Lee Donghae first meets her when she’s just turned three and, to him, he believes it’s three years too late.

He meets her too late to see her first smile.

He meets her too late to hear her first laugh.

He meets her too late to see her first step, hear her first word.

He’s missed all the firsts, so he makes it a point to be there for the rest.

He’s there when she smiles yet another smile, but this time a tiny little tooth is shyly peeking out from her gums.

He’s there when her hesitant, wobbly steps turn into quick sprints and he and her mother are left to run after her as she toddles away.

He’s there when the first few words to leave flow into one sentence, still with a hint of a baby babbling, with his video camera in tow to capture every precious second.

But to him, the most important of all is when she learns to say ‘daddy’ and it’s him she’s calling out to.
 

She’s five now and, though he’s only been in her life for two years compared to the three she’s lived before meeting him, he feels the relief and triumph that comes with knowing he’s been there every step of the way, for every important moment, even for the little moments. He’s lost count of all the firsts they’ve had but he knows all he needs to do is to look at the photos, watch the home videos, and browse through his memories to see them all once again.

And he’s about to add another one to that list.

He and her mom – now his wife – sit her down on her little bed that’s dressed in pink and he sees that she can tell they have big news. She’s intrigued, he knows. The furrowing of her eyebrows and the way she’s puffing her rosy, chubby little cheeks give her away.

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