How can someone so small sap the strength of the strongest man. Nothing compares to the ability of a newborn baby to liquefy the heart of a father or grandfather. There is something intangible about a baby that affirms love with complete precision.
I was struck by the fact that babies are serious business. I knew that girls baby bedding screams ‘practical’ and not ‘party’. I was thinking sporting goods and bikes rather than bassinets and cribs. I was already thinking like a father that wants his kid to get presents that he can share.
I was in a room littered with everything from clothes to a britax car seat. None of which come with remote control. There was a lot of pink in that room and the center of attention was rubbing her tummy. There was that smile. That glow that people are always talking about but I never quite understood. Until that very moment.
Long after my wife went to bed I moved the bedding collections from the table to the couch. I sat in front of the computer with a full heart and clear screen. That is where my emotional record keeping began. It ended when my daughter was born and came home from the hospital and I was officially a father.
I am not an emotional guy. To me it was simply magical that we could make a life. I wrote about life, love, loss, sharing and other things that I wanted to share with my baby. It grew to be a collection of ordinary thoughts from an average man, about an extraordinary mother and daughter.
The heavy stuff would fill her life without me discussing it. I hit on the important knowledge. I counseled her on manners, boys, saving for a rainy day and making wise choices. My advice was not too original. It was basically me putting a spin on the lessons I learned from my parents. After all that is where we harvest our best curriculum for life.
I told her about why I loved her mother so she would know what a man should love about her. I told her what qualities her mother had that would keep me by her side if she weighed 300 pounds or was paralyzed. I described a love that trumps exterior beauty, wealth, and talents. I told her about the love a man can have for a child he has yet to hold in his arms and why that man would never let go.