What's in a name?

Trivia for you...did you know I was born Jon David Shiflet? Jon David. Can you imagine me as JD? 2 weeks after I was born my parents changed it to "Cord"...legally, thankfully. They left me with no middle name so I could change my name (or add to it I suppose) when I got older if I really didn't like Cord. My baby book is awesome...it looks like my mother bought it at a garage sale and just changed the name throughout the entire book. You see Jon David with a big black mark through it and "Cord" is scratched above. No wonder I'm half crazy...I had a very unstable first few weeks of my life, not even knowing what name to answer to!

Anyway...I love my name. I don't think that's news to any of you...seeing as how I have plastered it everywhere I can from my towels to my license plate. I believe picking your child's name is critical. I honestly believe my name helped shape me and the person I am and the guy you've all learned to love. There has never been another Cord, except some extremely good looking guy on a Soap Opera, but otherwise I'm pretty sure I'm the only one on the planet. I've met a McCord but not a Cord. If you find another one, please don't tell me.

So...we've been trying to come up with Baby Shiflet #2's name. We don't find out if we're having a boy or a girl so we have to come up with not one but 2 names so we're well prepared. Tatum came to us and was perfect! Anne loved the name and gets credit for suggesting it. When she said the name I kind of smiled and said "did you know that was my great-grandparent's name?" She didn't know that. They were the Tatum's from Emory, Texas. Tatum Emory...so it worked well for both of us. I was rooting for a girl for no other reason than I adored the name. Now we're challenged because we have to find something equally as good and we're at odds as to what to do.

We both have some good names picked out but neither one of us fully agrees with the other one's pick. I suggested I pick a boy name, Anne pick a girl name and whatever comes out...so be it. That didn't work out so well with my OCD controlling bride. Everywhere we look we're trying to find a name. We've read every baby-name book, we sit and read the movie credits after every show we watch scrolling for a name we like to roll through, we think of places we love and things we've done...we did get one good option out of that, Cruise, but Anne said she'd think of Tom everytime and what a freak he is and that wouldn't fly. So here we are, just over a month to go and our child is nameless. Anne used up some good names on the pets...Coco, Chloe, Lulu, Felix...so those are out. We had a great one picked out that we both loved--Campbell, but thanks to the damn Katz' Klan for stealing it 2 months earlier we can't have a child share a name for Christ's sake. We're stuck.

I started asking for my family names...get this. It starts with Jeannette, Johnny, Jackie, Jeannine, Judy, James, Jenny, Janie, Jennie, Jessica... do you catch on to that? Then if you branch off on the next fork in the family tree it goes on to people like Leroy, Purniecy, Vandall, Wendell (who died in Prison), O'Dette, Ida Mae, Babe, Edgbert, Argie, Toddy, Merlynn, Artie, Audie Mae, Aunt Pud, Augusta, Onie, Willie Lucielle (that's a woman!) , Bobbie Jo (that's a girl--Jo, not Joe), Hooker (not a joke!). I will add to that list after my mother and aunt read this blog and threaten me with my life for making fun of their kin-folk. But how can you not? The only ones that are better than that are the ones my Dad wrote about in his book....names like Tooter Terry, Paz, Booker and the like. I'm not making this stuff up. We quickly stopped working our way through the East Texas root system from which my family grew. They're all wonderful people but those names aren't going to mesh with my lady.

So...any suggestions from any of you? I'm looking for something short with some punch to it. With a jacked up last name like Shiflet (which you spell your entire life) I think you need a kick ass first name. Cord, Cole...those were good 'uns. We need more.

Nigh Night,
Jon David

August is starting out HOT

It was 105 freakin' degrees today.  Yowzers.  This is the time of year I start to understand why so many people are out of town and have homes in places like Colorado.  I need to start following suit of the rest of my peers and get the hell outta here for the entire month of August each year.  Thankfully I sat in the pool all day today and was mostly numb to the scorching sun...with the exception of my poor little thinning scalp. 

It was another fun and exciting week in my life.  I guess.  Actually, not really, but I try and always remain positive.  The week was actually a blur.  I don't seem to remember much of what happened other than something like 4 clients called to say they are changing their realtor because their house hasn't sold.  I love it when it's my fault for doing a better job than most anyone can and we're in the slowest sales session we've seen in years and homes that I have listed for 2 years at $2.0mil are turning down offers at $1,950,000.  Yea, I suck.  I always love seeing when they sell it 6 months from now at $50k less than the offer they told me was so terrible.    

Tatum continues to grow leaps and bounds.  Every week her vocabulary is growing and I love her new words.  I'm sad to hear that "doe doe" is turning in to "doggy"...I preferred "doe doe" and thought it was just so "her."  She started hugging this week!!  She'll put her little arms around my neck and squeeze and I don't know that any hug has ever felt so good.  It's just filled with love and appreciation and admiration....so sweet and innocent and pure.  I ask her for about 4 in a row until she tires out of squeezing her little body into mine.  

