You wont remember the balloons or the cake. You won’t remember your crazy adopted uncles and aunts singing to you. To be honest you won’t remember much of anything for the next couple of years, so I wanted to let you know about your first one on this earth.
You made me tear up from the very first second I held you. I remember being in the recovery room with you right after you were born. As the nurse read your measurements I couldn’t take my eyes off you. I thought about your two grandfathers that are no longer with us. I thought about the first time you’ll pick up a basketball, put on a Gi, or tell me about a girl. As all these scenarios ran through my mind tears starting forming in my eyes. I couldn’t believe I had a son. I stared at you until the nurse told me they needed you back for some more test, and anxiously waited for you to meet your mom for the first time.
When you came home your mom and I were scared to death. We handled you like an egg fearing that any sudden movement might break your small body. Despite seeing the nurses at the hospital flip you around like a gymnast we were still extremely cautious. Eventually through the late nights, the explosive poop, and the projectile vomit we started to figure it out. One day you looked at me and smiled, and I swear to this day I can’t accurately describe the feeling I had at that moment in words.
Then came the laughter and the hugs. When I’m driving home from the gym my goal some days is just to get home before you go to bed. Every morning you wake up I’m already patiently waiting for you. I never thought I could love anything as much as I love you, but you proved me wrong from our first moment alone in the recovery room to right now as I write this.
We have a long way to go Bryce. There’s so much that I can’t wait to teach you. How to dream big regardless of what anyone else says. How to give back and understand there’s always someone, somewhere that has it worst than you. How to get up no matter how hard you get knocked down. How to be your own man, and take a different path from the sheep that will try to get you to follow. I wanted to keep this short so I’ll honor my word.
Happy Birthday Bryce I’m going to end up eating most of your cake this Saturday, but there will be plenty in the years to come. Thanks for coming into our lives I love you son.
