"O.V.L."

Seven years! It's been seven years since my wife Annia and I became parents to our daughter Vanaé and here we are once again happily expecting another daughter within the month. Seven years is a big gap between two kids, but it was very much needed on our end as a couple.

The story of our relationship is anything but a conventional one, from Annia and I getting matching tattoos just two days into knowing each other, to me getting on one knee and proposing at the three-month mark of our relationship. At that time it was safe to say we only knew one speed when it came to our love and that was simply, pedal to the metal!

Shortly after our engagement though we were met with the biggest obstacle we would see as a couple, even 'til this day. Annia was set to start her doctoral program in Lubbock, Texas at Texas Tech University and I was continuing my professional boxing career here in San Antonio... a three-year long distance relationship had begun.

This is a happy post so I will spare you guys the trials and tribulations we experienced during that time, but by the end of those three years we honestly felt like as a newly married couple we needed to get to know each other all over again. We got married in 2017 and Annia was pregnant within three weeks of our marriage.

Again, we only know one speed haha.

After Vanaé was born, we made it a goal to prioritize our relationship and make up for all the time we had spent away from each other during those past three years. We slowed down our lifestyle and focused on our family life at home. We were finally together in the same city and we were going to make the most of it this time. We had to figure out what worked for us as a couple and what worked for our daughter. Needless to say, the thought of bringing another life into this world during that time was out of the question for us.

I cannot tell you how important that decision was for us as a couple and as a family. We have come to see over the years that not everyone prioritizes work/life balance in their relationship and let me be the first to tell you, YOU SHOULD!

My wife and I chose each other during this time and we also chose to give full parental attention to our daughter Vanaé, which is something we feel every child should experience if they have the opportunity.

Skip ahead seven years and we find ourselves here, ready to make the next jump in our relationship as an established family this time. Annia and I are seven years older, seven years wiser, and most importantly seven years more devoted to each other. We always heard, "there is no perfect time to have another child", but honestly, I feel we have found it.

Does this mean things will be easy? Of course not, but with everything we have been through as a couple, the one thing we know is that we are great together and we can bet on ourselves. Our relationship story is a great one and we cannot wait to add another member to our awesome Leija family; starting the next chapter of our life as a family.