One

This letter is dated 7/19/04.

Hey Baby-
I cannot WAIT for march 10 (or whenever you come out of your mommy's tummy). I have a few promises:

I promise to always love Mom no matter what.

I promise to always consult God for guidance when it comes to you and Mom.

I promise to give you my best.

You must know how loved you are already by Mom and me. I have spent the last week wondering what you will be like. I have wondered what you will be good at and what types of things you will like. Maybe you'll be good at math so you can help me when I need it (your dad needs lots of help with his math). Or maybe you'll love books like I do and we can make good trades. But whoever you turn out to be, I need you to know how your mom and I will always be there to support you and love you and to help you be the best person you can be. We pray for you every day, and you can count on our prayers for the rest of our lives.

Love,
Dad

This one is dated March 5, 2006.

Sophia,
I know that some day you will be free to seek your own love. My goal is to love you and Mommy in such a way that some day you will look for a love like mine. I see it as my responsibility and my privilege to set your standards high, so I pray daily that I can live up to it. Keep watching me with Mommy. Take good notes, and when you're 35, you can start looking.

Happy Birthday Angel.

Love,
Dad