Three in Tennessee

Look at Me

2009-03-26T00:40:00.002-05:00

We have always laughed so much at how silly Tatum is with her eyes. All the squinting when we ask her where her eyes are is so funny to us. Another thing she does is close her eyes when we're trying to get her to finish eating. For example, if we hold up a bite for her she closes her eyes and turns away...like if she can't see it, then it's not there. The last couple of days she has started doing that when I ask her to look at me. Usually post time-out. So, I'm trying to be serious and follow through with the discipline and she's looking away from me with her eyes, nose and lips all scrunched up. It's just about too much. :)

Toby Mac, Chick-Fil-A & Dancing

2009-03-25T23:54:00.002-05:00

Today was an especially hilarious and fun Tatum day. For starters, we went to Tadpole Tales at the library. I really enjoy watching her interact with other children. She's very used to being with other kids and as social as she is, she really likes to take her time and "take it all in" when we are around a big group. It not quite shyness...just non-chattyness.

Today we sat on the big lilypads (picture giant green ottomans) and she watched and listened with anticipation as the stories were read. She even whisper-talked to me, which is one of my favorite things ever and kind of hard to explain unless we're in person. I hope to always, always remember the whisper-talking and in fact, I hope she always does it somehow.

After Tadpole Tales we headed to Chick-Fil-A with our friends. She sat in the high chair and was happy as a lark to be amongst her good friends (and ours), the Dentons. As Niki displayed some supermom characteristics by divvying out chicken nuggets and waffle fries to four kids, all the time carrying on a conversation with me, Tatum and Jonas chatted, shared some food and thankfully kept their lips to themselves today. Although it's not technically in the book, we think that food is Jonas' love language...he always, always shares with Tatum. The boy is smitten!

After the food consumption we headed to the play area. Tatum started out by kneeling down and licking the floor...she looked up at me like "that's disgusting"...umm yep, that's pretty much right. I had to shake that one off and try not to think about it. About that time a Toby Mac song came on and the dancing began. Bryce shook his little hiney and Tatum started, too. The elbow out thing just kills me. Elbow out, twisting action, some hip and hiney shaking...and some kind of spine rolling motion, too. It's GREAT! You really can't beat dancing toddlers. I love how Tatum dances! She has proven to have decent rhythm. I imagine some of that comes naturally and then Matt practicing drum beats on her tummy since she was a teeny tiny thing has probably helped a lot! :)

I have no segue for this, but just wanted to mention...I feel like Tatum has started to form sentences a little more in the last few days...."I want to _________" is a little clearer each time. :) Man, I love talking with her. I love that we know much of what she is trying to communicate. She knows how to get us to help her walk up the stairs like a big girl. She knows how to say "outside" and if we don't happen to hear her, then it's pretty obvious when she's at the back door turning the knob. This girl has got a lot to say...my ears are open, Goose! So are Daddy's! Always!

What a great day!

Vocab List

2009-03-12T19:31:00.003-05:00

ETA...a few more I thought about. :)

We are continually amazed at our precious girl. She's hilarious with all of her Tatum-ese. She looks right at us and rattles off a paragraph or two and then kind of nods as if to say "know what I mean?" Sometimes we do know and other times we just kind of guess. :) But here's a list of words that she's said...some of them for months and months...here's the approximate order that she started saying them:

daddy
mommy
beagle, bagel, baggel
baby
hi
what's that?
please (pease)
all done
yabbi (unsure what this is, but now we call Tania "Aunt Yabbi")
yeah
bye
yay
*she started roaring when asked what a lion says
della
cheese
bryce
deece (thanks)
doggie
ball
chews/shoes
apple
cracker
memaw
sheezu (shih tzu)
nina (tatum)
no, no, no
guck (duck...it could be worse)
hey
Wicity (Felicity)
*the other day I asked what she should say (meaning thank you) and she roared. very funny!

I'm sure there is more...I'll have Matt look over the list. I really wish we could transcribe the Tatum-ese)...it's so stinking hilarious.

Libby Lou Piniella: Shih Tzu or Alpaca?

