From the moment I found out my wife was pregnant with our daughter, Mariella, I knew that I had been given a special responsibility to love, protect, and provide for them both. Each time I was able to hear my daughter's heartbeat, feel her move, or see her tiny, detailed features developing in sonogram images, I got to know her better, and my love for her and my wife grew. My desire to make sacrifices to serve my little family deepened, and I became more aware of the importance of good fatherhood. When the day of my daughter's birth arrived and I was able to hold her in my arms, it was not as if we were meeting for the first time -- at the sound of my voice, her smile said we had known each other all along.