Evolution...yes I'm a believer!

Evolution…do I believe in it? You better believe I do. There is no other explanation for what I have witnessed over the past forth-eight months of my life. Now that I have let the cat out of the bag…forty-eight months is obviously not enough time for a monkey to turn into a man, so I am obviously talking about an evolution of a different kind. The evolution that I have come to believe in is the evolution of Superheroes. If nothing else, I have gained your attention. First you questioned why I believe in evolution, but now you are thinking that I have lost my mind, because Superheroes are only in cartoons. Stick with me and I think you will soon agree.

Forty-eight months ago is about the time we determined my wife was pregnant with our first child. I did not realize how much our lives were about to change. Yes, it was a change for the better, but adding kids to a relationship is a huge change.

As with anything that evolves, I really did not notice the changes at first, but I can still remember when I began to believe in evolution. It was during the early morning hours of October 17, 2006 and our daughter had been in the world about 24 hours. We had been without sleep for what seemed like an eternity. I had seen my wife go from my bride to also being the mother of my beautiful daughter…a small step in the evolutionary process. I can still remember laying on that window-seat in the hospital room thinking, “how can she be so strong… it is like watching the evolution of a superhero.”

That was just the beginning, because that thought has only grown stronger the longer I live with and walk alongside this amazing woman. After we got home, there were the late night feedings and nights with minimal amounts of sleep. I remembered other couples talking about the “sleepless nights”, but I experienced very few of them personally. Why, because I married someone that was evolving into a superhero. She was and is able to function on an amount of rest that would have thrown me into a comma. Why, because I am obviously not a superhero. I am just blessed to be what every good superhero needs, I good sidekick.

As I watched Casey begin to mother our child, I was amazed and wondered how we could possibly care for and love another child with the care and love that she showed to Chloe. Then, we found out that Casey was pregnant again. The first trimester is always the most difficult (or so I hear) and this just gave me the opportunity to witness another step in the evolutionary process that I have seen take place in the life of my bride. As her energy waned she still had to try to keep up with a toddler (who during this time had a broken leg and only wanted to be held and carried). I saw her not only survive this time, but thrive during it by providing the love and care that went above and beyond.

Then, sixteen months ago, we were blessed by the birth of our second child…easy for a superhero mom, but not quite so easy for a simple-minded sidekick. As we spent those nights in the hospital and cared for our precious baby girl, my wife picked up as if she had being caring for a newborn all along and she had forgotten nothing. As we introduced the “Big Sister” to her new baby sister, it was amazing to watch the care that Casey showed both girls. I was so worried about how our first child would react that it was probably sometimes to the neglect of our new blessing…though I loved her immensely. It took some time for me to adjust and Casey was encouraging during this time but also gave me the time that I needed…and it didn’t take long for me to fall in love with that second precious little baby girl.

For anyone who has tried to care for a newborn and a two year old, you know that it can be a challenge. This is a challenge that my wife took on every day. She not only took on the challenge daily, but she overcame the challenge and I have had the privilege of watching our two beautiful girls thrive because they have a superhero for a mom.

I will fast-forward to what prompted me to begin writing down these thoughts (which I started back in November). One of the worst things that could ever happen to a parent is to feel helpless in the care of your child. That is exactly what happened to us on October 30^th at 8:30 P.M. Our youngest daughter had not been feeling well and had begun to run a fever. The fever spiked, causing her to have a seizure while in Casey’s arms.

We immediately called 911 and before the ambulance could get there I was able to once again witness another step in the evolutionary process. Calm, cool, and collected…exactly what my wife was and precisely what I probably was not. As I would make runs to the driveway to “look for the ambulance” (a.k.a. remove myself from the situation) she was on the phone with the operator and administering the care that our precious little girl needed. It is a care that she shows to our girls every hour of every day, but it was amplified in this time of crisis (or so it seemed to us at the moment). After spending a few nights in the hospital, it was determined that she was fine and she has experienced no other symptoms since that initial incident.

I do not have a wife that will ever get an “official” recognition from her employer. My wife will never share with me that she has gotten a raise and she will be bringing home more money in her paycheck. I do not have a wife that is striving to climb the corporate ladder, although I am sure would be able to climb more quickly than most. I have a wife that gets paid everyday in pictures painted, pages colored, and prayers uttered. This is a paycheck that I would not trade for anything in the world.

Making the decision for Casey to stay at home with our girls is one that we made long before they came into this world. It is a decision that was instilled in us by the example that we both grew up under. It was a decision we talked about while dating and committed to even before September 21, 2002 when we became husband and wife.

It is a decision that I would never turn back on and one I know I will never regret. It pays dividends every day and I know it will continue to pay those dividends long into the future (I would argue for eternity).

This is a lot of bragging on my wife, but for that I do not make any apologies. She deserves all of the praise that I have given her here and much more that I fail to give her on a daily basis. I have mentioned nothing about clean clothes, pressed shirts, hot meals, an orderly house, or any of the other things that often go unmentioned or under praised.

Many have probably witnessed a similar evolutionary process, but they may not have realized it. It is only when one slows down enough to take note of what is going on that they can recognize what is right in front of them. Truth be told, it probably has not been an evolution in her, but in my perception and the realization that I have come to of what a wonderful woman I married. I would encourage everyone to slow down and recognize the treasure that is waiting to be found in the ones you love. I have tried to do that more and more and every time I do... I see something else that amazes me about the one I call my wife.