2009-03-05T21:00:00.002-05:00

We're just wondering if Libby Lou looks more like a Shih Tzu (or Sheezu as Tatum would say) or a very tiny Alpaca?! There was some questionable haircutting at her last grooming appointment. Probably not the groomers fault as Libby had some serious tangles on her chin and face. She also acts really wild and crazy when a comb or brush is within two feet of her facial area. So, the groomer shaved her face. It's okay, it will grow back by prom.

Church at Swank's in The Daily Times!

2009-03-04T10:19:00.002-05:00

(Photo by Lauren Dukes/The Daily Times)

Lauren from The Daily Times wrote a piece about Church at Swank's. Check out the article here. Check out the video here.

We're really excited about what God is doing every Sunday night at Swank's. Here are my recommendations for what you should do:

If you eat food, go to Swank's for lunch or dinner. You'll love it!
If you're not sure about God or you gave up on church, check out Church at Swank's. It's a place where it's okay to be unsure.
If Jesus has changed your life, invite someone you know to come to Church at Swank's with you.

Church at Swank's meets every Sunday night at 7:00. Swank's is at 100 N Court Street in Maryville. For more info, go to ChurchatSwanks.com.

Sweetheart Birthday Party

2009-02-14T13:42:00.002-05:00

Tatum attended Emma's birthday party and enjoyed running around the gym at Maryville Christian School with a bunch of her friends.

Down the tubes...

2009-02-13T11:42:00.002-05:00

After months of partial hearing loss and Teri constantly repeating herself, I got tubes put in my ears at the ENT doc. It took all of 15 minutes and I had immediate relief. It was great to hear birds chirping outside the office!

Pajama Friday strikes again

2009-02-13T10:10:00.001-05:00

Uploaded by www.cellspin.net

Another Milestone...Our First Public Tantrum

2009-02-07T22:40:00.003-05:00

This seems like something we should document. Not really all that cute, but a milestone in our little toddler's life. We figured it would happen sooner or later. We don't have a picture to prove it, but we do have witnesses: Aaron, Sharon, Tania and several Starbucks employees. It all went down on Wednesday morning. I believe the problem started because I let Tatum walk into Starbucks holding my hand so she could run up to Daddy when we got inside. As soon as she walked in she went kind of crazy. Walking/running all over the place, "pleasing" us silly because she wanted some of my iced coffee (not a chance)...anyway, I think you get the picture. I decided our visit was complete when she had fallen to the floor crying because she wasn't getting the coffee. Her little Starbucks iced water wasn't enough that morning. ;) With the size of her falling tears, I didn't want the Baristas to be concerned that she would dehydrate... so we left. Matt carried her out and she wailed the whole way to the van. Tania and I took our chances and went to Ruby Tuesday. The girl loves the salad bar so after some edamame, cottage cheese and croutons, the tears were gone and haven't reappeared in tantrum form since. :)

Pajama Friday w/ F. F. Bruce

2009-02-06T14:58:00.001-05:00

Tatum and I curled up on the couch to read some of F. F. Bruce's commentary on "The Epistle to the Hebrews." I think Tatum liked it, but she was surprised by His soft stance on the issue of authorship.

Uploaded by www.cellspin.net

Pro-Life Super Bowl Ad Rejected by NBC

2009-02-02T11:39:00.003-05:00

NBC can reject it, but they can't stop it... This video has 1.2 million views on YouTube as I publish this.

New Look for the New Year

2008-12-30T00:07:00.003-05:00

[cue trumpets]
We just launched a new design for the site! If you're reading this via RSS or e-mail subscription, please click through to check it out. We had some minor speed bumps along the way, but I think we've got all of the (known) bugs worked out. Be sure to let us know if you find any still scurry around in a dark corner.

The new design has a few features that I'd like to point out to you:

The photo in the header was taken by Emily. The same Emily who took these pics of Tatum. She is brilliant with her camera. Contact her so she can take your picture too.
The photos tab above will take you to our SmugMug site. We usually upload more pics than blog posts, and that link is your ticket to the events as they happen.
In the left sidebar, check out links to "What Matt's Reading." I follow lots of blogs, and if I read something that grabs my interest, I'll share it with you here.
We now have a "Recent Comments" board in the right sidebar. Please feel free to comment on any post. Once it clears our rigorous moderation process, your thoughts will be posted right along side ours.

