Our Family

It always bothered me a little when Jason and I first married and were considered a "couple" and not yet a "family". It seemed terribly unfair. Hadn't we been a couple for years? A family, to me, implies a strength and love and togetherness that can't be found anywhere else. While a couple has those same characteristics, it always has an air of expiration. Oh, they were a couple, but they've broken up. You don't really hear of families breaking up. They may have problems, but they're forever: Family.

I look around at our home, at our pets, at our life together and I know that, while Baby will certainly make us more than we are in so many ways, he or she already has a family in us.

And so, last week, for Jason's birthday, we took our family down to San Diego to a dog beach. Lilly and JJ had so much fun, it made me feel guilty that we aren't able to get away more often. It's tough to work nights and weekends when that's the only time Jason has off. I look forward to having dinner together and weekends free to get away and explore some when Baby comes. I feel blessed to even have the option of quitting work. It makes me a little sad to think of all of the Mommies (and Daddies) who would like to stay home with their children but are unable to do so.

I'm learning that we're pretty blessed in a lot of ways to have the (growing!) family that we have.