Six years

It was six years ago today that we found out we were expecting our first baby.  Valentine's Day!  It was all very exciting, except that I was so afraid that it wouldn't work out.  I was besieged by anxiety that things wouldn't work out, that I would have an early or late miscarriage.  I remained that way through to the very end of the pregnancy, finally breathing a sign of relief as Mateo breathed his first breath and we met him for the first time.  If someone had told me, on the day we first got our positive pregnancy test, that six years later would find us with three healthy, wonderful children, I would have been beside myself with joy. 

And, I am.  Beside myself.  I can't imagine being luckier:  I have a fabulous wife and three inquisitive, insightful, playful children.  And, a cat!  Some days, I am beside myself with frustration at the way things are sometimes chaotic, but mostly I am beside myself with gratitude.  I am so grateful for our happiness and for the fullness of our lives.  I am grateful for the way our house is overflowing with toys and the remnants left by small children.  I am grateful for having a loving, wonderful, supportive spouse, and equally grateful that we live in a place and time where we can openly share a life together. 

On this Valentine's Day, six years after our family first began to expand, I am simply, overwhelmingly, grateful.