Gavinisms

It seems that every day brings a few anecdotes about Gavin -- the kinds of stories I'll tell his fiance on the night before his wedding or over the pulpit when he's a missionary or when he has little rascals of his own. So here's a collection of recent events with this boy.

Oh, this boy!

Yesterday Gavin was especially wired. Crazy wired. I spent 45 minutes on the treadmill in the basement, and he did laps around the room the entire time. He kept saying, "I'm running in circles! I'm running in circles! I'm running in circles! Look at me!" It wasn't until an evening conversation with Garry that I realized where Gavin's extra fuel had come from: He had swiped Garry's cup of Dr. Pepper (leftovers from a lunch out - maybe 20 ounces or so) from the door of the fridge. Gavin+caffeine=insanity. That's all.

Also yesterday: Gavin drank a bottle of infant ibuprofen. We aren't sure if that was before or after the Dr. Pepper. I called Poison Control. Thank goodness Gavin is beefy -- his weight-to-amount-ingested ratio protected him. At least he wasn't in pain all day!

Also yesterday: I managed to catch Gavin before he removed his poopy diaper. (His new habit is to bring me a diaper full of yuck and present it to me as evidence that he needs to be changed. Sometimes he is very neat and tidy; mostly there's lots of clean-up involved.) During nearly every diaper change, I gently remind him that when we move to our new house he's going to learn to use the potty. This time the conversation spurred him to action; he wanted to sit on the potty for a while. I got him set up, then disposed of the diaper. I told Garry that Gavin was on the potty, and that I was getting in the shower (in a different bathroom -- I figured since he'd just done the deed he didn't need supervision). Five minutes later, I found out that Gavin had pooped in the potty and smeared his mess everywhere. Lovely.

Also yesterday: While driving, Gavin was distressed by the snow accumulation on the roads and sidewalks. He chanted: "Snowy mess! Snowy mess! Clean up the snowy mess!" He was also highly agitated about the fact that Daddy and Zach and Tyler were left at home while Lexi and I drove around with him. He thought Dad and the boys HAD to be in the car if he was.

Gavin acquired the big bruise under his eye on February 9. He walked right into the metal gate at the top of the stairs. He had a giant goose-egg under his eye for several hours that eventually turned into his first shiner. I frequently take note of the guardian angels that must surround this boy at all times. It truly is a miracle that he is not seriously injured on a regular basis!

For example, Gavin runs at warp speed (and not just when he's on a caffeine buzz) wherever he goes. Lately, his head moves faster than his feet, and he often tumbles to the ground because his lower half can't keep up. But more often than not, he picks himself up and continues on his way, hardly noticing the interruption to his momentum. It's also quite remarkable to watch the times when he manages to avoid a fall. This boy has balancing skills!

Gavin loves picking up the boys from school each day. As long as he is awake, he is quite charming when each boy climbs into the van. He will say, "Hi Zachary (or Tyler)! How was your day? Did you have a good day? Nice to see you!" He has the same greeting for Garry when he comes home from work.

Russell the bear is still Gavin's best friend. Occasionally I wonder if this infatuation is healthy, but frankly, Russell makes my life easier right now, so I'm rolling with it. Today's pre-church experience was made pretty crazy by Lexi's urgent care visit, so when Gavin insisted Russell come to church, I was quick to acquiese. Gavin had just spilled a bowl of [my] cereal and milk all over his church clothes, necessitating a head-to-toe change of clothing, and I didn't have the energy to argue. I was quite charmed during Sacrament Meeting when Gavin wanted me to draw Russell's hand print on the drawing board. Russell really is a member of the family!

Gavin has officially reached the tantruming-two-year-old stage, where his fits of completely unreasonable behavior are mine to enjoy several times a day. I recently had the thought that all this boy needs is love. So when Gavin is in his most unloveable state, I whisper, "I love you" over and over...until he calms down enough to say, "I love you" back. That little exchange is a good reminder for both of us.

I love you, Gavin!