My Husband

I was awaken at 3:00am by my sweet little girl. I got up and nursed her in bed until 5:00am. Then I got up and made her a bottle and she sucked down 4oz. I know I had some milk, but since she normally eats a full tummy at 7:00am, my body was not prepared for a 3:00am feeding. Sigh. She finally went back to sleep around 5:30am. I fell into bed and woke up at 10:00am. I freaked out because the last thing I remembered was holding her next to me and she was gone. Then I came out of the fog and recalled putting her back in the bassinette and patting her bottom until she went to sleep. So I checked the bassinette and she wasn't there. That's when I realized by husband was not in bed either. Of course, he always gets up early. I knew that he had taken her downstairs and left me to sleep. He does this all the time for me. I can't believe how great a husband he is.


Daddy with Mazen At Birth

When I was pregnant I was pretty much completely disabled. I couldn't walk more than from the car into a building. I couldn't even dress myself. He put my pants and socks on me everyday. He took them off everyday. He cooked everyday. He carried the dogs out everyday. He shoveled snow off the driveway, the roof, the walkways, the backyard for the doggies to poddy. He went to the store, he picked up prescriptions, he carried out the trash, he did the laundry (machines are downstairs) he made countless trips up and down the stairs to keep me from trying. I was stubborn one too many times and overdid things and was in excruciating pain for days. Well, I was always in excruciating pain, but if I overdid it I would have to lay down for a day or two to even be able to stand up straight. It was awful. It was really hard to not be able to do things. But, Michael would hold me, pray over me, let me cry, and then take care of me and our home. I'm so amazed at what a servant he is.
We just went to the Annual Foursquare Conference in San Francisco. We had a really interesting trip. Mazen was SO GOOD. She hardly cried on any of the flights we had. She smiled and talked to people. Michael held her a lot of the time and fed her and kept her happy. He wanted to. And in the airports, shuttle vans, etc. he was always carrying luggage, unloading, loading, and not letting me carry very much in the airport. It seems I can't go a few feet without him always there to help me. It's what I had always dreamed of in a man but never thought I'd find it.
Then in all our times together praying and spending time together his main focus was more on what would fulfill my calling than his. And I so much want to see him walk fully in the purpose God has given him. We are both thinking of what the other needs as greater than our own needs that sometimes it's hard to really know what the desires of the other are. But I guess when you become ONE your desires are for the other person's desire to be fulfilled.
I had been wanting to do something special for Michael for months now, but with the difficult pregancy and delivery and all the nursing issues I've had (another story for another time) I just couldn't pull it off. Then finally, on his Birthday (June 8) I was able to make a special evening for him. I wanted to surprise him totally. I kept acting like I had forgotten his birthday by making no mention of it. But in the end he figured something out.
We went to The Original Pancake House (link) for breakfast (our favorite place). Of course we had "Eggs Michael" yum. Mazen was with us and of course squealed and blew raspberries at everyone in the restaurant. She entertains us so!
Then Michael went to work and I ran around town picking up the various things I needed for his birthday. Mazen went with me. She was a trooper being pulled in and out of her car seat and in and out of the stroller every half hour!
Then Mazen and I had yet another visit to the pediatrician for lactation consultation. We have an amazing pediatric clinic, Southlake Pediatrics. The nurse practicioner there, Pat Zajac (yeah, I though they said Pat Sajak when I first made the appt and said "You mean like Wheel of Fortune Pat Sajak??? When did he become a lactation consultant???")was really sweet and helpful. After more than an hour there we headed home to meet Daddy. Just our luck, there was some nasty accident clogging up several freeways. It was crazy. I finally got off on city streets, got out my map, and found my way home that way.
I wanted to be all ready in my new little outfit and dressed up for Michael but I was late getting home. He was there waiting for me with the "surprise" babysitter. He figured that one out. It was the first time we hired a babysitter. She took care of Mazen while I worked a few times and is so good with Mazen (See Aunti Jenni below) but we've never hired anyone for us to go play.
Michael was wearing a new shirt his mother sent him for his birthday. It was a salmon color. She didn't know that I had just bought a tangerine colored shirt (THE hot new summer color) so we would end up matching! YAY!
I ran and changed while Michael and Jenni entertained Mazen. Then came down and was wearing my new earing Michael bought me in SF that were also tangerine! I blindfolded him and off we went.
He couldn't figure out where we were going but he thought he knew. It was fun to listen to him. I gave him a rose to smell. He started to get motion sick in the car, though, and since we were on our way to dinner I got nervous. Finally I told him to take off the blindfold because I didn't want him sick. Then he reached for his glasses and I realized, duh, he can't see without his glasses anyway so I wouldn't let him wear them. I drove down to Bloomington and we had a nice leisurely dinner at Kincaid's. It's Minnapolis' top rated Special Event restaurant. It's my favorite restaurant in LA (Redondo Beach) but I had never been to the one here. There's only 8 in the nation and 2 are in the Twin Cities. Go figure! I'm blessed. They have a special "first seating" where you get 3 course meal (soup/salad, entree, dessert, and coffee/soda/tea) for under $20 if you get in there before 6 pm. Now THAT's A DEAL at Kincaid's. And they also had special Copper River Salmon flown in fresh from Alaska until June 9th. It was perfect!!!
Michael was excited about all the waiting and surprise of it, then when he saw Kincaid's he was even more excited! We had copper river salmon and crab cakes along with salad, coffee, and ice cream for dessert. (I had another really good dessert waiting for him that he didn't know about yet.)
We had our picture taken and we enjoyed the ambience and just talked and had such a good time. I was bummed it was raining out because the next part was outside. But it stopped.
After dinner I drove him to an area of Bloomington that he did not know about. There was a nature center with walking trails, and then a sandy beach area on a lake with covered picnic tables and ducks on the water. It was so nice. I brought blankets and had a rolling ice chest full of things.
I pulled out grapes and baguette bread, non-alcoholic wine, and some glasses. Then I also brought our own little communion glass we use. We had communion together, just like the first day we met and when we got engaged, and married, and on our honeymoon, and when we found out I was pregnant, and when we had Mazen. It was really wonderful to thank God for all He has done for us. It is because we have a Saviour that we have each other. I can't take communion anymore without seeing images from the movie "The Passion of Christ." It was really beautiful. We spent a long time there talking and being together.
Then I had one more surprise for him that is private and not for this post. All I can say is that it was spiritual and intimate and special. Michael was really surprised. I think he was deeply touched by it all. I hope so. I wanted him to know that I loved him so much and appreciated him so much. What would I ever do without him in my life??? He means so much to me and he has been SO GOOD to me since the day we met. He's an amazing man and deserves so much.
I only hope that from time to time in our marriage I can plan events as special, and more, as this one was. I had been working on it for about 2 months and thinking about it even longer. Then he gave me an amazing Mother's Day and Mother's Day gift. (I'll write about that another time.) I was blown away. No one has ever done so much for me or given me such a wonderful THREE days as that was.
Okay, I guess I've bragged on Michael enough. There's so much I could say about Michael. The times I usually brag on him, he's not around. And then sometimes when I want to brag on him I just know some of my friends will get sick of it. I say some things, but end up cutting myself off. Either because they start looking sad and I worry that they will compare what I'm saying to their husband and get upset, or because they are still single and feel the pain that I know so well of not having a husband/wife.
If you read this and want to wish him a happy birthday, you can email him by clicking on the EMAIL US button on the left of this screen. :) Or you can add some comments at the end of this post by clicking on the word "comments."
I love my amazing husband. He has made the 20 year wait worthwhile. Everyday he gets even better. How blessed am I? Thank you Lord!