With the recent birth of a son, ist Magazine’s Circulation Manager, Megan Shurkey, became a new mom… and she’s over the moon!
At 11:05pm on August 30, Megan Shurkey and her husband, William “Billy” Shurkey, welcomed their first child. William Gavin Shurkey entered the world weighing 8 pounds and 15 ounces, and measured 20.5 inches long. In his first month, the baby has grown to 10 pounds and eight ounces, while Megan and Billy are easily adjusting to life as new parents. Even Joker, the couple’s beloved Jack Russell Terrier, has warmed to his role as “big brother.” All in all, the Shurkeys are one happy family.
William Gavin is the latest in a long line – eight generations, to be exact – of William Shurkeys. While this might seem a bit repetitive, Megan and Billy found a way to honor tradition while bestowing their son with individuality. “At first, Billy wasn’t sure if we wanted to name our child William if we had a son; but, the more he thought about it, the more he wanted to respect that tradition,” said Megan. “We decided to name him William Gavin, but we’ll call him by his middle name. That was a best-of-both-worlds solution, I guess.”
As a new mom, Megan says that she’s been blessed with a very well-behaved baby in little Gavin. “He’s really very good,” she said. “He only cries when he’s hungry or needs a diaper change, and he sleeps throughout the night. When he’s awake, he’s very talkative – he’s always making little sounds and growls, as if he’s trying to communicate with us. It’s so cute!” Megan also says she’s fortunate that her husband is very helpful, including feeding, bathing and even changing diapers. She also says that Joker, the family dog, has accepted the addition of a baby to the family. “He likes to lick the baby’s feet when I’m holding him,” she added.
Motherhood, Megan says, has changed her quite a bit. “My parents agreed to watch Gavin so Billy and I could go out and celebrate our three-year wedding anniversary, and we both couldn’t wait to get home to be with the baby,” she said. “Without even thinking about it, I just knew that I could no longer put myself first because there is a little person who depends on me for everything. It’s an amazing feeling and it’s like nothing else I’ve ever experienced!” Megan added that she and Billy would like to have more children someday; but, for right now, they plan to enjoy every day with baby Gavin.
On staff at ist Magazine since December 2007, Megan is currently on maternity leave with plans to return to work in a few months.