So there you go. The new design in a nutshell. Whadyathink?

Tatum's Bible puzzle

2008-12-27T17:26:00.005-05:00

Tatum got a Baby Moses puzzle mat for Christmas. It took a few days for us all to get healthy, but we finally got it out and played today. It was a huge hit... Thanks Rebecca!

The "Eyes" Have It - UPDATED!

2008-12-22T14:16:00.004-05:00

For several weeks now Tatum has been squinting at funny times. Should we laugh? Be concerned? Start calling her Squints from The Sandlot? Well, no need for alarm. She knew what she was doing all along. Check out the video. She was a bit distracted with the puzzle, but you'll get her drift.

Croup is here!

2008-12-17T09:04:00.000-05:00

Tatum had her first visit to the Children's ER last Thursday night/Friday morning. We went home early from work that day. Then after Daddy got home from practice we woke her up to take her in the brisk, night air. We watched a dog show on TV while we waited for a call back from the doctor. With every new dog that came on the screen, she said "doggie" in the most pitiful, raspy voice ever. After speaking with the nurse, we took her to Children's. They were wonderful and absolutely worth the extra driving.

Tatum got some meds and a breathing treatment. She was very brave and only really cried when the nurses or doctor looked directly at her. And when I left the room for a sec. :) Daddy got her some stickers and that helped the tears. She played with the toy in the pic for 2 hours!

So, for an ER visit, we think it went well. We definitely needed to take her in and she showed Daddy how she likes to give the nurses a piece of her mind when they dare to make eye contact with her.

Our second annual trip to Fantasy of Trees

2008-11-28T14:50:00.000-05:00

Deborah gave us tickets to Fantasy of Trees again this year! Last year, Tatum was captivated by the lights and just sat in her stroller in awe. She was completly captivated again this year, but there was a lot of "OOO... what's that?" as she pointed at trees and decorations. We made a thumbprint ornament and Tatum had her first carousel ride!

Gotta Love Javier!

2008-11-16T21:18:00.004-05:00

Just in time for National Adoption Day, here's a little shout out for Ian Gomez (who played Javier on Felicity) and his wife, Nia Vardalos (My Big Fat Greek Wedding) on the adoption of their little girl!

Congrats!

What is with all the tears tonight?

2008-11-12T01:16:00.005-05:00

I don't know what is with us tonight. Matt cried during a touching story on ESPN, Tatum cried after bedtime and I've gone from trying to stifle my crying, to sobbing and now just some sad sniffling. I don't even know how it began with me, but I laid down to go to sleep and started thinking about my dad. I miss him. I had to get out of bed because I was afraid of waking up Matt.

The grieving process for people dealing with Alzheimer's disease is strange. The effects of the illness are horrific. I don't think the grieving process is the same for other illnesses. Not to say that any kind of grieving is easy - it's obviously not. It's just different with Alzheimer's. My dad is still alive and I can see him, but he's not the same. He doesn't have any idea who I am. Although he's met Tatum on several occassions, he doesn't actually know why we're calling him PePaw. He can't verbalize much. He was too young for this to happen. He had grandchildren to watch grow up. A wife to grow old with. Children who needed their dad to continue teaching them about car maintenance for crying out loud.

It just blows.

The thing that gives me comfort and also tears me apart is that he would have thought Tatum was hilarious. Absolutely hilarious. He would have laughed and laughed at and with her. She's so freakin funny and he would have thought so, too. I know that he would have wanted to hear her over the phone. I know that he would have loved visiting her. He would have loved how cute she is with the dogs. I hate that she'll never know how funny he was. I hate that she'll never get to wash a car with him. I hate that she won't get to "help" him in his garage like I used to. I hate it all. He would have gotten so tickled with her "conversing" that he would have had tears coming out of his eyes and not been able to breathe from laughing so hard. I can still hear his laughter.

The last time we saw him, he was sitting in one of the chairs at the nursing home. Tatum and I sat by him and she babbled some and he playfully grabbed at her little foot and kind of shook it. That was my dad. That was a moment for me to remember. He smiled and chuckled like his old self...even though it was only a fleeting moment. I needed that. I didn't care that he wasn't lucid. That was my moment to see him interact with my daughter, his granddaughter.

