For the past four years, the holidays have been unbelievably special for me because of my daughter. She'll be four next month and she's just getting to the age where she can begin to appreciate Christmas and the tradition of it. More than ever, my time with her is so incredibly precious to me.

The years since her birth seem to have flown by. As some of you may know, my daughter was unplanned, but completely loved and wanted. It's funny because although I've steadfastly resisted the idea of marriage, I have always known that I wanted a child. Specifically, a daughter. As early as my pre-teen years I'd thought about one day being a parent to a beautiful baby girl. I wasn't sure when it would happen or under what circumstances. And to be clear, it is something that I, literally, thought about constantly. I would daydream about how I would interact with her and how she would look and act.

So when she finally arrived, it was like a realization of something I'd been longing for...

The day she was born, I held her with trembling hands... unable to really believe what her being here meant. And thru misty eyes and a shaky voice, I said, "I've been waiting for you my whole life."

And it felt like the truest thing I've eversaid.

I am so incredibly thankful for her.

For the past four years, the holidays have been unbelievably special for me because of my daughter. She'll be four next month and she's just getting to the age where she can begin to appreciate Christmas and the tradition of it. More than ever, my time with her is so incredibly precious to me.

The years since her birth seem to have flown by. As some of you may know, my daughter was unplanned, but completely loved and wanted. It's funny because although I've steadfastly resisted the idea of marriage, I have always known that I wanted a child. Specifically, a daughter. As early as my pre-teen years I'd thought about one day being a parent to a beautiful baby girl. I wasn't sure when it would happen or under what circumstances. And to be clear, it is something that I, literally, thought about constantly. I would daydream about how I would interact with her and how she would look and act.

So when she finally arrived, it was like a realization of something I'd been longing for...

The day she was born, I held her with trembling hands... unable to really believe what her being here meant. And thru misty eyes and a shaky voice, I said, "I've been waiting for you my whole life."

And it felt like the truest thing I've eversaid.

I am so incredibly thankful for her.

it's a shame that all fathers can't or won't express their feelings like you just did[Edited 11/30/07 12:53pm]