Dawn of a new day

Since I last wrote in October, which was just a review of some sport equipment there have been a few changes.  Earlier this year, the Mrs. and I welcomed a brand spanking new baby boy.  Going forward he will be referred to as Gerber because a co-worker said he looks like the Gerber baby.  Watching my wife give birth was one of the craziest things ever.  We were both glad when it was over and we suspect so was Gerber.

Having a child is amazing.  Gerber never fails to amaze and entertain.  Like his father, he seems to be very curious about his world.  At least, that is what we are telling ourselves.  Like everything else with babies, it could just be gas.  Already, he has made a visit to my place of business and he was a hit.  He seems to like to stay close to us but as long as he is held by one of us most of the time, he is fine with people saying hello.  He has wonderfully long eyelashes that he got from me and a cute chin that he got from the Mrs.

Side note: If you are happily married to the mother of your child and were married long before the child was born, can you still call her your baby momma?

Anyway, it has been quite an adventure.  We use cloth diapers which is not bad.  Gerber seems to enjoy it and washing them poses no great hardship.  He has many generous friends so he has tons of clothing and hats.  At this stage, he is even sort of into a routine.  He sleeps about four to five hours, wakes up, needs to be changed and fed, and then, fingers crossed, goes back to sleep.  I will not say having a child has put things in perspective but it does cause me to worry about a whole new set of things.  That being said, I love to play with him because of his drooliness (sp) and wide-eyed look.  Back in the 90's, a lyric from the groups Jodeci's first album was "...and my baby is born, healthy and strong, and my dreams are a reality".  That lyric about sums it up.  He is healthy, he is strong, the Mrs. is doing well, and I am hanging on.  What else can I ask for?  I wish my mom were here to compare my baby looks to his but I know she is doing it but just not able to share right now.  Oh well, those are the breaks.

More changes

In addition, to adding another member to our nuclear family.  I have a different set of duties at work and a different office location within my building.  All these changes have given me time to reflect. I am looking at what I did well and what I could have improved and when.  In my estimation, some of my strengths early on became weaknesses later on.  I have learned to not try to prove anything to anyone but instead to work hard and let my work speak for itself.  I hope I have finally learned this lesson because I have been given the opportunity to learn it in the past.  There are some who believe that life or God keeps trying to teach you lessons until you get it.  I have the realization, I just hope when presented with the test again, I use the lessons and skills I have developed and acquired to produce a better outcome.

I was telling a friend that the mark of a good manager or leader or at least the desire of a good manager is that the people you manage leave your charge with more confidence and/or more skills.  The jury is out but it seems that with some I succeeded more than others.  This is a time to see how I can improve and do a better job of mentorship.  However, I recognize that my job is not done.  There are still people who come to me for advice and it is my job, duty, and pleasure to listen and help when I can.  A while back I realized that my core goal in life is to impart knowledge and hopefully, help others improve.  Sometimes, I succeed at that and some times I fail.  In some cases, I have done both at different times with the same person.  The great thing about life is that many times you get second and third chances.

My goal is steer others from repeating my mistakes, keep myself from making those same mistakes again (I am ready for new mistakes), and continue to live a life and conduct myself in a manner that when I am gone people miss my personality and respect my efforts.