(Here's a good example of what can be
achieved. Jen wanted
something special for her husband, Jeff, to celebrate the birth of their first
born. Jen has kindly given her permission
for her poem and story to be published)
What is your name :
Jen
Who do you want the poem written for: My husband,
Jeff
Why do you want the
poem written: To celebrate the birth of our first child (a son whose
name is going to be Tyler) - I am planning on giving it to him on the day of
Tyler's birth.
What are the key messages you would like to send:
Jeff is the best husband and my very best friend and he is going to be the
most incredible father. I would like this poem to be from our newborn son
telling Jeff how much both he and I love him. I am so excited to be starting
this new journey of parenthood with Jeff. Tyler is going to be so lucky to
have him as his daddy.
Do you have any funny, sad, happy, embarrassing or
otherwise memorable moments that you would like to share: Jeff and I
have been married for 6 1/2years and they have been the best years of my
life. We always knew we wanted children and we waited awhile to start our
family so that we could enjoy each other first. Now we are starting our
family and we are so excited and know it will just enhance our relationship.
Jeff and I met in medical school and on our first date right before Jeff
kissed me for the first time, I stopped and said "you know we can never go
back after this" - he always teases me about saying this and even mentioned it
during his speech at our wedding.
I will never forget our first vacation together - we went to the Grand Lido in
Jamaica. It was the most fun and romantic trip and Jeff always said that is
the time when he really realized we were meant to get married. It will always
be a special place for us.
We got married right before our medical residencies started and spent the
first years of our marriage working very hard and very long hours, but our
marriage was the most important thing to us and it thrived. Jeff is an
emergency room physician (I am a pediatrician) and, though he says I am
biased, I think he is the most wonderful and caring doctor.
Jeff is a huge sports fan and he is especially fanatical about the Oakland
Raiders. I always tease him that my mild mannered husband becomes a different
(crazy!) man when they are playing. He can't wait for Tyler to be born in
order to have his own little Raiders fan so he can pass on his love of the
sport and have someone to watch all the games with - we even have a little
Raiders outfit for Tyler already. Though the Raiders are his favorite, he
also loves the Los Angeles Lakers and the Dodgers and plans to take his son to
many games.
This pregnancy has not been the easiest, but we both know that it will be more
than worth it in the end when our beautiful son is born. Jeff sometimes (ok,
a lot of the times) teases me that I am neurotic, but he has been so
supportive and caring of me during this pregnancy and our life together. He
has been so excited getting the nursery and all the stuff ready for Tyler -
like a little boy himself! He always teases me that I "am so wide" during
this pregnancy and that he can't even fit his arms around me anymore - which
bothers my mother to no end (which Jeff enjoys doing!). It is all in fun
though, because he regularly tells me I am the most beautiful pregnant woman.
We have 2 dogs (Sashi and Max) who have been our "babies" for the last 3
years. Jeff adores these dogs and even loves to cuddle up with them. I
always tease Jeff that he has really gotten these dogs ready for the baby
because I can't imagine what Tyler could do to them that Jeff has not already
done (pull their tails and their ears, hold them down, get them riled up, etc.
- all in fun of course!).
Do you have any other comments or thoughts: Since
we are having a boy, I am so excited to get a glimpse into what Jeff was like
as a little boy (though I hope our son is not quite as "rambunctious" as Jeff
was as a boy!). We both have wonderful loving families and I just hope
Jeff and I can be as good of parents to our son as our parents have been to
us. I know that Jeff is going to be the best father and our son is so lucky
to have him as a daddy. Jeff is the best man, husband, and best friend - he
is my soulmate - and he is going to make the best father ever.
What style of poem would you prefer (happy, sad,
romantic etc.): Sentimental and happy
Please choose which package you would prefer:
Deluxe
Hello, my wonderful Dad,
(and I know that may sound a trifle absurd),
but while mom's been looking after me,
I've been practicing my very first word.
