The Day Is Almost Here

Dear Buddy,

You are scheduled to enter this world tomorrow morning around 8:00 and your mother and I are beyond excited to finally meet you. Your two sisters and Nana are just as anxious to see you too, and you will meet them after you have a bath, meal, and a change of attire that you haven't needed until now. The world we live in stands at the ready for our phone call and email telling them you are now with us. Your birth is on the minds of so many who, you will learn, have already started loving you.

Our lives have been blessed by you and soon we won't hardly recognize the world that we lived in without you. What you need to know is too hard for me to sit and write down today. Your mom and I will teach you a few things once in a while that you won't understand, but we hope that someday you will remember those life lessons that all kids learn the hard way and make good choices going forward. I know that I am going to make mistakes with you (your sisters can attest to that) but I promise to do my best not to scar you for life in any shape or fashion. When I falter, and I will, try to remember that I'm not just your Dad but that I'm also flawed like everyone else. If you could also remember that I love you with every fiber of my being, maybe my missteps won't seem so awful.

You will find out that you have the most amazing sisters in the whole world. Emily and Samantha have been kissing your mother's belly since the day we could see you moving around inside mommy and they have loved you and the thought of you for a long time. Try to see them for the sweet and gentle souls they really are and not as the source of constant competition for our affection. The girls are very smart and loving, but there will be times when you will question every ounce of that. Please don't. They will always be there to love and protect you even if it seems that they'd rather set you on the curb for trash pickup. Your sisters have wanted you in their world just as much as mommy and me.

If I could share some words about your mother, you would find that I couldn't find enough adjectives to describe the beautiful woman and person that I married 11 years ago. Mommy is a loving, generous, creative, intelligent, and strong woman who is devoted to her children even as she works to provide a life for us all that takes her away from the house each day. You won't have to learn much about mommy now; you've already felt her love as you grew inside the womb. Just know that her love for you and your sisters only grows stronger each day. Watch her, learn from her, and be prepared to be amazed! You are blessed to have her in your life just as much as we all are.

As I'm writing this letter to you, Buddy, I'm filled with overwhelming feelings of love for our family. You are part of that world already and I just can't wait to hold you in my arms to tell you how much that I love you. As you grow up, you will be surrounded by family and friends who couldn't wait for the day of your birth. Lucky for them and us, that day is almost here. See you soon!

Love always,
Daddy  :)