What's Up With the David's: Gavin James

As I sat down to start writing Gavin's blog last night, I heard the pitter-patter of little feet running around upstairs. Keep in mind, it was 9:30 pm. The boys had been in bed for an hour but apparently one of them wasn't tired. So we let Gav stay up with us for a little "special time" as we like to call it. Usually Gav is sacked out and we do this with Jack from time to time...we let them hang out with us on the couch and have a snack....just the three of us. It's rare that we get one-on-one time with our kids so they LOVE this. And we kind of love it too! So it was very apropos that on this night we had Gavin snuggling with us.

I adore my middle child! I know in the past he's been labeled as the crazy one. Don't get me wrong, he is a little nutso. But I have really grown to appreciate that about him. I mean, I can be a little cra-cra myself! Instead, I prefer to call him the "spirited" one! Christian and I have spent a lot of time fighting his personality and were constantly going to toe-to-toe with him about everything. But recently we've been trying a new tactic and we're approaching him with love, not anger. We're trying to hear him more and let him be himself, within reason, of course. And it seems to be working really well! He definitely responds better to a more loving, gentle approach. He's a tough kid but he's got a really soft heart and he loves to be hugged and kissed.

I constantly try to understand what its like to be Gavin, the one who had to grow up the fastest. The middle child who lost his mommy to Dylan when she was first born. The one who idolizes his older brother but just can't seem to do everything as well as he does. The one who screams the loudest for our attention on a daily basis. For these reasons I have a huge soft spot in my heart for him. He's a special kid who is so loved by all of us. I always want him to know that. And now that Dylan is a little easier to handle, I have a lot more time to spend showing him just how much he means to me.

But beyond all of this, he is so much more. He's the funniest kid I have ever met. He says things that make me literally laugh out loud. He never stops moving and is constantly talking....constantly! He's scary smart, witty and observant. The kid has the street smarts of a grown up. He's full of love and affection. He is always laughing! He has more energy that any kid I know. He and his brother play together for hours. He loves to read and learn - he soaks up books and puzzles like crazy. And aside from the typical sibling arguing he's a pretty great brother. I am just so proud to be his mom. But he's grown up WAY too fast. I feel like I was very present for Jack's baby years but with Gavin I blinked and he is almost 3. So I am desperately trying to savor every moment with him before he gets any bigger.

Speaking of big, Gavin is huge! He's gotten so tall in the past few months. He's about 33 pounds and nearly 3 feet tall. As he has been since birth he's a total bean poll, just like his daddy. He's such an adorable little boy with his surfer dude blond locks and baby blue eyes. And a seriously killer smile! He's definitely going to break some hearts when he's older. I still think he's going down an alternative path and will become a drummer in a rock band or some sort of adventure journalist. I doubt he will spend his years living in Irvine.

Gavin also has 2 really big pieces of news to share! First, he's almost potty trained! It's been a long process because his pre-school start him at 2 years, which I think is a little young for boys. But this past month it has really seemed to click. This week he's basically had a dry pull-up all day and he ask us to go to the potty which is a huge improvement for him. I think in the next few weeks we will go cold turkey and get rid of the pull-ups. That will be awesome for me and such a huge savings!

Gav will also be starting a new pre-school in the fall. As much as we have loved Tutor Time, we felt like it was a better fit for Jack, not Gavin. We adore his teachers now but when he moves up he'll be in a huge pre-school class with new teachers and we just felt like he would get lost. And since Jack will be starting elementary school in the September, we figured it was a good time to switch Gav too. So we selected a smaller school with smaller class sizes. It's a Christian school called Creator's Corner and we think its going to be a much better fit for him. He just needs a little more TLC and one-on-one attention and this school seems to offer that. For now, he and Jack will enjoy summer camp at Tutor Time before the big switch.

Current likes - milk, Paw Patrol, Jack's friends, PB&J, kids church (really!), CARS books, reading in general, brushing his own teeth, doing puzzles, being held, pretending to be a baby, screaming, dancing, hangabers, salad, staying up late and telling stories with his brother in their room (too cute!) and of course, daddy.

Current dislikes - going to bed, napping, waking up (basically anything having to do with sleep!), having his hair washed or brushed, swimming, any food that his green, going to school (even though he always has fun), sharing, sitting still.

It is really difficult to get good pictures of Gavin because he's always on the move. So most of these pictures are action shots but they are cute. Here's my little golden nugget from the past few months.

I wanted to share this one so you can see how big he's gotten. He has zero baby fat and is really long and lean. He's such a cool little dude...

I love this face!!

He's learned to ride a tricycle and scooter really well this spring. Now he can keep up with the big boys which makes him very happy. I think for his 3rd birthday we'll get him a new bike...

This cracks me up. He has this look on his face like..."hmmm, I really want to push her but my mom is watching..."

Mad drumming skills! We have dance and music hour at the house and the kids go bananas...

Loving his Mike and Yikes from Papa Don. He also loved the books that Gigi sent him in the same package but of course candy gets top billing...

Good lord, this child needs a hair cut! I do think he has beautiful hair but not for a boy. I hope Dylan gets his hair...

This needs no description...

Love his mega-watt smile! For some reason he has no desire to go in the water this summer so he plays with his pool toys on the concrete. He definitely marches to the beat of his own drum...

FINALLY! Paw Patrol toys are available and I am pretty sure we were the first ones at Toys R Us to get them. All my kids go nuts for them...even Dylan...