Math Joke

A calculus professor reviewed a new textbook for his class to use in the upcoming semester. He was hesitant since it was derivative but to his surprise it became an integral part of the class. #mathhumor

Dad Files: Toddler Days

Toddlers are loud almost all the time and run at full tilt. If in your exhaustion you leave them to their own self exploration, their natural state is entropy and every drawer will be opened, every door or cabinet will be opened and closed, if it has hinges it must be tested (yes there are child proofing mechanisms but some may be left undone when you retrieve items from them), any objects on tables will be thrown on the floor and plastic toys that can be banged on windows or the fireplace glass doors will be banged. Round objects especially will be thrown. Breakable objects are in dire peril. The cat will probably already have found a safe hiding spot but if not the toddler may chase her around the house. Christmas ornaments will definitely be removed from the tree and thrown or dumped on the floor if not outside of toddler’s reach. Without relative constant supervision a bored toddler can become destructive and your home will look like a minor natural disaster has come through. Sounds coupled with the mess will resemble the Tasmanian Devil from Looney Tunes.

While a snuggly toddler can be fun, their high need for touch may become a bit much when they want to be held at meal times and wiggle and squirm as you attempt to eat. They’ll stick their hands in your face, cough or sneeze on you, and head butt you. Hopefully you can get a few things in their tummy too. 

Mealtime options that the toddler will actually consume can be compressed to very few options such as bread, pancakes, tortilla, bananas, yogurt, turkey, peanut butter sandwiches, and the occasional apple sauce or on rare occasions an actual apple or orange or even rarer a vegetable like tomatoes, broccoli, or carrots. Either at home or when going out to eat an activity box can be a saving grace and can include things like play dough, magna-tiles, crayons, cars, or other small items stored in a special toy box.

Toddler may either enjoy brushing teeth or fight you to not do so with arms flailing while screaming. The advantage of screaming is an open mouth to which you can apply a toothbrush. In the less confrontational sessions, he may actually enjoy it but watch out for the tongue which can consume all toothpaste or suck on the toothbrush like a lollipop prior to getting any on the teeth. There are fun songs you can sing to help with the process so be sure to check out options on YouTube where teeth brushing songs can be in the 100 million views range.

The exhaustion from months of nightly infant feedings may come back around as the toddler learns about sleep cycles and how to put himself back to sleep. Lullabies on a Bluetooth speaker can be a saving grace. If you allow toddler to climb in your bed after waking up screaming multiple times in the night, he will do all of the aforementioned lack of personal space things mentioned when eating in addition to kicking you, clapping, singing, and playing with the cat if she is also in the room. Rather than laying parallel, he commonly will roll around until he settles perpendicular to your head. If you don’t get the head side, you may get kicked in the head and if you do get the head side, head bumps can be a rude awakening. It’s unlikely you’ll get much sleep from this point in the night on. In general you should not count on sleeping beyond 6:15 on any morning with wake up calls also occurring frequently at 11:30 pm, 2:00 am, 4:15 am, 5:30 am. You probably will not use an actual alarm to wake you up for several years.

With potty training, it can be a long slow process. There may be joy initially at running around with no clothes on. As toddler begins to get the idea and that we go in the potty and not in the car or in your pants, he will verbalize these concepts but sometimes simultaneously with the moment he is watering the car seat. He may refuse to use the potty all day at daycare only to relieve himself halfway through the 10 minute car ride home upon announcing pp on the potty. There’s really nothing you can do at that point but resign yourself to a subsequent clean up. When toddler announces the need, the liquidation event is almost immediate. With number 2 you may have slightly more notice but if it occurs in the car you may be out of luck. 

If toddler is using pull ups and has gotten to the stage of pulling up pants and the pull up independently, it’s highly advised to check his work closely. Otherwise, the water cannon may not be sufficiently reinstalled in its proper place and can result in all clothing being soaked in the 10 minute ride to daycare in the morning which you get to cleanup while in the midst of trying to get to work. Toilet paper is a lot of fun so you will do well to guard the roll against the toddler’s over eager toilet paper tendencies. Potty time can become party time as you read books, sing songs, and toddler plays while waiting for deposits to be made. If you're not careful, toddler will manipulate you into being his personal potty entertainer. Your own privacy in using the bathroom will be fleeting as toddler is very interested in the whole process. 

