Hello Bloomin' Babies Readers!

In my group of friends, I was the girl that we all thought would never be ready for a baby. My perception was that babies come in and change everything…your relationship with your husband and your friends would never be the same, there would be no me time, and life just wouldn’t be as fun. And now here I am, wanting more than anything else in the world for this cycle to be THE cycle that I am pregnant. I’ve come a long way, baby!

July 31st was the 5th anniversary of when I re-met my husband. We knew each other casually in college. He was the partying frat boy and I was the studious sorority girl with a boyfriend back home. Fast forward to three years after graduation, his good friend and fraternity brother was marrying my good friend and sorority sister. The bride and groom totally set us up, and paired Mr. Chef Bud and I to walk down the aisle together. I was given strict instructions by the bride to keep my eye on him and make sure he was where he was supposed to be and doing what he was supposed to do, which is easier said than done! We had a great weekend together, which included a romantic post-wedding first kiss in the elevator, and started a long-distance relationship. Two years later I moved to Tampa, he proposed and we were married July 14th, 2007. It really was the best day of our lives.

Just Married!

For the first year and a half, we enjoyed being married and getting settled in our new lives as Mr. and Mrs. Then the baby wave hit. It seemed like all of my friends were announcing their pregnancies. Two of my best friends got their BFP’s within two weeks of each other, and while I was so happy for them, I cried after I found out. I was worried they, along with my other friends, would get wrapped up in babyland and our friendships would never be the same. No more spontaneous girl weekends at the beach, no more wild nights out downtown, no time for their best friend. I was irrational in my thinking, and selfish. It was my mom who finally talked some sense in to me and made me realize how crazy I was acting. She helped me to realize that while life will be different, it will be better. That bringing a baby in to this world is the greatest thing a woman can do. That Mr. Chef Bud and I will be amazing parents, and will have all the support of our family and friends. And most important, that I won’t be losing myself, I’ll be expanding myself because when I do have a baby it will be the best part of me and Mr. Chef Bud combining together to be OUR child.

The new babies in my life...Avery, Kennedi, Caera

So here I am now, in the middle of cycle 6, hoping and praying that in the next few weeks I will be able to call my family and friends and tell them the best news of our life. And I will cry, but they will be happy tears, and life will be different, but in a way that is better than I can even imagine.