateful I'd be to have him there to help and support me on this crazy roller coaster of parenthood.

So where are THOSE articles?? Because THAT has truly been the reality.

Watching Stephen become a dad has been every bit as amazing and wonderful as I thought it would be. His love for Lydia has been apparent from day one in the hospital, when I would wake up and see him standing over Lydia's little cradle, just checking on her to make sure she was still breathing. For her, he's mastered the art of swaddling and not complained once about having to change a dirty diaper. He's laughed when she's peed on him, and swooned over her perfect chub and unbelievably-soft skin. He's held and admired her while she slept. The word "cute" has become a staple in his vocabulary.

Does any of that sound like it would cause me to hate my husband??? 

Not only has Stephen been an adorable new-dad, he's been an equally amazing support to me.
He's made me breakfast in bed who-knows-how-many times. He's reminded me (daily) to take my iron pills (because sometimes I purposely forget). He's woken up with me countless times while I've fed Lydia, just so he can change her diaper. He's held me while I've cried for impossibly-silly reasons, and never once made me feel silly about it. He's lightened the mood when I've been grumpy and he's encouraged me to get out of the house whenever I've needed some fresh air.

It may be a miracle, but he has truly made the start of this crazy newborn/new-parent stage of life enjoyable. And though the authors of the aforementioned articles might not be able to believe it...this whole experience has actually made me love him more.

So, expectant-mothers take heart! You don't have to hate your husband after all (thank goodness!).
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  1. I totally agree Han! It's so fun to watch our husbands take care of the baby and love them so much. Glad things are going well! I need to meet that sweet baby soon.

  2. Thats so sad you never saw any positive articles!!! So much of the media has to be sensational and ridiculous so they get more clicks on their articles!! So excited to see you guys Saturday!

  3. Thank heaven for wonderful husbands!

  4. I couldn't agree more! I couldn't do it without Tanner and have been so blessed to have him play such an active role in the pregnancy, to labor, to everyday life. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!

  5. This post made me cry! Lol. So happy for you and that life is good post-babybirth

  6. Oh, I agree with you a million times over! I felt like anything anyone said to me while I was pregnant (who had had babies before) was negative. So I'm determined to focus on the positive when I talk to other people about pregnancy, child birth, and having a baby at home. :)