Toddler’s cognitive skills will advance greatly and will surprise you at what and who they remember. He’ll sing songs loudly and joyfully. "Hickory dickery dock the mouse ran up the clock, happy birthday, Broccoli, celery, gotta be Veggie Tales, silent night, wheels on the bus, out jumps good ol’ Santa Claus Ho ho ho ho who wouldn’t go, Jesus loves me, I've got the joy, joy, joy joy down in my heart, five little monkeys jumping on the bed mama called the doctor and the doctor said no more monkeys jumping on the bed."

A remedy if he's bored and stir crazy is to follow him around as he explores outside. When you notice him being needy, destructive, or exhibiting undesirable behavior, sometimes all it takes is 5 minutes of undivided attention to get him back on the right track. 

Toddlers can be cute, fun, exciting, and sweet but they can also be selfish jerks throwing tantrums because they’re hungry, tired, want or don’t want a type of food or drink, want a toy, don’t want to share, get jealous, or generally don’t get their way on a time line of immediately. Strong emotions and screaming are frequent occurrences.

The crying as a baby was significant but the volume now pared with volatile strong emotions takes it to a completely different level. Tantrums when you’re well rested are manageable but can be overwhelming when exhausted and sleep deprived. There will be days, weeks, and months where you feel that this stage must pass soon or you yourself will soon pass.

Toddler will repeat the same thing incessantly until desire is complied with and may verge on a meltdown until it comes to pass. "My my my my MY MY MY! Want that Want that Want that Want that! Pita butter, Pita butter, PEANUT BUTTER PEANUT BUTTER! Want that bana, a bana, a bana, BANANA! Wanna go outside, wanna go outside, Go Outside, Go Outside, Go Outside! No like it no like it, NO LIKE IT, NO LIKE IT. Read a book, read a book, READ A BOOK!" His favorite word will be “NO.” Are you all done eating? “NO” Do you want more to eat “NO.” The answer to 90% of questions will be NO. He'll also have phrases that he repeats like "want to go back to bed" but never wants to actually go to bed. 

A regular activity will be climbing and jumping on tables, couches, and other objects he can fall from but seem like a lot of fun. Any trip to church must also be accompanied by a visit to the playground. The playground is one of his favorite activities and he also likes if you go down the slides too. Beware of the way up high playground equipment since toddler will want to climb up but is not fully ready for the heights quite yet. 

Toddler will surprise you with his door opening ability including locking and unlocking the door. Install childproof covers on door knobs or you may have an escapee. Getting chores done like loading or unloading the dishwasher while supervising toddler is theoretically possible but dramatically increases the amount of time to complete the task especially if toddler “helps.” Outdoor tasks are even more challenging and probably not advised with the added factor of toddler walking or running around the corner. 

He will love to see airplanes, helicopters, trains, school buses, garbage trucks, fire trucks, ambulances, and construction equipment in operation. Many toys have annoying songs and loud sounds. If the toys "lose" their batteries, the office of proper parental decisions will not cite you. For emergency vehicle toys with sounds, it's highly recommended to keep them out of your car or you may think you're getting pulled over when it's really just the backseat play police.

Exhaustion seems to be an almost constant state. Be sure to trade off responsibilities with your spouse and give each other breaks. Raising a toddler is a team sport. There are times when you wish you could capture the moment in a bottle and revisit it over and over and other times that may be funny in retrospect but are really really hard in the midst of it. There's a part of me that would like to be able to parachute into revisiting days or moments that are really fun, loving, and meaningful but perhaps that's the blessing of getting to be a grandparent. Enjoy the sweet snuggles, cute things they say and do, high energy, and excitement and hang in there with a lot of prayer.

In pursuit of His best,

Andrew

See https://www.pursuitofhisbest.com/2023/11/dad-files-months-17-18-painting-with.html?m=1 for the last edition of the Dad Files if you need to catch up.

