Every day I look at you, and I’m reminded of how lucky we are to have you. Maybe it’s a case of “daddy goggles” but I have never seen a child shine as bright as you. You smile with your whole body, and you aren’t shy about doing it. A friend of mine said, “You can tell a child is truly loved when he smiles with his whole soul.” He’s right. We love you even more than we ever thought possible, and your smile proves that.
Right now, we have to give you medicine three times a day for your baby reflux. It’s a pretty nasty tasting liquid that we have to shoot into your mouth, and by your sour expressions, we can tell you’re not the biggest fan of it. A few weeks ago as I was giving you your medicine, your face scrunched into a scowl, as if you were going to cry. All of a sudden, that face changed from being on the verge of tears to a giant grin—which turned into a hilarious fit of laughter. I don’t know why, but you just decided that you were going to be happy.
My hope for you is that you never lose this quality, that when you're feeling down and life gets rough, you shrug it off with a smile. I want you to go out into the world and give it hell. Never give up, no matter how bad the deck is stacked against you. You won’t always be able to control what happens to you, but you’ll always be able to control how it affects you.
Our dear friend Melanie made this funny picture for us:
The original picture is you looking devilish in your crib, and we joked that it looked like you were getting ready to blast off into space. Melanie took it one step further. While this picture is hilarious for many reasons, it’s also symbolic. You’re going to go out into the world and explore new places, meet new people, and create a life of your own. You’re going to blast off into the universe with Mommy and Daddy waving goodbye as you hurl toward the stars. We will always encourage you to follow your heart and your dreams, no matter where they may take you.
We’ll also always be here if you want to come home.
I love you,
I love you,
Dad
1 comment:
holy smokes. i'm a grown man who watches predator and espn even when i'm brushing my teeth, and that just about made me cry. why aren't you writing greeting cards? because i don't know if i'll ever write anything that heart-exploding. you say how lucky you guys are to have arlo, but he obviously has all the luck in the universe to have you. now i gotta go listen to slayer to stop my lip from quivering.
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