October 26, 2008

I saw a picture in a magazine today of a father and son sitting on a couch and looking at each other. I couldn’t stop looking at it. Looking at it made me think of you. The boy was looking at his father as if his father was the most important person in the world. I hope youi are able to look at me -- and your mother -- like that. I hope I am able to give you a reason to look at me like that.

I want to be the most important person in your life and your world. I want to be your role model. That brings me to something else I saw today and something I have felt long, long before you came into being.

Every time a famous person does something that is considered bad or not right, there is some parent somewhere who says that that isn’t right, that that person is a terrible role model for children. While I don’t think that famous person should have done what he or she did do, I do feel that that parent is wrong. Famous people should not be role models for children. Parents should be role models for children. My father and my maternal grandfather were my role models when I was a child, and I want to be the same for you.

Ah, your great grandfather. Sadly, he left us eight years ago. I wish you could have met him. (Mommy never got to meet him either and that’s one thing I regret.) But in all likelihood a part of him will live on with you -- his name. If you are a boy like we think you are, I want to give you his name, or at least his middle name. Mommy has been calling you 小里仁, and the more I hear it and think about it, the more I like the name “Leland”. It’s special, it’s different, it has meaning, and it’s you.

He was a great man and I’m sure you will be the same one day. I just hope in your eyes that I will be also be a great man. I am your daddy, and I’m very proud of that.

October 22, 2008

小里仁：
從上個星期六開始，媽媽可以開始感覺你在媽媽的肚子裡動來動去，心裡好開心，你真的很聰明，當媽媽或爸爸把胎音器放在媽媽肚子上要聽你的心跳聲時，你可能覺得不舒服吧，媽媽可以感覺到你想用力把他推開，當爸爸說故事給你聽時，你會在媽媽的肚子裡手舞足蹈，當爸爸把手放再媽媽的肚子上時，你會害羞不敢動，你真的很可愛，媽媽真的很愛很愛你，你一定要很努力很健康的用力長大，爸爸和媽媽真的很想看到你，你也要保護媽媽的身體，讓媽媽健康的陪你長大，而且你一定要記住，爸爸媽媽永遠都會保護你，讓你成為一個最快樂最棒的孩子
最愛你的媽媽 97.10.22

October 21, 2008

As I said before, I can’t wait to see you. One reason is that I’m very curious about what you look like. In case you haven’t realised it, your mother and I look different. She is Taiwanese and I am Canadian (you will be very lucky and will be both); she is yellow-skinned and I am white-skinned; she has black hair and I have blond hair. So I am very curious: What will you look like? Will you look more Asian or more Caucasian? Or will you be something in between? It doesn’t really matter as we will love you no matter what you look like (hopefully you will look more like your mother as she is much better-looking than I am), but I can’t help but be curious.

October 16, 2008

親愛的寶貝：
媽咪這兩天感覺身體好多了，有時候可以感覺你在動的感覺，有時你好像很有精神，好怕你出生後會太活潑，所以媽咪決定用精油好好安撫你的情緒，明天就要去產檢了，你可以不要背向媽咪嗎？你可以面向媽媽，讓媽媽再確定一次你的性別好嗎？拜託你了，寶貝，愛你！
媽咪 97.10.16

October 13, 2008

I keep thinking about how our – mine and your mother's – lives will change once you are born. It's going to be a big change. But that's okay. My life has already changed many times, and I know this change is going to bring so much happiness to both your mother and me. You are going to fill our lives with joy. And in turn I will try to ensure that your life is filled with joy too.

I often daydreamed before about passing on the things I've learned about cycling to someone. Now that you are coming I have someone to share that knowledge with. Or maybe you won't take to cycling like I have and will instead want to do something else. That's fine. If it's something I know – like hockey or soccer – I can still teach you a lot. And if it's something I don't know, I will make sure you have the resources to learn as much as you can so you be the best that you can be.

I hope you'll take to cycling though. It's a great sport. If you do, we can go riding together; there are many places I'd like to take you and show you. And maybe we can get your mother to come along too!

October 13, 2008

親愛的寶貝：
自從知道有你之後，心裡面從不能接受，到現在每天都跟你說話，習慣你在媽媽肚子裡的感覺，媽媽覺得你是一個很乖的小孩，當我需要加班的時候，只要事先跟你說，你那天就會乖乖的配合媽媽，不會搗蛋，真的表現很棒呢！
你現在已經是十八週了，時間過得好快，相信再過不久，就可以看到你了，你一定要好好努力的健康長大喔！
最愛你的媽媽 97.10.12 墾丁

October 7, 2008

You've been growing for seventeen weeks now, in a little over five months we will finally be able to see you. I can't wait to see you. Seeing you in person will be much better than just talking to you though Mommy's belly. When I can see you, I can finally hold you and hug you and kiss you. I'm going to take good care of you, I promise. I'm going to teach you all I can to help you; I hope I can teach you enough. I hope I can be a good father to you, I promise I will try to be the best father possible.