Book Review: Patriot by Alexei Navalny

Patriot by Alexei Navalny is a fantastic memoir of Alexei Navalny’s life, survival from Novichock poisoning, work as an opposition leader in Russian politics as well as exposing corruption in government leaders and business oligarchs, and time as a political prisoner until his eventual assassination while in prison. He provides interesting insight into the history of the fall of the USSR and the aftermath as well as his views on issues in Russia since that time. 

It starts out with the dramatic poisoning in 2020 where he fell unconscious on a plane and recovered gradually over a number of months. In this section he touches on how he was monitored and highly likely poisoned by agents of the FSB. As one of the most prominent opposition leaders to the ruling party he drew lots of attention and popularity through exposing corruption by government leaders to enrich themselves and abusing their positions for their own benefit. This didn’t earn him any friends and there were significant efforts to silence him with it eventually leading to his imprisonment and murder while in prison.

It is telling when one political party so fears an opposition leader that rather than engage with them on the issues they resort to imprisonment and poisoning them. If they were morally in the clear and didn’t fear the truths the person was challenging them with they would have no need to resort to this and could instead triumph with force of argument and superior ideas. Instead it shows weakness to abuse their power and lie to prevent their corruption from being brought to light.

Nalvany comes across as highly intelligent, well read, a deep thinker on policy and how it impacts countries and the world, a skilled debater, but also has a great sense of humor and is up to speed on pop culture. It is a shame that the world lost him in the prime of his life. Throughout the book I was impressed by the vision he cast for what Russia could become and how its people could thrive in the absence of corruption and oppression and with free speech and free association as protected rights. He described it as the Beautiful Russia of the Future. 

In any political system it’s healthy to have leaders with opposing viewpoints to test their own ideas against. The people they lead should benefit from diversity of perspectives and the best ideas should prevail over time with the pendulum swinging back and forth. In the absence of checks and balances and independent judiciaries, authoritarian leaders don’t permit dissent or anything that resembles a real challenge to them instead threatening, imprisoning, and killing those they deem as challenging their own power. 

When Navalny is arrested immediately following his return to Russia from recovering in Germany, it is highly publicized and based on farcical charges that made no sense. How can you comply with requirements to appear before a court while recovering from being poisoned by government agents? After being in jail for a day, they set up a sham “trial” inside of the jail. His lawyer was informed of it only 3 minutes before when she was allowed to enter the jail. He subsequently is falsely charged with numerous other crimes as the government became increasingly frustrated with his calling them out for hypocrisy and abuse of power. Much of this occurred while he was in custody and/or in solitary confinement. 

In parts of the book, Navalny gets into the intricacies of the Russian political system and the various players involved so it can take a bit of work to keep up with all the pieces if unfamiliar with Russian politics. The key theme of his political work was fighting against corruption and for the freedoms of the Russian people. He paints a beautiful picture of what Russia could be without all of the corruption and how government and business leaders could actually help people rather than simply enriching themselves. 

Early in the book he tells the story of growing up in the USSR and how he got started as a lawyer eventually moving into focusing on politics, exposing business and government corruption, and how he utilized the internet in its early days to galvanize the public and bring transparency to underhanded dealings and in businesses and the government. He garnered such support that he became a strong opposition leader who the ruling political party worked diligently to sideline and keep him from running for elections due to direct interference by hired thugs, or charging him fallaciously, threatening his family, and putting him in prison on trumped up charges.

The longer that an authoritarian regime is in power, the more they will suppress the opposition to stay in power whether illegal, immoral, or ethically objectionable. History has shown though that regimes don’t last forever and while they may rule for a time, if they do not ultimately primarily serve the people that they lead, eventually they will dwindle in influence on a global scale and the country’s people will advance other leaders.

Only time will tell but it’s possible Alexei Navalny will go down in history as a groundbreaking martyr in turning the tide from corrupt authoritarianism designed to protect and enrich the powerful rather a government designed to benefit the average person. 

