3 Years Have Flown By....

Almost two weeks ago now, my little baby turned three.  I know, I know, he isn't my little baby anymore, but he still so is.  Gavin is the boy who helps me see more and more that personality can be strong from the beginning, that children certainly do inherit both the best and worse from their parents, and that humor is undoubtedly necessary in everyday life.  There is so much to say about my Gavs, that I just had to take the time to think back about how we got to this point.  Just a warning, I love this little boy more than life itself, so if I get mushy, well, you've been warned.

My pregnancy with Gavin was so different than that of Brennon.  He gave us scares.  He made sure his entrance was unforgettable:  2 weeks early, the cord wrapped around his neck two times, and wrapped around his big toe once (so that every time that he was kicking, he was pulling the cord), and then we dealt with jaundice for the first week of his life.  His first few months were hard:  colic, a snowstorm the day he came home, postpartum depression, and colic....oh and colic.  Ugh!  But even from the beginning, he was my little cuddle bug.  He would pull his legs up under his tummy and he would snuggle his face into my neck and just cuddle.  He would happily stay in my baby sling, so close to my heart for an hour at a time.  He brought me so much agony (did I mention that he was colicky), and so much joy from the moment he entered our world. 

I'm sure I'm not the only mom to ever compare her children, but I found that having two kids so close together made it especially hard.  During his first year, Gavin ate food sooner (which at the time I thought was from me loosening up as a mom, but now that I see what a foodie Gavin is, it doesn't surprise me at all), he laughed sooner and much more often (still no shocker), and although he became mobile later, once he started, he didn't care so much about walking as he did climbing!   Brennon was so neat and clean, and Gavin was just all over the place.  He didn't care if the spaghetti ended up just as much in his hair or the wall as it did in his mouth.  Brennon was quiet, and Gavin was loud.  He didn't really care as much about television, which is still the case, and he LOVED music.  Gavin loves to sing, be sung to, and dance, dance, dance!  I remember a time when he was probably only about a year and half that the Sunday school teacher said to me that she was shocked about what rhythm Gavin had. 

As Gavin continued to grow, I would see the best (expressive, loving) and worst of me (temper....uh, yes) demonstrated in him.  I love that he looks like me, but I think that's just because my handsome Brennon looks like Ryan's mini-me.  My mom showed my brother, Kyle, a picture of me when I was about 5 months old, and Kyle asked why we put Gavin in a dress.  I love it!  He is my mini-me, only with less hair bows!



At age 2, he started sticking out his tongue and making funny faces in pictures....

Gavin is now three years old, and I see personality, personality, personality!  He loves his family, his friends, and animals.  He goes from talking about how much he loves them and being charming in general to teasing in no time flat.  He will tell Brennon that he loves him and that he is his best friend and then bring sibling rivalry to new levels within a span of two minutes.  He loves to tease, especially because he is able to get to Brennon.  I was shocked when Gavin was only two and a half and he was taunting his older brother saying that he bought him "girly princess stuff" for Christmas.  He loves to make silly faces when you take his picture, have his "neck meat" tickled, and use his wild imagination.  He is still my cuddle bug, only now it happens when the mood strikes, and he is uber-competitive (I do not know where he gets that, ahem!)  He loves to feel like he's done something, and I love when he says, "I can do it by by my myself!"  Although I sometimes do worry about his pronunciation, I have to admit that I will absolutely miss the way that he says somethings when he grows out of it.  I mean, will I even know who he's talking about when he calls him "Brennon" instead of "Bwennon"?  He tries my patience almost daily, but he also has me (and many of my friends) wrapped around his finger.  I am so happy that is a part of my life, and that God gave us someone to make us laugh through every situation.  And on a side note, I apologize future teachers, because I know what it is like to have a class clown on your hands, but please know, I kid you not when I say that he will keep a smile on your face and laughter in your heart each and every day!  I love you, my Gavy, you are my sweet, silly boy, and Mommy loves all that you are...I always will!