“I will stand by you, even when you fall. I will be the rock, that holds you up and lifts you high so you stand tall. I won’t let you fall, I won’t let you go. No matter where you are, no matter where you are, I’ll be there.”
Lyrics from the song “No Matter Where You Are” by Us the Duo – a husband/wife team who wrote their wedding vows and made it into a song. Those are some of the lyrics to the song, and I think of Christine and Joe every time I hear those words. True partners and best friends. They have been there for one another though it all. No matter what life has thrown at them, they’ve been there, at each other’s sides.
Christine and Joe were married on a perfect Fall day in October of last year, and they are now expecting their first child. Below are some real words from the heart of a soon-to-be-mamma.
“Joe and I got engaged the very end of December, 2016 and found out that we were expecting the very beginning of December, 2017. In that 11 month timeframe we had planned a wedding, bought a house, got married, moved out of our parents houses for the first time, and changed jobs. All such exciting things but a lot of change all at once!
Joe and I had been married for 6 weeks when we found out that we were going to be parents! Needless to say, our “honeymoon phase” quickly turned into the joys of the first trimester of pregnancy.
– The romantic nights turned into me running from our bed into the bathroom trying to make it in time so that I didn’t get sick on our new rug or bed sheets.
– My fantasy of cuddling with my new husband all night turned into tossing and turning because I couldn’t get comfortable and definitely didn’t want to take the risk of getting sick on my husband (how attractive for a new bride right?)
– The early mornings of me trying not to wake Joe up (he worked late hours) turned into Joe waking up every morning before me, and bringing me food first thing so that I could get ready for work without getting sick.
– The dream of having meals ready for my husband every night with lunches packed for work the next day, turned into me falling asleep hours before he even got home, leaving no food on the table, groceries in the fridge, and leaving the new house totally neglected.
– The weekends that used to include going on date nights and going out for drinks with friends turned into eating crackers, drinking sprite and staying in.
I’ll admit, I was a total victim through all of this change. I felt like our newlywed life was interrupted or cut short.
Lucky for me, I have the most amazing husband to keep me on track. I knew that I was blessed to marry Joe but I quickly realized that I truly hit the jackpot.
Joe has been so excited about the baby since day 1 and has been by my side cheering me on every single day. I don’t think that many 24 year old newly married men would react the way that Joe has.
– Joe tells me every single day that I’m beautiful even while watching me grow out of my clothes and develop stretch marks. He somehow knows exactly what to say every time I complain about my changing body (and it’s a lot…) and reminds me constantly that it’s going to be okay because it’s all for our baby.
– He has helped me shop for maternity clothes, leaves work early to make it to all of the important doctors appointments, and texts me multiple times a day just to ask how the baby and I are doing, or more commonly to let me know that he misses his little family.
– He has been so amazing with helping me grocery shop, carrying all of the laundry to and from the laundry room, helping with dinner, and constantly encouraging me to eat things that will be healthier and more beneficial to the baby.
– The amount of love that this man has shown me and the amount of love that he already has for his unborn baby is unreal. I can honestly say that I’ve fallen in love with him even more since our wedding and I truly didn’t think that was possible.
I have realized through all of this change that this is what marriage is truly about and what it’s meant to be. For me, it has not been at all what I had imagined but it’s turning out to be even better. On our wedding day, I really thought there was no way that life could get any better but I was very wrong.
Everyone always talks about how hard marriage is and how much harder it gets once you have kids. I know that I’ve only been married for about 9 months, but I’ve never been happier and I feel like every day, this marriage is exceeding my expectations. Joe and I have grown together so much in these past 9 months. We have gone through a lot, but have done it all together which makes it so special. We pray more together now than we ever have before and that has brought us so much peace.
As the months go on, Joe and I can’t help but to talk about the baby every chance we get! I don’t think a day goes by where I don’t hear Joe say how excited he is to be a dad…and practice his “dad jokes”. These past couple of weeks, I can’t count the amount of times that he mentions how he can’t wait to meet his baby. Joe and the baby play together almost every night when the baby is most active and Joe picks out a new song to play for the baby. It’s so hard to describe just how precious it really is. I just can’t believe that I’m lucky enough to have Joe as my husband and the father of our children.
I used to be scared to talk about all of this and tell people my due date/how far along I am. I guess I didn’t want people to talk about me or hear anyone’s opinions on Joe and I having a baby so quickly…I mean it’s not the most popular thing for newlywed couples these days especially at our age. It’s silly to care what other people think or say though. God blessed us with this little miracle right away in our marriage and there’s nothing wrong with that. It most certainly is nothing to be ashamed of. I know that there are many couples who struggle with infertility and the gift of life is truly something that is a blessing and it should be viewed as just that.
In short, yes this is an adjustment and a lot of change at once for me. What would life be without change though? I have the best husband, amazing family and God on my side to help me through everything. I know that there are many times that women go through this alone and my heart goes out to them because I don’t know how they do it.
There was a definite adjustment period and I have had my fair share of meltdowns, but I have fallen in love with this baby of ours and I cannot wait for August to get here so that we can meet our sweet little one. I think to myself every day now…does life get any better than this? But I know that it will once this baby enters the world.
Looking back on these past 9 months, there’s not a thing I would change.”
These beautiful words come straight from the heart of my beautiful sister, Christine.
I’ve had the honor of watching Christine and Joe’s relationship grow right from the beginning. I witnessed them when they were “just friends,” when Joe asked Christine to be his girlfriend, when he popped the big question, I was their maid-of-honor in their wedding, and have been so fortunate enough to now watch this sweet little one grow inside of Christine.
I remember when Christine told me the news. I looked up from my phone and saw my sister – my best friend, holding up a sonogram. I dropped my phone and hugged her so tight we both nearly fell to the ground. I felt a tear fall down the side of my cheek as I was comprehending the news my sister had just given me: that she was pregnant. She told me just a few days before the new year, at the end of 2017. I immediately knew things would change, but change for the better.
I’ve watched her stomach grow over the past several months, and with each time I see her, I feel more and more anticipation, excitement, and longing to meet their sweet angel.
I grew up with Christine, and we were known as the duo that was inseparable. We did everything together. We played with barbies, rode our bikes outside, played dress up, discussed what we were going to be when we grew up, did homework side by side, took music lessons together, took dance classes together, took college courses together, shared a room for 21 years, and have supported one another through everything life has brought upon us.
She’s my best friend, and will always be my person. To think that she will have another person, a human being to call hers gives me chills just to think about. Her personality traits are like no other. She is the kindest, and has the most patient heart that is filled with nothing but love. I know through everything that she is, she will make the most radiant mother.
Joe, Christine, and I went on a hike to their maternity session location at Matthiessen State Park, and the location could not have been any more perfect for these two soon-to-be parents.
I told him, “Joe, interact with Christine now,” and he immediately squatted down to talk to their baby inside of her womb. That’s when the tears welled up in my eyes, because of the sweet, genuine love that I was witnessing right at that moment.
At the very end of our session, I asked Joe if he could snap a couple of photos of Christine and I. I never do that during my sessions. In fact, I wasn’t even prepared to be in any photos that day. I wasn’t dressed in what I would call cute, I had been sweating from the hot sun, and hardly had any makeup on. However, I felt a feeling at that moment of sentimentality, and knew I needed a photograph by my sister’s side.
There is no greater role that I will have in this life, than the honor of receiving the role of being this beautiful babe’s aunt. I will always treasure this session that I was given the honor of photographing. It will forever hold the most special place in my heart, and I cannot wait until the day to come when I get to photograph that little one that Christine carries.
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