In his “final words” at each of the bogus trials that he was subjected to, he shares insightful thoughts on freedom and designing policies and systems where regular people can thrive and benefit from the resources of a country rather than those benefits accruing to only a few corrupt people. The quality of the speeches and writing in the more philosophical passages is at the level of Martin Luther King’s a letter from a Birmingham jail. In many ways King and Nalvany had similarities in crusading for freedom, against tyranny, and for truth. Those in power imprisoned them and they were both ultimately assassinated.

The last section of the book focuses on Navalny’s time in prison and reads much like a prison diary with both the indignities, and pettiness of rules. Deprived of medical care and sleep through psychological pressures and “routine checks” he eventually went on a hunger strike for almost a month. Overall he has a really good sense of humor despite the situation. 

There were many great quotes throughout the book but one that I thought was especially insightful was: “Life works in such a way that social progress and a better future can only be achieved if a certain number of people are willing to pay the price for their right to have their own beliefs. The more of them there are, the less everyone has to pay. And the day will come when speaking the truth and advocating for justice will be commonplace and not dangerous in Russia.”

From a faith perspective Navalny came to be a follower of Jesus as an adult after growing up as an atheist and leaned into his faith throughout his experience fighting for the truth and for freedom in Russia. A favorite quote of him speaking about his faith was: “My job is to seek the Kingdom of God and his righteousness, and leave it to good old Jesus and the rest of his family to deal with everything else. They won’t let me down and will sort out all my headaches.” 

To get a real understanding of what goes on in Russia I would hope anyone involved in or interested in international politics or diplomatic relations would read this book. It is eye opening and provides lots of color on the machinations going on behind the scenes. Hopefully Navalny’s cause will be carried on by others and the Russian people and the broader world will benefit. 

If you’re on Goodreads and liked this review, head on over and throw a thumbs up on it.

Childhood Home For Sale in Lilburn, GA

After 35 years, my parents are selling the home I grew up in. It’s a wonderful house with a really peaceful backyard and nice neighbors on all sides. It’s been a blessing to our family and we hope it can be a blessing to you or someone you know.

There have been lots of memories, family events, prayers said, thousands of family meals, desserts and countless Christmas cookies made in the kitchen. It’s where I learned to ride a bike, throw a baseball, kick a soccer ball, shoot a basketball, play ping pong, tennis, swim, and was home base for many miles run training for track and cross country. It’s where I studied the Bible and my faith in Jesus grew. Much music was made within these walls practicing French Horn, piano, guitar, and bass guitar. I also developed a strong work ethic by cutting the grass and working in the yard. My brother Jonathan and I grew from boys to men here.

My parents prayed for a good home to raise their family in and this was a wonderful blessing for many years. It’s sad to say goodbye to it but I hope it will be as much of a blessing to the next family as it was to ours.

Check out a link to it on Zillow here.

Dad Files Months 17-18: Painting with Spaghetti, The Scientist, and Tantrums

With entry into the full on toddler phase comes the continued strong opinions and tantrums. These can include the bucking bronco, arms flailing, flinging himself while hands filled with poop diaper changes and may require multiple adults to get him properly changed. There can be a roller coaster of emotions as sometimes he wants you to hold him and 5 seconds later he pushes you away and then implores you to pick him back up immediately after putting him down. If you and your wife try to hug each other, he may express jealousy or push you away if she's holding him and you try for a group hug. On the especially grumpy days, a visit outside with a change of scenery or taking him for a walk can reset his mood and makes for a much better experience all around.

With lots of doctor and urgent care visits he may begin to develop an aversion to medical providers and will express great displeasure with them even being in the same room as him. Distraction tactics like playing with a toy, singing songs, etc. may need to be employed to allow nurses and doctors to check his pulse or use their stethoscope to examine him.

It's probably true throughout all of life but especially at this stage the toddler is essentially a scientist who is exploring, experimenting, and figuring out the world. What is edible, how do drawers open and close, if I yell what response does that get me, learning words to communicate and name different items, learning how to balance and walk while standing up, how to pet the kitty with gentle hands, and how to turn the sippy cup so he can get the last bit out using a straw.