A really sweet friend/client sent us flowers on Thursday and I took a picture of Tatum w/ the flowers just to email her and say "thank you" and so she could see how much Tatum is growing up.  I think this is one of the cutest pics I've taken of her...she just looks so happy and smiley.

This is a video I took of her mid-week.  We were in the car pulling out of our neighborhood and Anne happened to pull up next to us.  I was trying to get her to do "big face" which she didn't cooperate on.  I'll get it soon, don't worry.  it's so funny to see her open her mouth as wide as it will go and then squish it up as much as she can in to "little face." Anyway...I was trying and also tryign to get her to say her words.  She wouldn't do much other than say "daddy, mommy, doggy" but I think she looks so cool in her glasses. You can tell she thinks she's too cool for school talking all quiet and reserved with her shades on. 

Well, the video link isn't working.  I will have to make it my goal to figure out what's up.  Sorry.

Since we were finally home on a weekend, we're back in the routine with "Saturday morning's with Dad."  A friend of mine, Jordan, called me Friday night and asked it I wanted to go see Joe McDermitt (sp?) do a concert for kids at Riverbend Church.  I thought it sounded like fun and met him and his son, Cole, there Saturday morning at 10:30.  We walked around the little carnival thing and beat on drums and thought about getting in the big jumping moonwalk thing but after being outside for 20 mins and completely soaked in sweat, we were very releived to find the a/c venue for the concert.  This was my first "kids concert" and I didn't know what I was in for.  I felt kind of silly/corny listening to a 50 year old guy sing songs about aliens from mars and a silly dog wagging his tail but after 10 minutes or so I really got in to it and was helping Tatum do all the hand signals and scream out all the rhyming words when he asked for them.  Tatum was shy at first too but when I took her down to the front row where all the kids were standing she was suddenly in her element.  Apparently all the needs is a mosh pit and she's an instant groupie.  Most kids were a little older and understood more of what was going on.  Tatum would just watch them and when they'd put their arms in the air, so would she.  When they jumped up and down and laid on the floor, she'd follow just a few seconds behind them.  It was great.  I loved cheering her on and watching her laugh and smile.  She had a great time and it was one of the best Saturday mornings we've spent together.  

After the concert we went outside to sit in the shade and watch a clown do all kinds of juggling and magic tricks.  Her little friend Cole, 1 month younger than her, sat sunggled up right next to her.  I was in a clown trance and not paying attention to the kids and when I glanced over to look at them Cole had is hand on her thigh about 1/2 way above her knee!  It was awesome.  Wait, no, it was terrible.  It was just like they were 15 years old.  I tried to catch a picture but wasn't quick enough...this was as good as I could get.  I guess you just have to watch your daughter around any boy named Cole...no matter what the age, the name Cole and having "a way with the ladies" just seems to be a given.

After yelling at Cole "hey kid, keep it below the knees" this was a picture I took of him clearly trying to coax Tatum in to holding hands and you can tell by her face she wasn't having it.  Good for you Tots! Not until you're 22.

  

I followed up the kiddie concert by going to Snoop Dogg Saturday night at the Backyard.  I went with a teriffic group of friends and had such a great time.  It was a gorgeous night (but a little hot) and we all enjoyed some Tex Mex at Rosie's and sitting under the trees gettin' crunk with the Doggfather of Hip Hop.  

Today, Sunday, we had a bunch of families over to hang out in the pool and lay around.  It was a smaller group this time around but still a lot of fun.  I cooked hot dogs "for the kids" though anyone that knows me and is reading this knows I cooked them more for myself than anyone.  And yes, they were damn good and I loaded mine up with Mayonaise (disgusting, I know) and shredded cheese.  You know there's a lot of white trash in me and this is where it starts to show.  

The highlight of my day was lying on the couch playing with Anne and Tatum this evening.  I had my head on Anne's belly and was intently watching Tatum rocking her baby dolls...that's when the new baby starting really kicking.  I felt him/her move around for probably 10 minutes.  It was so neat...especially feeling them move around against my head and not my hand like I normally would feel Anne's tummy.  I'm getting so excited to meet the new little addition.  

Tatum got her belly laughs tonight as she invented a new game.  She'd cover me up with blankets and say "nigh night Dada" and leave me there for a few seconds.  Then she'd rip the covers off my head and yell "BOO!" and I'd kind of jump up and say "hi."  She thought it was the greatest thing she's come up with.  We did that for several minutes and Anne and I'd just laugh at how she makes herself laugh and stays entertained.

Stay cool and hopefully inside the air conditioning.  Have a great week and thanks for checking in...