Page 72 of Finn

Maybe my enthusiasm is contagious, because the whole team has been playing really well. If we keep this up, we’ll definitely make the playoffs this year.

And then we do.

But that’s a story for another day.

In July, one day after our one-year anniversary, Sammie goes into labor.

She’s the calm one.

I’m a mess.

“What do we do now?” I blather, standing helplessly in the middle of the kitchen, looking left and right.

Holding her back, her cute belly protruding out, Sammie waves me on with her free hand. “Go get the car key, Finn. We’ve gone through this routine a dozen times. Just stick with the plan.”

We have run through our plan for when she went into labor a ton of times, but now that it’s actually happening, I’m stressing more than I expected to.

I actually have to practice taking calming breaths right along with Sammie all the way out to the car.

And then we forget her bag inside the house.

“Shit.”

She laughs and assures me, “It’s okay. Everything is going to be fine.”

I sure hope so, I think as I run back into the house to get the bag.

And then, it’s the craziest thing—once I’m in the car again, I suddenly calm down and slide into “I’ve got this” mode.

I’m good after that.

In fact, I’m the picture of calm all through labor and delivery.

But then, ten hours later, when I hold my daughter for the first time, I lose it.

“She’s beautiful,” I whisper as tears stream down my cheeks.

What amazes me is how much I love her right from the start—little Grace Amanda, the name we chose months ago.

In the years that follow, we give Grace two little brothers. It’s funny how the house I once thought was too big is now just right.

Sammie finally has the family she so very much wanted.

I do, too, and the level of happiness and contentment I feel can’t even be put into words.

Another milestone is that Sammie is finally “at peace.” She doesn’t question happiness anymore, or if she deserves it—she embraces it.

It took a long time to reach this point, and I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that there were rough patches along the way.

But you know what?

I wouldn’t change a single second of our lives for anything in the world.

Sammie and I and our three beautiful children are living proof that love really does conquer all.