With language development, you will see a progression from single words and unintelligible sounds to unrelated words grouped together such as "all done moo kitty," to two word sentences with meaning such as "no mama" "no dada." When putting him to bed if he wants you to leave and says "bye bye" and you haven't quite finished your special time with him, it can be a little sad.

Daylight savings time does not exist in the toddler's world. What previously was a 5:45 am wake up time for him will become a 4:45 am wake up due to an unrelenting circadian rhythm. You can get him back on track but it will take some grumpiness late in the day to push his bed time late enough so he'll sleep according to the new time.

In helping him learn to walk while giving him your fingers or hands to hold on to, you can direct his path similar to leading someone in dancing. Otherwise, he'll roam free range around whatever area you're in. This new mobility will also allow him to take energetic and noisy laps around the house while holding on to a horse, shopping cart, or other object with wheels. Those first few independent steps are exciting for everyone but will require lots more practice. He can get a little over eager when walking between parents and it will seem more like controlled falling at times.

His new found strength and fine motor skills can result in pulling off a bib if that doesn't suit his preference. This also can turn dinner time into a finger painting with spaghetti art project that covers toddler, his plate or tray, the floor, walls, you and anything else he flings sauce at. Taking off articles of clothing to save on additional laundry work is not a bad idea. It's also highly recommended to change out of work clothes before feeding him any sauce oriented meal.

Swimming lessons can be fun, water torture, or somewhere in between. You will learn many songs as you splash and play, splash and play and dunk the toddler under the water. Swim lessons at this age are supposed to help develop core strength, coordination, comfort level with the water, and how not to drown.

It's lots of fun to see all the new developments he's making but they also bring new challenges. Keep savoring each moment, each day, and record videos and take pictures since it passes quickly. Love him, sing to him, read to him, play with and pray for him. The Lord is on the journey with you and will guide you in it.

In pursuit of His best,

Andrew

Eulogy for My Granddaddy Clatie Lewis

A heart for Jesus, industrious, generous, resourceful, intelligent, forgiving, and an unwavering faith in God describes my granddaddy.

Clatie Floyd Lewis was the first son and second baby born to John Terry and Martha Ann Shaffer on March 5, 1925 out in the country in Webster County, Mississippi. His parents and grandparents for generations back were mostly farmers living off the land. From research we’ve done they seemed to have been mostly of the Baptist and Presbyterian faiths.

Regarding how his parents decided on his name Granddaddy said, “I was named after a fellow in the community who went to fight in WWI, his name was Clatie. He was a fine young man but was killed in the war. To honor him they named me Clatie.”

When Granddaddy was just 4 years old the Great Depression hit and significantly affected his life. The house and farm his dad had bought were foreclosed on when they couldn’t make the payments as a result of declining crop prices and losing his school bus route. By the time Granddaddy was 7 years old he was pulling a plow with a mule named Lou in rented fields helping to grow crops—cotton, corn and hay. Because his dad needed him to help with the farm, he attended school sporadically.

Finally, during the winter of 1940 The Farm and Home Administration had a resettlement program. They loaned my great-granddaddy, John Terry $550 to buy a 60-acre farm in the Edgeworth Community near Eupora, Mississippi. Granddaddy and his brothers were able to cut timber off the land and build a modest 3-bedroom house for the family of 10. It had wood-burning fireplaces for heat and a wood burning stove to cook on. When Granddaddy was in the U.S. Army, he sent money back home so that his dad was able to pay his 40-year loan off in just five years.

Soon afterward in December of 1943 at the age of 18, Granddaddy was drafted into the army during World War II. Because of his past experience cutting hair, when they were in Italy he got to cut people’s hair at 10 cents a head instead of having to do drills with everyone else.

One night while spending time close to the German lines in southern France, Granddaddy said he was lying there in his tent listening as the German shells went off not far away. “I had my Bible. It was dark and I said, “Lord, if you will get me out of here then I’ll serve You all the rest of my life”.

