Both children are sick. The baby won’t sleep. Ever. He spends the whole day “talking”, a small “aaaaaaeeeehhhh” sound repeated over and over again.

He smiles at me when I ask him if he is evil.

Marlena was very well behaved at dinner. She ate her food, spoke quietly, stayed in her chair, politely engaged in conversation, and even tried her father’s Cosmo. (She hated it and it made her eyes water.) She drank her first Shirley-Temple too, but happily declared it too fizzy.

Oliver cried through the entire meal. He sat with us, was pretty happy until they brought out the bread, and then cried. He didn’t want to be held, set down, nursed, walked, or anything.

So our anniversary was spent bolting down a delicious gourmet meal to the sound of our baby crying.

On the upside, when we got home, both children went to sleep. We were able to toast each other, and have some quiet alone time after all.

Thank you for agreeing to join me in life. Thank you for liking roller coasters, having ambition, and seeing no bounds to our individual potential. Thank you for being a softy, and for sharing my need to take in strays and be surrounded by, and covered in, fur. Thank you for believing in magic and maintaining your sense of wonder.

Thank you for being frustratingly practical, and for making me think things through. Thank you for waking me up with a cup of coffee, even when I want to sleep. Thank you for waking up the baby, simply because you want a chance to play with him. Thank you for playing games with Marlena, and getting her riled up right before bedtime.

Thank you for telling me I am beautiful, when I call you a pain in the ass. Thank you for holding me when I cry, and understanding that I need to. Thank you for bringing me ice water, even when you weren’t going downstairs. Thank you for telling me you love me everyday, and for being willing to build a life with me, everyday.

Thank you for our family, and everything you do to keep us safe, and healthy, and happy.

Most of all, thank you for you. You are everything I could want in a partner, and I am beyond blessed to have you here with me. Happy Anniversary.