Today my oldest turns six. She was 8 pounds, 10 ounces and 21.5 inches long. When she came into this world, my first thought was, "Oh man, she has a cone head. Will it always be like that?"
Then I quickly got over my immaturity and cried just like I was watching the last scene of Field of Dreams, "Dad, you wanna have a catch?"
However, while Kayla was balling because she was ripped from a comfortable, warm and secure place, I was balling because I just became a dad. There's no feeling in this world -- natural or unnatural -- that can replicate it. Ever.
Through the first crappy diaper, her first steps, the first lost tooth, first day at school to her first slumber party (which is today, God help me), every moment of being a dad has been the best experience of my life.
Yes, there are times when the little princess acts more like Attila The Hun, but 99 percent of the time she's a very kind, soft spoken, smart, emotional and energetic six-year-old that captured my heart the day I heard her first scream on February 17, 2004.
Happy birthday baby girl. Daddy loves you.