Sharing The Joy...

Dear Baby Barrow,

Whew! Whoa! Wow!

Where should I even begin?!! The past 24 hours have been a whirlwind of excitement. I still cannot believe that in some 36 weeks you will be in my arms. Give or take some time depending on who you take after. If you wanted to get a head start like me, you will be out in like 33 weeks. Or, you can be stubborn like your mommy. As long as you are healthy, you can come whenever you want. I will be waiting excitedly for you to arrive. I am trying to be patient, but that doesn't always work!

One of the greatest parts of knowing that you are coming to be part of our family is sharing the news with all our family and friends. We are not sharing the news with everyone yet as we want to make sure you are doing well before we tell them you are coming! However, last night, we were able to break the news with some very important people who already love you very much. We got to tell some people who are just going to adore you, spoil you, and love you with all their hearts. Just as we are VERY lucky to have you coming into our lives, you are VERY lucky to be coming into such an amazing family. This family has always been there for me, loved me unconditionally, and saved my life. They are eager to meet you, to hold you, and to love you more than you can imagine.

Last night, we shared the news of you coming to join our family with Mema and Tutu and Nana and Papi. What amazing moments those were...but you know that because you were there. It may have been a little difficult for you to hear because you were in your Momma's tummy. So, I will clear up the details for you.

After your mommy surprised me with the news, she wanted to share it with the very special people in our lives. So, we jumped in the car and drove to her Mommy's house. The whole ride there, mommy and daddy held hands tight and talked about you. We cried because we were so happy. When we got to Mema's house, your mommy was very excited. She could barely contain herself. We went inside and Mema and Tutu were sitting on the couch. We surprised them because they didn't know we were coming. Little did they know, we were about to knock their socks off! I do not know if they were actually wearing socks, but if they were, they were definitely about to blown off.

Mommy made them think that we were just there to pick up some coupons. And, that is completely believable because your mommy likes to shop. I will mention that fact a lot from now until the time you are here. And, I will mention it even more after you arrive. We talked with Mema and Tutu, and they didn't even know that they were about to get hit with some big news. The big news would transform them from Paula and Lee to Mema and Tutu. Mommy told her momma that she had a present for her. She handed her a picture frame with a special message inside it. It went a little something like this...

Mema read the framed picture out loud and as she got to the end, her voice started to quiver with excitement. Tears filled her pretty eyes and she asked if we were trying to tell her something. She knew the answer but she wanted to hear your mommy say it. Your mommy jumped out of her seat like a rocket and excitedly told them that we were going to have a baby. She told them that you would be coming soon. Mema was so excited. Tutu jumped up and started hugging us. Tears filled her eyes and she was smiling her big beautiful Hawaiian smile. You are Mema's first grandchild and she has been waiting for you for a long time now. She has been telling your daddy he needed to make a spot for you. Well, that part of the job is done. Now, we are just excitedly awaiting your arrival. Everyone was crying and hugging and just so happy that you were going to be joining our family.

Next, we needed to go talk to Nana and Papi. Nana and Papi have officially earned their names. You have three cousins that are here waiting for you that call them Nanie and Papi. Kennedy is the oldest grandchild. She is 6 years old. She is getting so big and she will be ready to baby sit you when you arrive. Shane is the second grandchild. He is 3 and can teach you everything you need to know about Pirates and iPhones. He will train you on Angry Birds and the Moron Test. And, if you have any tech questions, he can help you out. The third grandchild is Raiden. He is the newest addition. The Lightning God is a good ally to align yourself with. He fights against Outer Realms in Mortal Kombat. So, unless we decide to name you Sub Zero, Scorpion, or Shang Tsung...you two should get along nicely. You will be the fourth grandchild to Nanie and Papi.

We went over to their house and they thought we were just there to drop off yard sale stuff. You see, your mommy and daddy are very sneaky. We are like Ninjas. And, Nanie and Papi underestimated our sneakiness. They were about to get blindside and they didn't expect a thing. To announce your arrival to Nana, we had gotten her a special present. We had just been to Disneyland and Nanie's favorite character is the Fairy Godmother from Cinderella.

I think Nanie is a lot like the Fairy Godmother. She is an amazing, beautiful woman that will do absolutely anything for you. She is so loving. She is so kind. She is so generous. She will do anything that she can to help you and make sure you are happy. Just like the Fairy Godmother in Cinderella, she will always be there for you. She is an amazing person and you are lucky to have her. She is my mommy and I love her very much. I am very lucky to have her as my mom, and you are very lucky to have her as your grandma. Kennedy calls her the Fairy Godmother because she is beautiful, amazing, and wonderful just like the character in the movie.

At Disneyland, we had a real Disney artist create an original piece of artwork. There is only one like this in the WHOLE ENTIRE WORLD. It is a piece that will bind Nanie and you forever. We watched the artist as he sketched a picture of the Fairy Godmother and it was amazing. On it, we had him write, "Congratulations Nana, 2012". Below is a picture of the Fairy Godmother. This isn't the same one as the one we got her. We will post a new picture as soon as we take one the picture that will forever remind her of you and the night we told her you were coming.

When we got to Nana and Papi's house, we talked to them about the yard sale and then it was time for the ultimate surprise. I told Nanie that we had a present for her and she was very surprised. I handed her the picture and she immediately got very excited. She loved it. But, then she started to read the message with the picture and her eyes started to fill with tears. As they did, I said, "we're going to have a baby". And, with that, the excitement and tears began. Your Nana was so happy.

But, the reaction that I will never forgot was the reaction of your Papi. As your Papi heard that you would be coming to us, tears filled his eyes. An amazing look of joy, pride, and gratitude showed on his face. He looked upwards a little bit as if he were looking up at you in Heaven and thanking our Heavenly Father at the same time. It was indescribable. I will never forget that look. I wish we had been recording it so you could see the look on your Papi's face. It was truly amazing. A once in a lifetime look.

Everyone was so excited that yo would coming soon. Everyone was so eager to love you, to hold you, and to be part of your life. You are already loved so much and that love will only grow.

In the words of Papi, "We were about to embark in a life changing journey." And, at that moment, I couldn't wait for the ride to begin.

Love Daddy