(Originally posted April 16, 2009)

It's now been two months since the stroke (as of yesterday at around 8:45 p.m.). That's not why I didn't post; that was a function of the fact that I worked 13.5 hours and still am struggling with a head cold. But instead of doing yet another repetitive update (everything's fine, although we're still both struggling to get used to J.J.'s CPAP), I thought I'd take this opportunity to convince everyone that I have the most awesomely incredible husband ever.

Since I'm a list maker, I'm going to do this list style. So in no particular order:

1. He loves his family more than anything else in this world.

2. He still has a close relationship with his mother.

2a. And he doesn't object to me having a close relationship with my mother (sometimes probably a little too close. My mother tends to forget sometimes that the umbilical cord was severed 30 years ago. Don't object, Mom, you know it's true).

3. He's done all the daycare drop offs and pickups since he got his license back, just so he can help to relieve my stress load.

4. His hugs make me instantly relax, and no matter where we are, I'm home when I'm in his arms.

5. His hair is out-of-control-crazy and it's still so cool on him.

6. He checks with me anytime he's going to spend more than $100 (outside of our normal recurring bills).

7. He has amazing taste in books and music.

8. He only sees the need to have one pair of shoes at a time but doesn't gripe at me about my collection (78 pairs and counting!)

9. I have a vivid memory of him leaping from the car one day when I was dropping him off at work (when he worked at the State Government Center) in the rain to help an old man with a cane get across the rain-slickened bricks. It was so Supermanish.

10. Even with no makeup, hair in a ponytail and sweats, I'm always beautiful when I'm with him.

11. He lets his daughter put lipgloss and clip-on earrings on him. It takes a true man for this.

12. He has the perfect mouth. His lips are full and red, his teeth are white and straight. It's like a movie star mouth. And when he smiles, it's one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen.

13. He is so incredibly smart. Brilliant. And even after the stroke, he may not be able to remember the words to express certain ideas, but they're still rattling around in that head. It was only two days after he came home from rehab that we had a conversation about Edward Liddy, G. Gordon Liddy, what G. Gordon is up to now and whether or not they're related. Go figure.

14. He's teaching his son to be a gentleman. Including the necessity to always, always put the toilet seat down.

15. When I was having trouble with my abcessed tooth and couldn't sleep, he sat up with me at night to make sure I was okay.

16. He loves my ambition and drive and has no problem taking a support role so I can get ahead.

17. His sense of humor is quirky, dry and offbeat, much like my own. And hasn't been stripped away by the stroke. I don't know if I wrote about this in the blog already, but the day he was moved from the ICU to the medical unit in the hospital, a nurse left a flashlight on his bedside table (I think she was using it to check his pupils, maybe?). I was talking on the phone and he was trying to get my attention. So he picked it up, said, "Psst!" and when I turned toward him, shined it in my eyes. It was just a little piece of his personality at a time when I really needed to see it.

18. He loves to collect rubber duckies and anything that has floating ducks (like those clear Lucite tumblers and soap dispensers and whatnot). It's just so unexpected it's cute.

19. He's sentimental. If you've ever wondered why he wears that silver chain, it's because I gave it and a St. Christopher medal to him for Christmas the first year we dated. The St. Christopher fell off a while ago, but he still wears that chain. Almost 12 years later.

20. He hates the taste of peppermint. It's one of my favorite flavors. He still kisses me even right after I've eaten it.

21. He bought me 1200 thread count sheets for Christmas. I am rather particular about my bedding, and it makes me so happy to know that he is willing to indulge me once in a while. Especially since he had 200 thread count (ick, ick!) sheets on his bed when we started dating. Like sandpaper, they were.

22. He knows what my order is from almost any restaurant in town and when I'm working from home, he used to run home on his lunch hour to drop off lunch unannounced, then he'd turn around and go right back to work.

23. He spent longer researching the most beneficial martial arts school for Eli to attend than I spent researching which college to attend.

24. When my back was bothering me last year, he took Leah to almost all of her gymnastics classes, just so I wouldn't have to suffer in silence on those metal bleachers.

25. He writes the most beautiful love letters.

26. He's an awesome cook and is now managing to make extremely healthy meals taste pretty darn good.

27. His socks are always in the middle of the floor. His glasses are always smudged. And he needs a shave five minutes after his last shave. He's not perfect, but he's even more lovable for his imperfections.

28. He's allergic to our cat, but he's figured out how to live with him because he knows how much I love Zeke.

29. My very least favorite household chore is cleaning the shower, so he does it for me most of the time.

30. I could go on forever, but I need to get some sleep tonight, so I'll make this the last one. Today a box arrived at my office via Fed Ex just as I was getting ready to leave. Inside was a pair of diamond baguette channel-set hoop earrings and a beautiful green quartz ring. Just because he loves me and wanted to make me happy. And he did. And he does, every single day.

And that's why I think my husband is the best husband. And if you don't agree (I understand some of you might be biased!) I think you can at least agree with me on this; that's why he's the best husband for me.