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Fuzzy Blue Hippo

A Letter to My Baby on the Way

By Mark Stackpole

Your mom has asked me again and again, "Can you believe it?" I am still shaking my head in stunned and joyous disbelief. It will take my brain a while to acknowledge what my heart has known for so long. Don't take it personally. By the time you get here, I am sure that my heart, brain, intestines, lungs, eyeballs, leg muscles and everything else that I have to offer will be on the same page. It just has taken me a little longer, that's all. I tried to protect myself by pretending that I didn't care all that much when you got here or sometimes by pretending that I didn't care whether you got here at all. It didn't work. Once you get here, I will try to protect you from the rest of the world. That won't work, either. We'll have to figure it out together, I guess. Be patient – I'm happy and scared and bound to make some mistakes.

I have so much to teach you. How the Red Sox haven't won the World Series since 1918, but that we still have to root for them. How important it is that you do your math homework. How you need to follow your dreams even if they don't seem like they're going to pay all that well. How to mow the lawn while I sit in a lounge chair with a cool beverage. (Don't tell your mother about that last one.)

Want to see more?

• Fuzzy Blue Hippo: A Hopeful Dad's Wait
• Emotional Connections: Dads Start the Bonding Process at Day One
• Dad's New Role: Should a Worried Father-to-be Share His Concerns?
• Crueler Than Hope: Handling the Disappointments of Trying to Conceive
• Check out our Article Library.
• Talk about it!