Can We Talk?

I understand that there has been a lot on our plate but as a woman I am an emotional person. A simple conversation that he seems interested in (other then sports, work or cars) makes all the difference to me. There are times that I am talking to him and I'm looking at him waiting for him to say something, agree/disagree, nod, something and it's like talking to a wall! I get nothing! Does he even know I'm staring at him waiting for a response? Is my husband the only one like this? 

This has been an issue for us in the past but it seems like it just becomes more common. When this happens I just stay quiet and tune out. I know he feels me when I shut him out and he doesn't like it. Maybe he'll catch on how it feels then, yea right! All it does is causes more issues between us. 

He use to be the romantic type but somewhere down the line he changed. 

For our anniversary I bought 5 date nights for us, put them each in envelopes and gave them to him. I was hoping this could take us back to our dating time. The dates ranged from massage classes to a murder mystery dinner. So far we've done 2 and that's only because I was bugging him about them. Has he asked anything about them since the last date? Nope. To be honest he's never asked about going on any of them unless I press him about it. Who is this man? 

I am very vocal about my feelings on all this to him and he just sees it as I'm "nitpicking," then tries to tell me that I'm not the same either. Of course when I ask him to give me an example of what's different about me, he can't think of any. We just got round in circles with this topic. 

I remember before he use to give me cards every Monday. No occasion was needed. He would hide them in my car for me to find and behind every card he'd either draw a pic or right a funny comment on the back that only him and I would get. And the flowers he would always send me. Everyone at work looked at me with envy that he would send them to me just in time for the last delivery to be making it's way into the trash. Him taking the time to make my day like this would mean the world to me! I saved each card he's given me and from time to time I take them out and read all of them. To be honest, it hurts when I read them. Where did this man go? 

I get glimpses of him but he never stays long. 

There is no shame in saying, hey, my marriage isn't perfect there are things we need to work on or there are somethings that I don't like right now. This just happens to be one of the things we need to work on and that I don't like. 

I want to feel like my spouse is not only willing to put the effort he once did to make me feel special but I want him to be happy to do it. Doe this make me selfish?

The majority of my Monday cards