Progress

We're making progress on this deployment - today we hit the 5 month mark! Who knew 5 months could simeoultaneously pass in an eternity and the blink of an eye? The perspective just depends on which man in my life is on my mind. If it's this little guy -

then I'm ready to stop the clock right now, this very second. He couldn't be a better baby, a more perfect answer to prayer. I treasure every moment we have together.

On the other hand, if my mind turns to this man -

then time can't slip by quickly enough. 5 months apart is 5 months too many. I miss everything about him, but I miss the little things the most. I miss my best friend.

5 months sounds like a big milestone. It's close to 6 months, and 6 months is close to 6.5 months. 6.5 months is the halfway point! We're nearly to the downward slope. Pretty soon our little family will be together again, celebrating different milestones. More fun milestones. Milestones from the cutest kid around.

(I know, I know, he's eating sand. At 10 months, sand is a delicacy.)

We can do this!

Days before Daddy left...our family portrait when he returns will look substantially different. One of the 3 of us is growing like a weed!

Phases of life

Our little family has entered a new, not entirely welcome, phase of life - deployment. Daddy left two weeks ago and William and I miss him dearly. It truly is the pits living apart, but we know that in the long run our lives will be enriched by this experience. Our greatest sorrow is all the developments Josh will miss in William's early life. Fortunately, we have cell phones, digital cameras, email, Skype, and of course, the blog to help us keep in touch. I have such respect for families who have been separated without these modern conveniences. Technology is an amazing thing. Our little family has also entered a new, very welcome, phase of life - belly laughs! Josh and I have been waiting and waiting for our little dude to start laughing out loud. I knew it would be cute, even adorable, but I had no idea of the joy it would inspire in me. I literally could listen to this laugh all day long. :) Daddy, this one's for you...

Hungry Little Hippo

William has had a busy first 3 weeks in the mainland. He has had countless new experiences (and met an infinite number of family and friends!), most of which I will cover at a later date. However, today he had a momentous "first" that I just have to share - he had his first taste of solid food! We started with rice cereal mixed with Mommy's milk and it seemed to be a success. It would appear we have a hungry little hippo on our hands!

It sure is amazing to watch your baby grow up. Mommy and Daddy are particularly excited about this new development, because our little dude seems to have forgotten how to sleep for more than two hours at a time. Apparantly it's harder in the mainland than on Guam... Here's to wishing truth to the old wives' tale that eating solids will make a baby sleep through the night!!

Sunrises and Sunsets

And so the sun has set on our time in Guam...



...but risen on our life in San Diego!

4 months

Today our Sweet William turned 4 months old. Where did the time go?? 1/3 of a year already! We celebrated in true island style with an afternoon at the pool. Now that William is a mature 4 months he got a special treat - a trip down the water slide with Daddy! (Actually, several trips...) He seemed to thoroughly enjoy himself, and of course Daddy did, too. We are so glad to have a water baby on our hands. Happy 4 months, baby boy!

Let's get this show on the road!

Faster, Daddy, Faster!

But it's too pretty to go too fast...

The inaugural slide

The surfing slide

Sweet baby boy

Getting kisses (per usual!) from Mommy

Not yet too mature for a poolside nap!


Mmmm, my fingers are tasty...

...but Daddy's nose is even tastier!

All dried off and in great spirits - Happy 4 months to me!

The Beginning of the End

Perhaps that's a touch melodramatic, but I'm low on sleep. And for once, I can't blame it on my darling son! We returned home in the wee hours of the morning from our South Korean get-away. William flew in luxury:

Mommy and Daddy are not quite as well-rested. There are some definite benefits to weighing only 12 pounds!

It's raining cats and dogs today - I can hear the movers outside singing, "It's raining, it's pouring!" Seems Guam doesn't want us to leave any more than we do.

But such is life, so here we go - on to our next adventure!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Love, William...


...and his two favorite valentines!

Baby Takes Korea

Our days in Guam are rapidly drawing to an end - two weeks and counting, actually. It's bittersweet, to say the least. We will miss so much about our tropical paradise, especially its proximity to so many neat areas of the world. We've been feeling rather nostalgic about all of our past adventures lately, so in a moment of insanity, Josh and I decided that now was the perfect time to squeeze in one last family get-away. It's not as if there's anything going on at home! Ha... We thought it was only fair to William to experience something other than island life (Guam, Saipan, and Yap!) before he returns to the mainland, so we decided to explore Seoul, South Korea. Good choice, Mommy and Daddy! Despite the cold winter weather (our island baby doesn't quite know what to think of it...), we're so glad we took the opportunity to have some dedicated family time before the move chaos really sets in. We've done a bit of exploring and a lot of relaxing (naptime does slow us down). Hopefully we'll return to Guam in a few days recharged and ready for the craziness to begin. In the meantime, here's a few pictures of our little family on its first great adventure!

Let the adventure begin!

Mommy and baby in Fukuoka, Japan during our lengthy layover

William was not overly impressed with the Japanese subway system...just as well!

Baby's first picture in Korea - waiting with Daddy at the airport while the airline tried to locate the carseat and stroller (which we checked at the gate, I might add - where could they have gone??)

Daddy and son having fun at the Korean War Museum

Peek-a-boo! William seems puzzled by all his extra layers...it takes a lot longer to get out the door, that's for sure!

Our biggest adventure so far was a trip to the Korean DMZ. We were informed by our tour company that William was by far their youngest tourist. He didn't seem to understand the significance of where he was...

...he was more focused on staying toasty warm! We were blessed to have several friends lend us winter gear, so he has been extremely well-bundled this entire trip. In fact, I'm certain that if you dropped him, he would bounce!

Mommy, Baby, and North Korea (in the background)

Family portrait in the DMZ

I wonder what's in store for us today?? Wake up from your nap baby boy, Mommy and Daddy are ready to explore!! :)

Superbaby

More head control = more fun!

Chatterbox

Sweetest voice I've ever heard!

Ladies' Man

Need I say more? :)

Just Because

Everyone needs a good laugh from time to time...

It seems getting burped by Daddy is enough to rattle his brains!

In the future...

Will he be a singer? A dancer? Daddy thinks not, but it is yet to be decided. Here is evidence to prove Daddy wrong:

(Music and motions from dear Grandma's preschool music program...)

Bookends

Grandma left today...and Granddad left 2 weeks ago. William misses his bookends!





He hasn't had to ride alone in the backseat for a month...the trip home from the airport was tough on baby and mommy. Come back Grandma and Granddad, we had so much fun!!

All Smiles

Our "Sweet William" (as nearly everyone from all walks of life has taken to calling him...) has reached another life milestone - he figured out how to smile! :) These little jewels are wickedly hard to capture on camera, as all mommies know, but here are a few of our best shots:

Smiling because he has a clean diaper...or maybe it's his stylin' shoes!

Smiling because of his cool shades, of course!

Smiling at Grandma - and maybe waving to Granddad behind the camera?

What a charmer!

Smiling at himself...I hear some kids do crack themselves up!

And finally, smiling again at his favorite audience...baby boy sure does love Grandma and Granddad!

William's Baptism

On January 2, 2011, William James Cornthwaite was baptized in the Philippine Sea by Pastor Jeff Johnson at the Lutheran Church of Guam. As you can see by the pictures, the tide was up - but it was a beautiful, perfect day!

Here's a video of part of the baptism - we nearly got swept away!

Josh and I are so grateful to God for our little bundle of joy!!