You, My Dear, Deserve the Husband of the Year Award.

The details are usually the most easily forgotten and it's just those that I don't want to forget. I've been thinking about how the past seven months have been and I could not have done them without you. Zach, you deserve so much more recognition for these past seven months than I could possibly even give.

When we promised for better or for worse this past summer, so much more has happened than we ever anticipated. However, I wouldn't change the way things have happened for the world. Now that we're here, after all we've been through, I feel like we're in the perfect place. You have been the most incredible person through it all. You are my husband, but my best friend.

Let's just start with the morning I peed on the sticks. As I cried and cried some more, you just held me. You assured me everything would be okay. We just sat. In shock. On our old frumpy couch. You held my hands and prayed and you were the strength I needed to get through that day. We laid in bed that night in silence, staring at the ceiling, in total awe that there was a tiny life in my belly. I loved you even ten times more. 

Together we faced the first doctor visit, terrified and unsure of what to expect, but you were there. I don't know how I could have done it without you there. Then came the sickness. For four weeks straight you brought me endless amounts of toast, ginger ale, and gatorade. You never gave into your Taco Bell cravings so I wouldn't have see it or even hear the awful name. You cried when I cried and you "wreeshed" my arms to help me relax :) We made it through the sickness and then the cravings began! Whether it was a late night Kroger stop for A&W rootbeer or the long way home for Krispy Kreme you said, yes, yes, yes. I really think you need to write a book for all the men out there. "How to Keep Your Pregnant Wife Happy & Win the Husband of the Year Award." Seriously. They say when you marry a person, you'll love them 20lbs lighter or heavier and be just as attracted to them as before. You, my friend, didn't know how fast you had that test coming at ya! But as my body has transformed, morphed, and turned into something entirely new, you still tell me every day how beautiful I am. I think I'd be in the bed and under the covers right now if it weren't for that. You know when I need a pick-me-up the most and you're never shy to give it out. Then around Christmas things all began to change once again. We were scared to hear "pre-term labor" and learned I had to stop working. Your sacrifices multiplied as you took on more hours of work, more around the house, and another semester of college. I don't know many twenty two year old guys like you; not one. You didn't complain, didn't say you wish I could work, you simply told me it was a joy to take care of me and Baby Eli. I can't tell you what that means. Even in the midst of some of the craziness, the past four months have been some of the most fun I've ever had with you. I can't count the nights you make me laugh so hard that I am nearly in tears. My favorite is when you follow it by, "Ohhhh... I'm so funny." That you are. I think the nights of singing, attempting to harmonize while we lay in bed- unable to fall asleep, are the most hilarious. And the National Anthem has to be on the top of our most popular list. How about our Valentine's picnic on the floor, or the days we have been able to sleep-in until 12pm? What about the days we've spent going to places like Las Paletas, checking out the flea market, or just perusing around Target? I've truly enjoyed these past months with you; it's a time I'll never forget. Eli is so incredibly blessed to have a Dad as incredible as you. There isn't another person that could ever be a better father figure or role model. You love fiercely, and I know you already love him more than you can express. Thank you for loving me, through thick and thin, and ten times over again. 

I love you