Days later Granddaddy recalls they were waiting around in the camp with the Germans getting closer. “It was cold outside. I had a cup of coffee I’d just made. Even though I’d just made it, something told me to go over and warm up my coffee. As I picked up my right foot— ‘bling’—right where my foot would have been, a piece of shrapnel landed. If my foot had been there, it would have torn my foot off. I knew then, God told me to warm my coffee.”

Eventually, Granddaddy’s unit was hiding out in the basement of an abandoned house. During the night the Germans shelled the building and blew the huge five-inch-thick doors wide open. The force from the shell blew them all down. Granddaddy was diagnosed with a concussion and shell-shock. After 9 months in the hospital, he was honorably discharged on June 2, 1945 with a bronze star medal.

Grandaddy didn’t originally graduate from high school but when he got out of the army, he showed the school administrator his army general classification test and based on his excellent scores they gave him a certificate.

Grandmamma and Granddaddy met while attending Clarke College. Originally, grandmamma was dating his friend Ray. Ray told him that Maxine might like Clatie and that he should take her on a date so he did and that night granddaddy thought God told him that she would be his wife. His sister Florence said I know you and I know Ray and one of you is going to get hurt. Granddaddy said “well it’s not going to be me.” And that worked out well for all of us.

Granddaddy and Grandmamma were married in December 1946 and raised four children together. Grandmamma said: “Clatie caught my attention because he applied himself to his lessons, he worked in a barber shop to make extra money and attended church regularly.” She wanted a husband who was a good Christian, who wasn’t lazy and would make a good living for his family. She said, “God helped me find Clatie and I haven’t been disappointed.”

After school, Granddaddy became a CPA and an auditor for several government agencies and moved his family whenever he could get a good job with a raise. He finished his professional career with the Federal Highway Administration in Atlanta overseeing seven southeastern states. He often traveled for work and because of his frugality rather than spending his travel per diem and 7 cents per mile, he used to save the money up and buy a new car for the family with it.

Granddaddy delighted in doing things for others and was always very generous with his time. He did many tax returns for friends and acquaintances but never charged them. After retirement, he took classes and learned to refurbish old computers at the charity, FODAC where they were sold at affordable prices to those in need. He would cut the grass in his yard on a riding lawn mower and sometimes even drove across busy Chamblee-Dunwoody Road to cut the neighbor’s grass.

He loved visiting people for the church. If Granddaddy was in town, he took a partner and went visiting most Tuesday nights. On many Sundays he went to nursing homes to sing with the residents, give a devotional and visit with them. When Miss Millie, his little dog came into his life, he took her with him.

Besides being generous with his time, Granddaddy was also generous with his money. His family had very little growing up. He pinched pennies all of his life but was willing to share with others. After they got married, he and Grandmamma bought his parents a refrigerator so Granddaddy’s family could keep their food cold. They were faithful tithers to their church and paid for each of their children to get college or technical training after high school so they didn’t accumulate debt. He said ‘I can’t take it with me’ and whatever someone needed whether family or others, he was willing to help them. I also remember him being generous with his Bubblicious bubble gum when I was a kid.

Granddaddy was very resourceful and skilled at fixing things and if you needed some work done just let him know and he would work it into his schedule. He came to all of his children’s houses many times to change out commode parts, install a ceiling fan, hang wall paper, paint, or put in a hardwood floor. He was also his own mechanic. One time as our family was preparing for a trip to Nashville the water pump went out on our Oldsmobile Cutlass. We left it at Granddaddy’s house and when we returned, he had replaced the water pump. I also remember him helping me change the oil in my car when I was in high school.

Finding his way around came easily for Granddaddy before the days of GPS. He had a keen sense of direction and was good at reading a map. He also did many ‘dry runs’ with Grandmamma helping her find a place she needed to drive to.

When Grandmamma and Granddaddy lived in Clarksdale, Mississippi; Granddaddy drew up the plans for the house he wanted to build. Uncle Buford came from southern Mississippi and helped him build it. He and Grandmamma did a lot of the work themselves. Aunt Patricia and Mamma visited Clarksdale a few years ago and saw that the house was there and still in a good neighborhood. The carport had been enclosed and a room was added to the back of the house.

