New roles

The project I was hired for is wrapping up this week with just a handful of things left to do. But thankfully the Lord had another opportunity in store for me at the same company. I'll be switching over from the project team to the analytics and reporting team in the project off-season. I've already met my new coworkers and they've given me an overview of the type of work I can expect to be doing. I'm looking forward to my new role on the team.

But I have an even better new role to look forward to soon: fatherhood. Our little baby girl is "due" on Tuesday 10/21/2014. As I write this, that is tomorrow. Wow. Now whether or not she is on time or not, well, we will just have to wait and see. Kelly and I are both super excited about actually getting to meet her. At this point, there isn't much left to do. The nursery is ready, diapers are ready, and the car seat installed. We've been reading the books (Kelly more than me) and baby classes have been taken. I know we are not ready, but we are as "not ready" as I know how to be.

I've been blessed to have been raised by good parents and also recently to have seen good parenting up close. I'm ready to join the fray. I've been thoroughly warned about the impending lack of sleep. About the challenges of a temperamental toddler. I have heard the stories about watching your child go through huge mood swings as they reach their teenage years.

One thing that has surprised me most recently is how many of my male coworkers have been excited to share their joy with me about their becoming fathers. I can think of at least four different men that I work with that have recounted with fondness on the time when they became a father. It is these stories that these men have shared that have helped me most in the last few weeks. They've helped me not only to stay excited about becoming a dad, but to look forward to it even more. Their passion and love for their children and their joy in being fathers has rubbed off on me.