Dear Daughter - Happy Birthday - Spring 2011

Dear Daughter,

Happy Birthday Bambina!

Oh! We've had so many busy weeks recently. The weeks before you came into this world were very busy for us preparing for your arrival, and the weeks after you arrived have been so much happy work too. You're such a joyful edition to our small family. You make me so happy that you are here. Your mom came to me and told me that it's time! I got all flustered and got the car and her bag ready for the hospital and we drove at a safe but frantic pace.

I recall the very moment of your birth. Your mom was a real trooper and decided to go natural birth with no anesthesia for the pain. Well, that didn't last very long and the doctor administered a local epidural right away, just after she changed her mind about that. 🤣 I have to give her a lot of credit for considering it though.

I guess the shock of you coming into this world didn't hit me until the very moment you arrived. If I was to explain how I felt, it would be like this. Imagine that you are jumping into a really cold ocean, or lake, or even a cold shower. Think of how your breath gets taken away for an instant moment. Try and imagine that feeling while adding the butterflies from the thrill of a roller coaster going down a steep drop, all with an extreme feeling of happiness. That would be how I would explain the joyous moment of your arrival from my perspective. Let's not tell anyone, but a tear or two may have come down my cheeks. You know your dad is a softie sometimes.

I remember exactly what the nurse said the moment you were born. After calling the time on her watch, she said "Welcome to the world, sister.". I liked that. The doctor looked at your umbilical cord and stated that it was such a healthy cord. I give that credit to your mom. She really did eat very healthy and took her vitamins as well. I made sure she ate a lot of red meats.

There was one minor thing that occurred that might be considered irregular. I guess you had a case of neonatal jaundice. The doctor said this happens sometimes to Asian infants. In your case, half Asian infants. They had to put you in an incubator/tanning bed for a couple of days. They even gave you those funny glasses to wear. You were just chillin in your little glass cubical wondering what's going on, while soaking up all those good rays.

They were really nice at the hospital. Since they had a few free beds there, they invited us to stay longer, and off the record. Otherwise the insurance company would have told us to go home already. I slept on a cot and your mom slept on a hospital bed which was perfectly fine with me. She had been through a lot, and she was a real trooper that deserved it. We even got some free hospital meals. Oh joy! 😆 I guess the situation we were in would make any meal taste really delicious. Both your mom and I had off from work. My job gave me a few extra days under the table, so that was nice of them. We had plenty of time to decompress from all the excitement, and there were so many visitors from my family, and your mom's family.

When we brought you home, your bed was ready, but your mom wanted you to sleep in our bed so she could hold you and nurse you. Believe it or not, I slept on the floor because I was told it's not a good idea to sleep together, because I could roll on you in my sleep, and we wouldn't want that. I didn't mind at all. I wanted to give your mom everything she needed. To be honest, I was still a little nervous about holding you since it was all new to me.

I was right about you bringing us happiness. Our arguments seemed to have disappeared now that you are here.

I love you and your mom so much.

Love,
Your Dad