Today is the first day of 2008 but instead of looking ahead I find myself looking back.  There were a lot of great things that happened to me last year, but one thing stands out far more than any other event.

I work downstairs and most days can hear Charmaine and Shyloh upstairs.  Each day I come up to have lunch with them and spend some time just hanging out.  One day I decided to make a huge racket on my way up the stairs.  I knew Shyloh could hear me coming and I could hear how excited he was.  As I rounded the corner at the top of the stairs and stepped into his view he greeted me with the loudest, clearest "Daddy!" I'll probably ever hear.  My heart nearly burst at that moment.  He had the biggest grin on his face and his little hands were reaching for me.  I scooped him up from Mommy's lap and gave him a huge bear hug.  We had been teaching him "Mommy" and "Daddy" since his birth but this was the very first time we had heard him say it and there was no mistaking it.

Since then I have been greeted with an enthusiastic "Daddy" on a regular basis, but none have been quite a clear and unmistakable as that first time.  Each time warms my heart and makes me feel special and I wonder why he loves so much.  As I look ahead I know that there are many more great things in store for me, but the ones that I am most excited about are the things that I will get to do with Shyloh.