Day 5: Blessed

“Motherhood is near to divinity. It is the highest, holiest service to be assumed by mankind.”
- Howard M. Hunter

The number one thing that is effected by having a baby is not only your life, but your marriage/relationship with your significant other. My boyfriend and I, at the time, were together for 4 years when our daughter was born. I don't think we were fully prepared for the amount of stress it would put on us as a couple, but we have just taken it one day at a time. We used to fight a lot at first, arguing about what was best for our child, and who was right and who was wrong about the choices we made for her. It's tough being young and living with your parents while starting an unplanned family and trying to make ends meet.

We are currently in the middle of rebuilding a home in which I inherited. When my grandfather died 6 months ago (I wasn't very close with him), I was left with a house and enough money to fix that house the way I wanted. It used to be my great-grandmothers home and she built it herself with her husband back in the 1940's. I was very grateful for this since when I found out he passed, I was $8k in debt with credit cards and car payments. Not many people my age can say they are 100% debt free...and I appreciate every minute of it. Like I said, I wasn't very close with him. The last time he saw me according to my mother, I was only 6. I don't remember my times with him but I do remember the pumpkins he grew on the 16 acres of land which I will be living on. I am very VERY thankful for what he left me behind, without him I wouldn't be in a great situation like I am now.

Back to my relationship topic...

Rebuilding this home, along with a new baby, has taken its toll on our relationship in some ways. Good and bad. We argue about which color tile we want, who to hire for the work, and will it be done by the time our lease is up, but its the everyday pressure that being a family will bring. You have to find new ways to keep this relationship alive and exciting. Us for example: we are two home bodies. We like to stay home together and relax, so we try to buy or rent a movie and will order out and enjoy sitting on the couch watching a movie together while our daughter is asleep. She is also old enough now where we can include her in dinner then after she will play with her toys if its not her bed time. We hug when we can, kiss when we can, and snuggle when we can; we try to keep it like it was and show each other the love that we have even if we don't say it as often as we should. It is difficult bringing a baby into this world, and they do take up a

lot of time in your life, but its what you make of it that counts. Enjoy the time you spend together, and embrace the changes because I count myself as blessed with the people that surround my life.

What about you, how do you enjoy time to yourselves as a couple? And how have pressures of raising a child affected your relationship?