I normally keep fairly good control of my feelings. I'm strong most of the time. I don't know when the intense sadness and grief will come. It seems to come from nowhere. I hate that, too. The last time I remember it hitting so hard is when I left the mechanic's shop earlier this year. I hadn't really noticed when I dropped off the van, but when I went back to pick it up I couldn't miss it. I was writing the check and my eyes caught a glimpse of the mechanic's hands. They were my dad's hands...with a little bit of grease under the fingernails, the rough and calloused hands that could touch a hot engine without flinching, the smell of his shop, it smelled like my dad. He smelled like my dad. It was glorious, but I had to leave. As fast as possible. The same overwhelming feeling washed over me then like it did tonight. The feeling of knowing I'm about to lose control and won't be able to stifle the pain any longer...it's just going to come out. It did that day just like tonight. That day, I sobbed to the point of almost convulsing, all the way down Morganton Road, onto Foothills Mall Drive and then onto Broadway. It would have continued, I'm sure, but a funny thing happened with my mom, who was trying to follow me in her car. And by "trying" I mean she was going the wrong way. Perfect timing for comic relief. I don't have any comic relief tonight. Everyone is in bed. And here I sit.

Alzheimer's sucks.

My thoughts today

2008-11-11T23:39:00.004-05:00

Tonight, Tatum woke up crying. It's incredibly unusual for her to cry out after bedtime so I ran upstairs to get her. She was sitting up in her crib looking a little confused. I probably could have just had her lay back down with paci and her blankie, but I needed to hold her. More for me than her, I'm sure. We came downstairs and sat quietly on the couch. We snuggled and played the paci-kissing game. I love that game. Daddy taught that to her. In between giving me paci, she would yawn...like a really big yawn. Then I'd yawn. Proving the whole "yawning is contagious" theory I yawned on purpose causing her to yawn again. We do this with Felicity, too...it works on canines as well as humans. This game went on for a while tonight. It was wonderful.

We sat there cuddling and I just looked into those dark, dark eyes of hers. I love those eyes. They are the darkest eyes I've ever seen, but also the brightest eyes that capture every part my being. I can literally see my reflection in her eyes. We sat and cuddled, sang and prayed. Although, I have no idea why she woke up startled, I'm so glad to have this memory.

On our way to work today, we talked about Rebecca. Well, I talked and Tatum echoed my sentiments. :) With some yabbi's here and some da's there. Also some Tatum-ese sentences thrown around for emphasis. It's so mind-blowing what Rebecca did. She gave us her daughter. GAVE her to us so we could have a daughter. She entrusted us to care for this precious, hilarious, brilliant gift. We are blessed. So, so blessed.

It's hot!

2008-11-11T23:15:00.001-05:00

Tatum now tries to cool all her food...even if it comes from the fridge. It's hilarious. She also loves to use a big person spoon as shown in this video. Also in the video are her signing skills- all done (her first sign) and please, which she spoke the same week she mastered her version of the sign (about 2 weeks ago). If this were 1994, then please would look similar to "talk to the hand" - it's beautiful.

Hey everybody. This...

2008-11-10T22:48:00.001-05:00

Hey everybody. This is a test post from Matt. I'm talking into my cellphone right now using a service called Jott, and I wanna see if it works. I can't believe how cool this is, if it actually does work. listen

Powered by Jott

The "lifelong commitment" of the Richt family

2008-11-01T12:54:00.004-05:00

Coach Mark Richt is the leader of the Georgia Bulldogs football team. At home, he's the leader of a lifelong commitment of adoption. Makes it hard for a Vols fan to root against the Dogs...

Sweet Tu'Lantern

2008-11-01T10:30:00.000-05:00

Here's our first-ever pumpkin carving! Hopefully it's a new tradition.

Tatum Loves the Sweet Tus!

2008-10-09T18:27:00.000-05:00

Possibly one of the cutest things we've ever seen is how Tatum cuddles and kisses the dogs. You can see her snuggling with Felicity and also see how Libby likes to sit under the exersaucer. Francie usually moves before we can get her pic so here is a solo shot.

Don't make us cry again tonight!

2008-10-04T18:37:00.001-05:00