Husband takeover...what could go wrong?
Guest host boasts about wife he loves to toast
Shoutout to the Editor in Chief of the Howard Family for trusting me to do a guest post1 this week. I am Grant Howard (36/m/fairfax va), the lucky person who gets to pretend to be an adult with Emily. If you know anything about me, you know how much I love my family. In the spirit of Valentine’s Day, I want to use this platform to talk about my amazing wife.
I struggle with being harsher on myself than I am on other people. When I’m feeling down, I try to take on an outsider’s perspective. I’m fortunate to have a house we can afford, an amazing family, plenty of friends, and jobs that we generally enjoy.
Emily can struggle with the same distortion of self. When her anxiety and depression are getting the best of her, my hope is she could see herself the way I see her. When I see Emily, I see a fighter, willing to do anything to build her perfect family.
In October 2018, after months and months of trying to get pregnant, Emily broke down crying on the W&OD trail walking back from her birthday party at Vienna’s Oktoberfest. This was the first time I realized how much the fertility process was weighing on her.
After finally getting pregnant in December2 2018, we lost our baby girl Phoenix in April 2019 halfway through the pregnancy. Emily and I were devastated. It felt like our lives would never get back to normal. The grief of a stillborn child didn’t stop her.
The entire pregnancy with Henry was stressful. The thought of having another loss was constant, and unbearable. The anxiety of another stillbirth didn’t stop her.
When we started trying for another child, it was taking longer than expected. More negative pregnancy tests. More disappointment. We were so excited to have a positive test while in Greece for a friend’s wedding.3 But the ensuing miscarriage at 10 weeks hurt, a lot. The heartbreak of a second pregnancy loss didn’t stop her.
After our miscarriage, we met with Shady Grove Fertility and began several rounds of IUI. We would start each cycle with optimism, quickly turning to disappointment after every failed round. At this point, we started IVF.
I lost count of how many shots Emily has taken throughout our fertility journey. I cannot imagine going through that process. I know I would’ve been tempted to quit.
This process has been a rollercoaster for us, but mostly Em. I’ve been a witness and participant, but she’s the one doing it physically. Through the highs and lows, she keeps putting one foot in front of the other. Heartbreak after heartbreak. Shot after shot. Disappointment after disappointment. She fights for our family.
I am so proud to be her husband. If I could get you anything for Valentine’s Day, I’d want you to see yourself the way I see you. I love you and I like you!
The 2023 Baltimore Orioles entered the season projected to win 74 games, based on the PECOTA projections. They defied the odds to win the AL East, winning 101 games, most in the American League. The 2024 Orioles are returning the majority of the 2023 team, but add 2021 Cy Young Award winner Corbin Burnes and the #1 prospect in baseball, Jackson Holiday. There are no limits to how high these birds will fly in 2024! Go O’s!
Editor’s Note: This unfortunately does not meet the rigorous standards for Bird Facts that Good Egg subscribers have come to know and love. Discerning readers may recall this post from Grant’s birthday where I featured a real bird fact about the Baltimore Oriole (bird) not the Baltimore Orioles (baseball team).
Go Yankees!
Editor’s Note: The subtitle Grant chose is very Ice Town Costs Ice Clown His Town Crown.
Editor’s Note: Specifically December 13, Taylor Swift’s birthday.
Editor’s Note: Specifically June 26, Derek Jeter’s birthday. What is it with me taking pregnancy tests on my favorite celebrities’ birthdays?
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