Larry Birkhead Tells PEOPLE Daughter Dannielynn Makes Him 'So Proud Every Day' as She Turns 16

Larry Birkhead celebrated daughter Dannielynn's 16th birthday with a sweet Instagram tribute

Photo: Larry Birkhead/Instagram

Larry Birkhead can't believe how fast his daughter Dannielynn is growing up.

The daughter of the late Anna Nicole Smith celebrated her 16th birthday on Wednesday, and dad Birkhead, 49, honored his not-so-little girl with a sweet tribute.

"Dannielynn is such a great kid and she makes me so proud every day," he tells PEOPLE. "I can't believe she is old enough to drive! It seems like yesterday I was pushing her in a toy car!"

The proud dad also posted a heartfelt message to his daughter on Instagram alongside a collage of images of Dannielynn through the years.

"Sixteen years ago my beautiful baby was born. That's if you want to feel really old," he teased. "Many people thought the odds were stacked against you, but maybe that was geared more towards me than you. Through tragedy, turmoil and a couple of baby tantrums-today you shine bright and are so accomplished. So proud to be your Dad!"

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Birkhead also shared a story about telling his daughter "what a great baby she was when she born."

"She shot back in true Dannielynn style … 'How do you know you weren't even there?' 😂 Ouch," he shared. "I told her 'maybe not, but I have been there every day since I brought you home.' "

"It's been a wild ride and Dannielynn has brought joy and laughter to my life. Stay off your local roads because Dannielynn is 16! Happy Birthday ❤️ Rock on 🎸 Mom is looking down! 😇," he concluded the post.

One of the photos included in the collage showed an infant Dannielynn being kissed by her late mother, who died in 2007 when Dannielynn was just 5 months old.

Larry Birkhead/Instagram

Last month, the father-daughter duo enjoyed a special moment when they attended a Janet Jackson concert in Cincinnati, Ohio, where the pair got to go behind stage after the show to snap some photos and hang out with the singer herself.

"Heading out to Dannielynn's second Janet Jackson concert (my millionth 😂) in Cincinnati as we sit here arguing which one of us is the bigger Janet fan. 😆 It's going to be 'Nasty' outside in the 100 degrees weather, but we are looking forward to it. 🎶" Larry wrote alongside photos of him with his daughter before the concert.

Following the show, the father-daughter duo took a picture with Jackson, whom Larry said "killed it" during the concert.