After living in Decatur, Alabama for several years, Granddaddy drew up plans for another house. Sunday afternoons were spent driving around town looking at new houses and getting ideas. This house was close to a nature reserve so the family’s little beagle could roam at night.

Atlanta, Georgia was the last city the Lewis family moved to and called home. A friend at church was selling lots in the Gainsborough subdivision so Granddaddy bought a lot on the corner of Chamblee-Dunwoody Rd. and Chancery Lane. He was the architect and general contractor for this home too and lived in it for 59 years.

Granddaddy had a big garden in the backyard growing mostly tomatoes, cucumbers, corn and butter peas. When my mom was young sometimes he would cut a sucker off a tomato plant and give it to her to put in the ground and grow her own tomato plant. He always grew many more tomatoes than he needed so he could share with family, friends and neighbors. Grandmamma would cook these vegetables for Sunday lunch each week and freeze extra for the winter. Granddaddy was an appreciative eater and would often say that’s the best tea, meal, or dessert I’ve ever had.

The summer between my mom's Freshman and Sophomore years in college Granddaddy got her a job with the North American Acceptance Corporation as an operator taking down credit information. It was located in the same office building that he worked at so he let her ride with him to work every day.

Granddaddy liked to play with words and we called these ‘Clatieisms’. If you said you don’t want him to catch your cold, he’d say I won’t take it. When telling him goodbye, you say bye and he’d say sell. If you asked him if he wanted a roll at dinner, he’d say I’d rather walk. If you tried to call Granddaddy on the phone and couldn’t reach him, you’d call back later and say, “I tried to call you”, he’d say “you didn’t holler loud enough.” If you said I finally got you on the phone. He’d say, “what are you going to do with me now?”

It’s not easy to excuse people who have wronged you and Granddaddy had a sensitive spirit but with God’s help, he had an incredible capacity to let go of things that hurt him. He was very forgiving. If someone had treated him poorly in the past, he was able to forgive and let bygones be bygones. He didn’t hold grudges.

Granddaddy had an unwavering faith in God. My mom remembers him many times working to fix something and when things weren’t going well, he would thank God for helping him and continue to work. He eventually got it fixed and would praise God for the results. This encouraged all of us to trust God and expect Him to help us.

Granddaddy had a faithful prayer life and a heart for others and wanted everybody to go to heaven. He learned some techniques through Campus Crusade and shared Jesus with everyone he met; whether at the gas station, the drug store, at the mall, or on the bus. He enjoyed sharing about how Jesus had worked in his life and did some preaching and singing at the Atlanta Union Mission downtown as well as at his church.

In his later years, Granddaddy continued to trust God for what he needed. He had some health issues where he couldn’t remember things like he used to but he actually knew Joshua’s name and would ask about him. It was so fun to see the two of them interact. He kept a good attitude, stayed positive, and walked a mile or more everyday in the neighborhood up until about a year ago. He said the doctor told him if he kept walking that he wouldn’t ever stop. When I would walk with him he’d say “keep on walking and walk right into paradise.” 

He also had an incredibly strong grip even at the age of 98 and liked to let people know it when shaking their hand or with a vigorous back rub. On Sundays, I’d give him a back rub and he’d say I’ll give you 30 minutes to stop that and often he’d get up and return the favor. When I’d encourage him to have a good day while saying goodbye; he’d say, “I’ve decided to.” I loved this attitude and how he continued to live life to the fullest even in his later years.

My mom once entered and won a contest where she shared the best advice your dad ever gave you. This is what she summarized from his life. “When running life’s obstacle course, stop along the way to help those who can’t get over the hurdles. The winner is the one who brings the most people to the finish line.”

Granddaddy was faithful to his promise to God when he was in the tent in southern France. He was a devoted servant and follower of Jesus Christ all the days of his life. In 2 Timothy 4:8, it says there is a crown of righteousness in heaven in store and I’m sure he heard well done good and faithful servant when he arrived.

