Hi there everyone. I am hoping that you are enjoying Marin's blog during my hiatus as primary poster for the family. I think Matthew is doing an awesome job keeping up with the goings on in the Rorex household, while I focus on getting my own body and soul back to normal. I hope I don't embarrass him by bragging on him too much. But I just wanted to let everyone know how lucky I am.

First and foremost, Matthew is my absolute best friend. It didn't start out like that. We were at each others throats the entire first year we were married. I guess we weren't like your typical "newlyweds". We are both stubborn as all get out, so it took us a while to figure out how to merge our very dominate personalities and get into a rhythm as a family of 2.

I have heard all these horror stories about how having a baby changes things within a relationship. Noooo, are you serious?! We just thought that we'd bring another human being into this world, adding a 3rd person to our household, and we wouldn't even notice a difference. ha.ha. Give me a break. We KNEW that having a baby would change things. I just didn't know it would change things for the better. Yes, we're sleep deprived and hoping that Marin gets on a schedule sometime soon. But, I can think of no one that I'd rather be in the trenches of new parenthood with than Matthew. He's always pulled his weight around here and then some, even though he has a full time job outside the home and I don't. I hear a lot of women complain that their husbands don't do anything at home to help out. Matthew is just the opposite. He always does whatever is asked of him and is a very neat person to begin with. I just can't relate to tales of men that don't pick up their dirty socks out of the floor or leave the bathroom sink dirty. Matthew has picked up after himself since day 1.

Having a baby and me not feeling myself from having said baby has made me appreciate Matthew even more. Not only is he still picking up after himself, he's picked up the slack around here big time. He is constantly picking up after Marin and me. I haven't had to pick up a broom, put away a dish, or vacuum anything since coming home from the hospital. I secretely dreaded being home from the hospital because I figured we'd sit around in filth for a couple weeks until I felt like doing something about it. Not true in the least. Other than considerably more clutter that just comes from having a baby at your house in general, our house is still "clean" even by high standards. Matthew was so sweet about the whole thing when we first got home from the hospital. He said something along the lines of, "I know that you do a lot of work around here to keep our house clean and I don't notice all that you do and how you do it. So, if there is something that needs to be done, please just say so." Now that we've been home 5 days I can say that he's definitely kept true to his word.

Not only has he picked up the slack by doing my "chores", he has still kept up with his own things such as mowing our yard. He also has taken good care of our dog, keeping her on her normal schedule as much as possible and as such I think she barely notices Marin's homecoming. He has been great to let me sleep as much as I need to. I've at least gotten 8 hours of sleep every day since we've been home. Now how many new mothers can say that?! I'm not talking about crappy sleep either. I'm talking ear plugs in, fan running, Matthew sequesters himself in the nursery with the baby sleep. Right now, we're working in shifts. We have developed a system that seems to be working for us where we sleep 4 hours, then take over for the other person for 4, then sleep 4 more hours. We both want to make sure we get 8 hours of sleep. As new parents I know this is very hard to do. Marin is so cute and we want to just stay up and play with him all the time. But, we figure if we are well rested, we'll be better suited to take care of him and each other.

Matthew is the perfect father to Marin. I can't belive how well he's doing with him. I think that it is an unfair generalization to say that men know nothing about babies and that mothers are better suited to care for them. Fathers can be just as important to a new baby, especially during those first couple critical weeks when mom is recovering as well. Matthew was a great partner during my pregnancy, labor, and delivery and he has been an awesome dad since we got home. He can change a dirty diaper just as well as I can. He knows how to comfort Marin when he is sad. He can make his food, burp him, and dress him. I haven't had to tell him how to do any of this either. He's a natural at it. I will grudgingly admit that he can swaddle him wayyy better than I can too.

And ladies, if you have ever seen anything more romantic than your husband snuggling with your newborn and talking sweetly to him, I'd sure like to know about it! I love Matthew more every single minute that he spends with Marin. I know there are going to be bumps along this road to parenthood, just like there are in any marriage before kids. But, I don't think that Marin is going to be a detriment to our marriage. I think he has already added to it in so many ways. Having a baby is like any other big change in your life. If you go into it with eyes wide open and work together on it, it can be a very positive change.

I just wanted to let you all know how lucky I was and brag on Matthew a bit. He's more than I could ever ask for in a husband and Marin is soooo lucky to have him as a dad. I don't know what I did to deserve such a sweet man but I hope that I am found worthy of his love, attention, and patience over the next few weeks. Yes, for those of you who know me, I'm bawling my eyes out right now. ha.ha. So, thank you Matthew from the bottom of my heart. And, I hope I didn't humiliate you too badly by posting this in a public forum. But, there are too many times that I read negative stories of new dads and I wanted to say that you have been a resounding POSITIVE since we saw that plus sign on the pregnancy test and for that I will always be greatful.