So Dad (and there it is again),
I do have some words to say,
because we both love you so very much,
and after all, it is your son's birth day.
I know you're a great husband to my mom,
in fact, she reckons you're the best on planet Earth,
and we both just wanted to thank you for being you,
you've proved what one life can be really worth.
I too feel so very lucky,
I think I'll thank my lucky stars above,
because not only do I have you as my father,
but I know I'll always have your eternal love.
It's nice to know that my parents are so in tune,
compassion and commitment are qualities you've never lacked,
"You know we can never go back after this",
(and I'm so glad that you never turned back).
To be honest, I got a little bored when I was waiting,
I had to sit there, watching from my star,
but in that time, I realized you're wonderful,
yes, we both realize just how wonderful you really are.
From your first vacation together in the Grand Lido,
that's where you lived out your Jamaican dream
that was when you realized you should marry,
that was when you really came together as a team.
You got married before your residencies,
you worked very hard and for very long hours,
but in that time, you grew together,
you grew a love that is undeniably ours.
We think you're a most wonderful and caring doctor,
although the Oakland Raiders make you a different man,
and I'm looking forward to wearing my little outfit,
don't worry, I'm already their number one fan.
And I know mom's pregnancy hasn't been easy,
(it's ok to call her neurotic just one last time),
but we both just wanted to thank you for your support,
you are the one that got our words to rhyme.
I think I'm going to be quite like you,
although rambunctious is a word that springs to mind,
but if I am anything like my father,
then I know I'll be loving, considerate and kind.
I promise not to pull Sashi's and Max's tails,
well, not until I'm at least two years old,
but then we'll have plenty more to talk about,
many shared adventures, as yet unwritten and untold.
So I'll finish by saying "I love you",
I guess that's really what these words are for,
here's to you, Dad, you're truly wonderful,
and here's to our everlasting love, for evermore.
We eventually went to three drafts (that's
the one you see above). This is what Jen kindly said after the first draft:
"Hi Allen. Thanks so much for the first
draft of my poem - I love it! It
really expresses the sentiment and feelings I wanted while incorporating
our own personal history. I have just a few things I would like to revise:
1. For the stanza where it talks about our first trip to the Grand Lido in
Jamaica: I like the idea expressed, but I found the second line "no mom
went on her own accord" a little confusing and there is a ? after Jamaica.
I was wondering if you could rework that stanza a bit.
2. For the second stanza where it says "So, Dad, oops, there it is again":
I absolutely love the stanza and the meaning behind it (that the baby is now
trying out his first word which is dad and that it is his birth day), I am
just not crazy about the "oops" part. If you could rework it a little so
that it expresses the same message maybe slightly differently (especially
because I may want to use this one as the key verse on the cared, so I want
it to be able to stand alone also).
3. For the stanza which starts "And I, Tyler, I feel so very lucky":
Again, I absolutely the sentiment/feeling being expressed (it is exactly
something I want Jeff to know), but I just don't love this first line so
much - I would like it to flow a little smoother.
4. This one is a little picky - sorry! In the second to last stanza when
it talks about pulling the dogs' tails: I love the stanza! But I was just
wondering if you could work in the dogs' names? (Sashi and Max). I feel it
might personalize it just a touch more (and we really do love our dogs!).
Thanks!
These are just minor points - I really love the poem and am very happy with
the first draft.
You may definitely use the poem for publication on your website as long as
our last names and any identifying characteristics are omitted. And I will
look at the paper and card choices and let you know which ones I want.
Thanks for your hard work and I look forward to reading the revision!
Handy hint: Did you know
that holding down the Ctrl key and pressing the
D key
automatically adds a site to your bookmark list? Give it a go
and see!
After exchanging wedding rings, the next big step in a couple's life is having a baby! A baby is worth more than diamond rings or all the riches in the world. And they grow up so fast, before you know it, your children will be buying engagement rings for their brides and having children of their own!
