Romance after Babies

It's funny how life can change so much that sometimes it's hard to even remember what it use to be like.  Now, we are Tyler and Olivia's mom and dad. Before,  we were the couple that took random weekend trips and went to the store at midnight because we wanted something sweet before bed. 

I remember the 1st time I saw Franklin.  My mom introduced us. He was in his music studio, long hair, and flirty smile. I was 17 and he was 25. He barely spoke English. None of this mattered to me.  I walked out of the studio that day and said "Mom, he's going to be my boyfriend one day."

November 18, 2008

Text messages started pouring in in the middle of the night. He didn't even ask. He basically just said "you are my girlfriend now" I was so excited.  Poor Sam, I woke her up because I needed to tell someone what was happening.  

The beginning of our relationship was rough. Many, many people did not agree with us being together. "He is too old" "He doesn't have a real job" "You guys are so different" I nodded.  I fought.  I ignored.  I had never felt the way I felt with Franklin. 

We had been dating for about 8 months before I left for college. To be honest, part of me thought that would be the end for us.  Guess what? It wasn't!

Less than 5 years later we were married. 10 years later, we are here. Tyler and Olivia's mom and dad. That's us.

Who would have told us 10 years ago that we would have been here? We have 2 amazing kids. We own a home. Franklin is living his dream and singing all over the world with Marc Anthony and I spend my days with my babies and starting my tutoring business. Our lives have evolved and so has our relationship. 

We are not the same. Things change. We are the couple that bicker about everything but fight about nothing. We use to laugh about inappropriate jokes and now we laugh about baby talk. We use to cuddle and wake up with morning kisses and now we have a bed full of kids. We touch toes to remind each other of the days when it was just the two of us. 

The last 3 years have been filled with babies, babies, babies. Sometimes it's hard to remember what we were. There are days that I miss those days. Days where I wish we could go out and not talk about kids or stress. There are days where I wish I could take off my "mom" hat and go back to my "carefree girlfriend" hat. I know that won't happen anytime soon. I am okay with that for now. 

I know that, in the blink of an eye, our bed will soon be empty. Our nights will go back to a dinner for 2 instead of a crazy bedtime routine. Our mornings will be quiet instead of filled with crazy pancakes.  So, for now,  I'll take the change.  I'll embrace the chaos. 

To my husband:

I loved you then with a crazy, unexplainable passion. That has changed. I love you now more than before. We are different. We have changed but we have grown together. I'll take the good with the bad. I'll take the tough days because the good days are oh so good. 

I don't know where the next 10 years will take us. I don't want to think that far.  I love you now. Mas que mucho y mucho mas.