Dear my darling Haruka,
I still remember the first few seconds of your entry into this world. After papa carried you from the midwife's arms, you stopped crying when you heard papa sing "Happy Birthday to you". Your eyes begin to circle the surroundings. I was not sure if you could actually see as most babies' vision are usually blur. Yet, you actually made an attempt to explore. You may find the tune and voice familiar since papa has been singing the same song, while you were in mama's womb. Or you may notice the difference between being in the womb and being in open air. That moment of seeing you so alert in your first few minutes, gave papa a sign that you are an intelligent, perceptive child, a blessing from God. It made all of papa's hard work and preparation in the past 9 months before your birth worthwhile. It was papa's first time being a daddy and God answered my prayer that you are easy to take care of and is constantly patient to teach papa the meaning of parenting.
It was a pleasure to be home to watch you grow more clever each day. It took away daddy's stress of working in Tokyo. When I spent time to try out new games and nursery rhymes with you even at a young age of under 1 year old, you responded well. You became daddy's new companion and made daddy's sacrifices worthwhile. Daddy enjoyed thinking of new role plays to stimulate your curiosity. Each time it works as you have a deep desire to learn and possess strong observation skills. Whenever daddy has the opportunity to be back home early, daddy enjoyed going out on walks with you at the Japanese neighborhood to watch the birds and other pets. At a young age, you observe quickly the different moving objects and read the environment effectively. This inspired daddy to be a passionate daddy to continue his role to observe your learning and to try out new parenting tips. It is the very reason why this blog was created, which is to reflect on every new discovery I made with you.
Life is so much more meaningful as I watch life at a
closer distance. As I see you grow and blossom in beauty and intelligence, I am full of marvel at how precious life is. I thank God for reminding me this at the beginning of my career and role as a daddy. A wise Japanese colleague advised that I should not miss this opportunity to watch you grow from a young baby into the 1 year old girl you became. Despite my busyness at work, I put priority to remember to watch your growth and spend time playing and communicating with you. It is a precious moment to see how life fragile as it is, grows into a beautiful flower. Every step you made brought excitement to daddy. It is the thought that one day, you will become someone intelligent and important, much more than daddy. I was so impressed at your gift of languages. At a young age, you listened attentively even before age one. Daddy's investment of time in speaking bilingually in both Japanese and English with you paid off. One day, you will master many languages and charm the world with your insights and ability to build bridges with different individuals and cultures. Your acceptance of daddy is a great start in becoming that special person you were meant to be. Continue to demonstrate your perceptive understanding with patience, love abundantly and cherish all the good memories you have. Be thankful and be joyful. When you smile at these memories, your life will shine like a bright star to others. Love, Papa.
(Photos show Haruka's 1 year old studio photos. Daddy cutting his first umbilical cord. While daddy has cut the umbilical cords of all his children, it was only in Japan in this midwife's clinic that there were two midwives available. One of them was patient to take off her glove and snap this wonderful photo of you Haruka.)
No comments :
Post a Comment