We praise God for my Granddaddy’s life!

Dad Files Months 14-16: Tiny But Sharp Teeth, Uh Oh, and Strong Opinions

Baby will make some definite transitions to the early toddler stage. This can involve strong opinions as to how the world should be including food that will pass agreeably into his belly, willingness towards bedtime or naptime, snuggling or not, and what he wants to play with. Communication capability is growing as he develops more words as well as arm control with direction of desired or undesired objects by pushing and pulling. Words include No, woah, wow, all done, kitty (he loves the kitties, chasing them, petting them, and watching them run around), uh oh, more, yai, boo, nay, moo, up, thank you, didi, dada, daddy, mama, baba, hi, hey, bye, ball, go (the oh sounds are especially cute).

In regards to eating, there will be things he really likes and others that he really doesn’t. These can switch categories on a daily basis. When he’s done eating or doesn’t want something, he may pick it up and deliberately drop it or throw it on the ground. When coupled with him saying “uh oh” it will call into question if he comprehends the difference between “uh oh” and “on the floor on purpose.” Try not to laugh.

When holding baby, you may suddenly feel a sharp piranha bite sensation on your shoulder, arm, or other body part near baby’s mouth. This isn’t malicious but everything including you are fair game as his chompers explore the world.

As he cruises, pulls up to tables and see objects whether books, food, or breakable things he will attempt to throw or push everything on the floor with clean plate syndrome vigor. Be forewarned and secure items that would have a better resting place than the floor. On the positive side, this increased hand and arm control introduces new possibilities for activities with balls which is fun to play with him.

A book we read said that this is best understood as the caveman stage and communication in short words or phrases is most effective with the goal to match and capture the emotion. He may hit objects, tables, bang toys, plates, cups, or silverware, drop or throw things and generally make a lot of noise. Teaching him to use his gentle hands will go far in keeping yourself, cats, and breakable objects in a healthier state. Loud yells when he’s excited about life, mad, or doesn’t want to go to bed also support this theory.

Toys will occupy every room of the house and if you're not diligent with pick up and restoration to their original location, bright colored plastic will infest every surface of your home with an obstacle course winding throughout. There are more toys than you would imagine that make loud and annoying sounds or sing cloyingly cringy songs. No judgement if the batteries conveniently find their way outside of the toy or it's turned off permanently.

As he’s learning to walk, it’s fun to watch him push a table or chair across the room. With significant mobility now, stairs must be monitored closely. On this topic, baby can surprise and scare you and your spouse by climbing independently up the stairs when each of you thought the other was watching him only to look over and see him cresting the top of the stairs unassisted and unmonitored. Install baby gate pronto.

Holding his hands as he learns to walk can put a strain on the back so be sure to stretch and bend your knees. A trip to the beach can yield benefits in learning to walk as well as general fun playing in the sand

though when he eats some sand, it will put an end to the day as curious baby turns into grumpy baby.

He will now largely be feeding himself with his hands and it’s especially fun to watch him double fist peanut butter pancakes. If done when he’s tired, there’s the added benefit of rubbing peanut butter all over his face. Have fun getting that cleaned up with your tired caveman.

He continues to enjoy reading books and especially likes the ones with flaps or slides that he can pull in and out. Sandra Boynton books have been favorites as well as the Peekaboo book series. If reading paper page books vs. board books, hold the book strategically since eager reader, page turning hands can render the paper worse for the wear. 

Ear tubes make a big difference in the number of ear infections though you and he are still subject to the sickness of the week at daycare.
 

While much of his communication the past 16 months has been related to expressing his many needs, it will warm your heart when he crawls over to you, says your name, and wants you to pick him up just because he’s excited to see you. With so many developmental milestones occurring during this time, celebrate each one and be careful about comparing your child to another. God has designed him uniquely and will help him grow and develop exactly as He has planned. He's a great blessing and your job is to love, protect, pray for, sing to, teach, play with and provide for him, give him your time, energy and attention, and facilitate an environment where he can learn, grow, have fun, and enjoy being a boy and your son.

In pursuit of His best,

Andrew