Welcome to my world (built with you in mind)

I'm delighted to let the world know that, a few weeks ago, we welcomed little William John Turner into the world.  I'm utterly relieved to say that both William and Lizzie are fine - Lizzie's recovering well from the trauma of childbirth, and William is feeding, sleeping, pooping and screaming in all the ways a little baby should.  Schnitzel, meanwhile, is being the perfect big sister - curious and patient in equal measures, with enough concern for our new arrival to cast the occasional eye over him and make sure everything's ok.  Schnitz's routine has been well-and-truly thrown out over the last few weeks, so we've been making a concerted effort to make sure she knows she's an important and loved part of our family too.

I've been able to take six weeks' paternity leave, which is a brilliant amount of time to be given, and has enabled us to find some sort of new normal, as well as allowing us to find our feet as a family.  We've actually got out-and-about over the last few weeks, including walks in Teignmouth, Babbacombe, Torquay, and Ashburton, and we've already found that William loves a pram ride - I think he enjoys the bumps and rhythm of the pavement.  Like any new-comer, we need to get to know William, and he us, so that we can build the bonds of love and trust that will eventually last the rest of our lives.  Already we've noticed a few of his quirks and have worked out a few ways to make sure he's settled - every day brings something new, no matter how small.

We've also had a lovely time introducing him to his new family - his grandparents, auntie and uncle, and cousins.  It's fair to say that William has been thoroughly cuddled in his young life, as he's met many of the people that will shape him so much in the years to come.  Others will follow in the course of time - great-grandparents on Lizzie's side of the family (gosh, I wish my grandparents could have met him, and Lizzie's dad too), great aunties and uncles, and a whole plethora of friends mean there are still many more exciting encounters to come.

People have been so kind to us, in many different ways, and from the moment William was born, cards and presents were being pushed through our letterbox and an astonishing rate.  I found the first couple of weeks as a new dad quite emotional, and we have both been deeply touched by people's love and generosity.  The list of people is too long to blog, and we are ever so thankful to absolutely everybody.  But because I haven't seen them in person for so long, I'd like to give a special shout-out of thanks to my crazy work colleagues, who have shown me why I'd struggle to ever work with anybody else again.  Not only did these fabulous balloons arrive with a box of cupcakes:

But then the most beautiful baby book, toys and comforter was delivered (we are just waiting for the photos to be printed!):

And if that wasn't enough, my persistent banging-on about Torquay United Football Club clearly had an effect, because the other day this popped through the letterbox (wouldn't we all William, wouldn't we all!):

So very thoughtful and seriously generous, so thank you so much to Lisa, Lindsay, Megan, Jasmine, Abi, Ali, Dave, Ben, Emma, Julia, Garth, Rob - I can't tell you how much your kindness has meant to Lizzie and I. 

So here I am, a dad (!), looking to the future and wondering what adventures await in the coming years.  I'm sure life's going to be like nothing I could ever have prepared for, so I'll just have to jump onto the rollercoaster, buckle up, and see where it takes us all.