Fatherhood

Fatherhood...what an amazing thing. There's so many facets to being a father, most of which I have yet to experience. However, if what I've already been through is any indication of what is to come, then I'm eagerly looking forward to it. Right now, my experiences are limited to diaper changing, burping, the occasional bottle feeding, and spending some time with her on the playmat. The rewards, though, are growing rapidly with Olivia smiling more and her responding more to little games that we play. There are two things I look forward to: When Olivia says "good morning" to me with her morning smile and when I come home from work and am greeted with another smile from her. It's so cliche to say, but it makes everything worth while when she smiles (and squeals). Like so many other fathers out there, I have a laundry list of things I want to teach my daughter. I know I'll have to be realistic in that she may not necessarily enjoy these things as much as I do, but she won't know if she likes it unless she tries (wow, now that's a "parent" thing to say). I'd like to show her how to flyfish the way my dad taught me...except it'll have to be up in the mountain streams of New Mexico instead of the streams of northern lower Michigan. I'd like to teach her how to snowboard...Amanda and I have only been one time, but I loved it and with the ski resorts only four hours away, it would be a fun thing for us to do as a family. I just hope I can keep up with her once she gets the hang of it. I want to take her storm chasing with me so she can learn to respect Mother Nature. The list goes on and on, but I won't bore you with the detaisl, but if I had to summarize everything, it would be the words in the chorus of a song called "Zoe Jane" by the rock group Staind:

I want to hold you
Protect you from all of the things I've already endured
I want to show you, show you all the things that this life has in store for you
I'll always love you
The way that a father should love his daughter

I love you, Olivia Raine.