And Her Name Is Marceline

For the past few months, I was filled with a mixture of anticipation and fear. Being responsible for a child seemed so unbelievable.  Am I ready to be a father? Can I hold a baby correctly? Will I ever sleep? So many questions raced through my head convinced that I was not ready for the transition to fatherhood.

The second my wife exclaimed that her water broke in the night, my heart began racing. I knew the baby would be here soon and I wanted everything to be perfect for her. Once we made it to the birthing center, my anticipation accelerated. With each passing moment as Marceline made her descend into the world, a millions worries floated in the back of my head. I pushed them to the back of my brain as I was more focused on being there for my wife when she needed me more than ever.

When the baby arrived, all my worries dissipated. I held her in my arms, watched as her little eyes opened up to the world and knew everything would be okay. This was more than just awe-inspiring assurance. As we transitioned from the birthing center to our home, I quickly became accustom to Marceline. Changing her diaper, putting her clothes on and burping her became not only easy tasks, but moments I enjoyed. The love for my daughter triumphed over all baby jobs that may have seemed inconvenient, tough or gross. Even her crying could not deter the emotions that felt so right.

I can safely say that the coming of my first daughter is one of the happiest moments of my entire life. I have never been more proud of accomplishing the greatest feat one can hope to achieve in life. The future will bring with it moments of walking, talking and learning about the world around her. My enjoyment may wane as the bar for her development is raised with each new milestone, but my love and determination will remain strong through thick and thin. Nothing has made me feel so alive as the thrill of having a daughter. Though the future is still filled with concern with many unanswered questions abound, I’ll face them if not for the sake of being a good parent then for the pride I feel as a father.

Welcome to the world, Marceline.