thirty-two and handsome.

the thirties are looking mighty fine on the husband. i'm adoring his laugh lines and grey hairs that doubled when our baby girl was born. and i'll always be that creepy wife that sneaks a peek; of him napping peacefully, lifting weights on the back patio, stepping outta the shower (TMI!)... luckily he's fond of my creepy tendencies (and i'm positive one of the reasons he married me). 

he's thirty-two today and handsome as ever. my favorite person. drives me nuts. makes me belly laugh. opens my doors. makes my coffee with triple cream and sugar. holds down the fort (i still suffer wildly from baby-brain). butters me up. fills our home with witty banter and rough housing, and continues to be my every-day dream boat.  

he keeps this family on our toes and full of kisses (forced in henry's case). is never too busy to horse around or tuck us in. and is the very best snuggler there is. 

happy day my dear, we love the heck outta you. 

the help.

there plain and simple aren't enough words to express my gratitude for the help of these two very special women:

my mom

and my mom-in-law.

they have gone above and beyond for me, the baby, joey, and henry... countless countless times. providing groceries and meals, holding a crying baby so i can eat a warm dinner with my boys, running my errands, comforting me as i fall apart, giving welcomed advice, letting me nap or soak in a bath, and all around saving me on a daily basis. their giving; of their time and effort and resources have been the biggest blessing to our family as we all adjusted to our new little beauty.

i'll never forget the support in those early weeks of being a new mommy... that morning when i answered the door in an adult diaper, a baby on the boob, and wet hair - thankful to nanny for getting us to our dr appointment, cause i was ALL over the place. or when i woke out of a stupor to a kitchen stalked to the nines with food. or breaking down with my mom when joey was away for two weeks and our baby (me too!) was a screaming crying mess. or making it possible to venture out of the house to cure my cabin fever. or how together we learned the art of wheeling and dealing a fussy infant to sleep. or the extra effort they made to take henry out on special dates.

or the new bonds made thinking of us as tiny new babies in our mom's arms and knowing first hand just how much love they poured into us. 

i would have been lost without them, without their help and direction and love. thank you for EVERYthing, seriously, because Lord knows everything is a little (a lot!) harder and takes a little (a lot!) longer to do, and your extra hands and help made all the difference. a million heart felt thank you's to two very special grandmas.

first date.

not only did last wednesday mark audrey's six week milestone, but it also doubled as our first date since she came into the world.

june twenty sixth was our four year anniversary, and yet again i was having to share our day with the Navy - this would have been the third year out of our four *sigh*. but my sweet sneaky lover surprised me completely when he walked through the door that evening with a gorgeous bouquet of flowers declaring that he couldn't let the Navy steal another anniversary *swoon*. after twelve days of his absence, boy was he a sight for my sore eyes. i beamed all night long, so did henry, we had both been missin' the heck outta him. we gathered up our wee ones and spent our summer night walking the neighborhood, holding handing, and sharing all the little details we'd missed in each other's absence. it was perfect, the best surprise. 

some times (most times!) the best gift isn't what you get for one another, but what you do for your sweetheart. and the stars alined so that i could gift him a date. it being the year of fruit and flowers as the "traditional gift", i planned out a picnic in a park that six years prior had been a place of peaceful refuge for us. i packed us up some chocolate covered apples, strawberries and pineapple, some asiago and smoked gouda, mini bottles of champaign, a vase of wild garden flowers, and a good 'ol fashion game of MASH. 

we took the time to fancy ourselves up. curls in my hair and a freshly pressed dress. him in his boots and smelling divine. we joked as we saw a family pass pushing a stroller, how they must think we're young and free with our fresh faces and our yummy goodies while we laughed over music. ha!! nope, we just hit the jackpot with the grandmas (a sincere thank you to grammy and nanny!) who were back at home watching our fussy baby. 

it was so nice to have some one-on-one time with my favorite person and reminisce on four years of marriage, and the evolution of our relationship from that first picnic six years past. this is the man i'll love and celebrate for all my days.

six weeks.

oh my love. every selfish fear i had before audrey's birth got pushed right out of my heart the second they placed her on my chest. that first week i found myself repeatedly staring at her and weeping joy. she's so perfect, she's true love, she's the most beautiful baby i've laid eyes on. we are totally and completely smitten with our little bundle. life has only gotten fuller since her arrival, longer days, longer nights and tears of exhaustion and frustration. but wow, what a glorious high, what a soaring love to keep a mama moving when her body and mind are ready to quit.

she is my velcro baby, always in mama's arms, dada's arms, or grammy's arms... and when the arms give out, i sling her to me. she needs the nearness of a warm body or she's restless. she's got high needs, so if you sit she'll know, if you stop bouncing, rocking, swaying, walking, dancing, she'll know and she'll fuss till you're on the move again. she grunts when she poos, she squeaks (my favorite!) when she sleeps, and she's a messy eater. she lights up at brother's voice, smiles through daddy's tickle-y mustache kisses and mommy's silly songs about the bad wittle kiddy cat. 

people say to soak it up because it passes so quickly. they speak the truth. she's six weeks today and already she's such a different baby from the first day we brought her home. she's lost that bloated swollen hours old look and the newborn wrinkles that followed and now is quickly packing on the chubby baby rolls *pinchy pinchy*. time is a funny thing, and maybe because they grow and change so much from day to day and week to week that time feels almost tangible. but you can't stop time or stretch out a moment no matter how hard you try, and for that simple reason i now have a gazillion pictures and videos to help us remember just how itty bitty brand new she was... before i blink and six months have ticked by. 

i still can't believe i made her. i can't believe the baby we dreamed up over the last four years is finally here. she's everything i've ever wanted, but not at all how i imaged her to be. i can't kiss her or hug her or tell her i love her enough.