It has been almost five months since my last post. I think there is a strong correlation with the fact that my son turned five months old yesterday. Here are a few pictures of him:
There are loads of other pictures from the past several months, along with some very fun videos at Megan's flickr site: http://www.flickr.com/photos/megancornwell.
At five months, Will smiles a lot. He also giggles (mommy gets these out of him more easily than daddy). He likes to stand up. He rolls over from his stomach to his back and is almost able to roll the other way. He drools. A lot. He is happy when he is awake. He does not sleep well. He is very cuddly when he is tired. He gives big, sloppy wet kisses (or maybe he's trying to nurse from your face - sometimes it is hard to tell). He is not afraid of strangers yet. He likes being naked. He loves his grandmas and grandpas. He likes to squeal very loudly at an extremely high pitch (we're trying to get him to work on his lower register.) When he gets excited he extends stiff arms and legs and makes a high pitch gurgle sound that sounds to me like a crazy parakeet.
Having a child has unquestionably changed our lives forever. Will brings new joy and light into our lives every day. I find it remarkable how I can wake up each day - sometimes after only getting a few hours of sleep because of our little boy's restlessness - and feel a deeper love and gratitude for him. I have on more than one occasion come home frustrated from work and immediately begun heatedly telling Megan about some incident that has angered me, and suddenly noticed Will's big blue eyes and ear to ear grin welcoming daddy home. There is no better tonic to help a guy gain proper perspective on life.
The biggest challenges of parenthood for me so far have been the loss of sleep (poor Megan suffers far more than I in this department - with Will sometimes waking up every hour) along with trying to balance home life with a ridiculously busy work schedule. Due to some staff changes at KIPP, I have assumed the responsibilities of Director of Accounting, IT, HR, Operations, and any other thing related to the business of running three schools and a central office that you can think of. This is not sustainable and has made for a stressful few months for me. Thankfully, I'm working with a team that understands this and is willing to help find solutions. I'm crossing my fingers for additional help soon.
We have had lots of visitors. 4 of Will's five uncles have visited (along with his two aunts, his soon to be aunt, and a cousin). The fifth uncle swings into town this week. Will met his great Grandma O'Grady and his Great-Great Grandpa Darling in October. His grandparents (Megan and my parents) visit often and have been graciously adept at helping us to get our lives and new house into some semblance of order.
We like living in Stapleton. We have some great neighbors (we seem to be in the right demographic as five babies were born on our block this summer). I think we're finally starting to feel like we're putting down roots in Denver. The next (and pressing) goal for us is to find a church that we can connect with and commit to being a part of that community.
We spent Christmas in Frisco with Megan's family (we alternate years - this was a Cornwell year).
We had a wonderful time relaxing, making old-fashioneds in honor of Megan's Grandpa Gordon, and watching movies. It is fun to spend the holidays in the mountains -- though sadly there was a lack of snow this year which made the skiing less enjoyable for the skiers. It was a gift to be able to hand off Will at 6:00AM each morning so that we could get a couple of hours of uninterrupted sleep. We are very blessed to have such a supportive and loving family around us.
At five months, Will smiles a lot. He also giggles (mommy gets these out of him more easily than daddy). He likes to stand up. He rolls over from his stomach to his back and is almost able to roll the other way. He drools. A lot. He is happy when he is awake. He does not sleep well. He is very cuddly when he is tired. He gives big, sloppy wet kisses (or maybe he's trying to nurse from your face - sometimes it is hard to tell). He is not afraid of strangers yet. He likes being naked. He loves his grandmas and grandpas. He likes to squeal very loudly at an extremely high pitch (we're trying to get him to work on his lower register.) When he gets excited he extends stiff arms and legs and makes a high pitch gurgle sound that sounds to me like a crazy parakeet.
Having a child has unquestionably changed our lives forever. Will brings new joy and light into our lives every day. I find it remarkable how I can wake up each day - sometimes after only getting a few hours of sleep because of our little boy's restlessness - and feel a deeper love and gratitude for him. I have on more than one occasion come home frustrated from work and immediately begun heatedly telling Megan about some incident that has angered me, and suddenly noticed Will's big blue eyes and ear to ear grin welcoming daddy home. There is no better tonic to help a guy gain proper perspective on life.
The biggest challenges of parenthood for me so far have been the loss of sleep (poor Megan suffers far more than I in this department - with Will sometimes waking up every hour) along with trying to balance home life with a ridiculously busy work schedule. Due to some staff changes at KIPP, I have assumed the responsibilities of Director of Accounting, IT, HR, Operations, and any other thing related to the business of running three schools and a central office that you can think of. This is not sustainable and has made for a stressful few months for me. Thankfully, I'm working with a team that understands this and is willing to help find solutions. I'm crossing my fingers for additional help soon.
We have had lots of visitors. 4 of Will's five uncles have visited (along with his two aunts, his soon to be aunt, and a cousin). The fifth uncle swings into town this week. Will met his great Grandma O'Grady and his Great-Great Grandpa Darling in October. His grandparents (Megan and my parents) visit often and have been graciously adept at helping us to get our lives and new house into some semblance of order.
We like living in Stapleton. We have some great neighbors (we seem to be in the right demographic as five babies were born on our block this summer). I think we're finally starting to feel like we're putting down roots in Denver. The next (and pressing) goal for us is to find a church that we can connect with and commit to being a part of that community.
We spent Christmas in Frisco with Megan's family (we alternate years - this was a Cornwell year).
We had a wonderful time relaxing, making old-fashioneds in honor of Megan's Grandpa Gordon, and watching movies. It is fun to spend the holidays in the mountains -- though sadly there was a lack of snow this year which made the skiing less enjoyable for the skiers. It was a gift to be able to hand off Will at 6:00AM each morning so that we could get a couple of hours of uninterrupted sleep. We are very blessed to have such a supportive and loving family around us. 