Maddison's birth dad has not had any contact with her (his choice).
I met my now DH when Maddison had just turned 2. From day 1 they clicked & we never showed any affection in front of her until I knew that he was a keeper! Only bec ause I had seen other couples breakdown & the kids get extremely confused with a few various partners sleeping over each weekend & it's too much for a child to deal with...
So it was quite sometime before she was aware of a relationship & she tried a few times to push boundaries with him to get away with stuff over the years & we married just after her 4th birthday, she has always called him Dad even before we were actuallt a couple so that was really weird...
Most people comment on how much both the girls look like their Daddy & we just agree.
My Dh gets offended if there's any suggestion he is not Maddison's Dad!!!
Take it slow, I guess it will be hard with your EX DH in a different state & that's up to him to maintain contact with your daughter! If he choses to take an active role in her life then he shouldnt have anything to worry about!!!