Dear Savanna,
Congratulations, you're now a mom! I'll be honest, I have no idea how you pushed a 10-pound baby out you. There is zero doubt that I wouldn't have survived the entire birthing process. Truthfully, if the roles were reversed, you would be raising this child alone, because there is absolutely no way I would've endured what I just witnessed. You are way tougher than I will ever be, and I'm extremely proud of what we just created. And I've never experienced a more rewarding feeling than seeing you hold our son for the first time.
You and I have known each other for almost our entire lives [1], dating back to the time you failed to wave back at me in the hall in 8th grade. We've spent so many nights talking about what it would be like to be parents [2] for the first time, and finally, here we are.
Over the years, I've been able to watch you as we've experienced some of life's most blissful moments together — like the love in your eyes when we said our vows, and the excitement and disbelief in your voice when you exclaimed, "We're pregnant! [4]" But all of these wonderful milestones paled in comparison to the gleam in your eyes as you looked at our son for the first time.
You swaddled him in the blanket [5], hands still shaking from the stress of labor, and counted his little toes and fingers in perfect motherly form. I sensed the shock on your face, not from the trauma, but rather at the perfection that laid in your arms. How did we get so lucky? How did I get so lucky?
I distinctly remember feeling completely overwhelmed [7] with the new idea of being responsible for another human being. I was hardly great at feeding myself, let alone a baby. There are no books on how to be a good dad [8] (well, that isn't true, but I hadn't read them, and I probably would've just skimmed the cliffs notes, anyway). I doubted my abilities, but you know what I didn't doubt? You. Knowing you were by my side gave me all the confidence in the world that we were going to give this baby the best life possible.
You were made for this motherhood thing! We got this!
Love,
Steve