Father's Day, Part 2

Tyler,

As Abby gets older, she will come to realize how great of dad she has.  Right now, she only knows that she adores you and that you light up her days.  I want her to know how invested and in love with her you were from the very beginning.  Although this post is dedicated to you, I am writing a letter to her.

Abrielle,


Your daddy loved you before you were born. From the minute we found out that we were pregnant, he walked taller, and had a permanent smile on his face.  People told us that he got the pregnancy glow that most women get. We went to Mexico when I was 8 weeks pregnant with you, and let me tell you, everyone in Jalisco and P.V knew that I was pregnant!  He was just so proud and excited, and didn't care who knew it. 

The first time we heard your little heart beat, at 13 weeks, he was sitting at the end of the doctor's table.  The minute the Doppler picked up your little gallop, he squeezed my ankle and a tear or two might have escaped.  He proceeded to come to every appointment after that so that he could hear that precious sound one more time, and would talk on and on about how happy it made him to hear it.

At our first ultrasound, I told him he wasn't allowed to peak at the screen until I could see it too, and he promised that he wouldn't.  Abby, this is probably one of the only promises that he has broken to me, because he was just too excited and had to see your little body.  He teared up when he saw your little black and white picture, and marvelled at how perfect you were already.

He was so excited about you that he downloaded a website on his phone that would update him about your changes in utero week to week.  He proudly shared this information with me, and anyone else who would listen to him, and insisted that other father's to be get this application.  He would try little tricks that he learned from the website on me (like shining a flashlight on my belly to see if you would kick at it).

As you grew and so did my I, his dreams for you did too.  He talked all the time of the things that he wanted to teach you and show you, traditions he wanted to start with you, and things he hoped you loved as much as he did.  You Dad is generally great at compromising, but when it comes to you, he really puts his foot down.  You are his little girl.

The minute you were born, you were his entire world.  The man who often scoffed that people worried too much about their kids would suddenly be sneaking into your room to ensure that you were safe and breathing.  His big hands would manipulate your little body into sleepers with ease, he changed diapers with (rarely) any complaints, and cherished your time together when he gave you one bottle a day. He loved to show you off to people, and loved dressing you in his "favourite" outfits.  He would call during the day while he was at work just to see how his "little girl" was doing.

Every milestone you hit, he has been there cheering you on all the way, and praising you on your success. Now that you are getting older and developing even more of a personality, his protective side is showing through.  You are in for a world of frustration as you get older, and god help your first date.  You'll be mad at him then, but just know it is because he loves you so much, and he doesn't want to share you.

When you are older, and think that your father is uncool, unfair, or unyielding, please look back on this letter, and other times from your childhood and realize how lucky you are, and how loved you are.  You are the luckiest little girl in the entire world.  As you get older, you will probably never have a moment where you realize how much your father loves you, because it will be such a constant in your life you will most likely take it for granted.  And that's a good thing.