Letters to Gavin: 2 Years

Dear Gavin,

Although I still like to think of you as my little baby boy, you're not so little anymore. You've just turned two. You've changed so much in just the last year. So full of character and energy, sweetness and mischief.

You are completely different than your sister was at this age. It's taken a little bit of adjustment to get used to a new way of parenting. You love people and playing with other kids. You're loud and rambunctious and eager to explore and get into everything. You're like a small tornado that delights in creating disorder. Baskets of toys must be upturned and strewn about, drawers ravaged and contents distributed from one end of the house to the other. You also have a penchant for danger. Some days I wonder if you are actively trying to off yourself. You derive great joy from making messes and doing dangerous things. This joy is increased exponentially should someone try and tell you not to do them. Any mention of the word 'no' or 'stop' is met with a devilish twinkle in your eye and an extra boost of speed in accomplishing said task. Scolding or stern words only serve to widen your smile and mirth.

You love to wrestle around with your daddy and sister, especially if it's on the bed where you can flop around without getting hurt. You have a special wrestling move where you sit on someone (usually straddling the stomach area) and bounce up and down vigorously. Your dad calls this "giving [someone] the 'business.'" Your sister loves it when you do this. She will laugh as you climb onto your daddy and say "Give him the Business, Bubba!" By the way, you are very rarely called "Gavin." In this house you are Bubba. Or Bubs or Bubby or Stinkbutt.

One of your favorite things to do is ride bikes. You got a nice tricycle for Christmas this year but it's still a bit big for you. You are still riding your little 3-wheeled baby bike. I love to see you ride this bike. Your little legs move so fast and it's the most adorable thing ever. You're very good at steering and given the right surface to ride on, you can drift around corners.

You've got a good ear for rhythm and are a fabulous dancer. It doesn't take much for you to start bustin' a move. You'll wave your arms back and forth in sort of an Elaine (from Seinfeld) meets windshield wipers kind of move. You've recently started "workin' it down low" as your sister calls it, where you squat down on your haunches and wiggle your bum back and forth. Or just run around like a crazed nut, bouncing off whatever soft surfaces you can find.

You love food and are generally pretty adventurous. The foodie in me LOVES this. I rarely have to fight to get you to eat something. Your favorite food is fries, but you love anything related to potatoes: hash browns, mashed potatoes, chips, roasted taters. You're an Idaho boy at heart. You also really like pepperoni, hot dogs, ham, and most any kind of meat. You love vegetables and fruit, especially blueberries and tomatoes. You don't care for many drinks besides water. You also aren't big on dessert or bread-based foods. You turn your nose up at ice cream & cake and reject creamy pastas such as macaroni & cheese or tuna casserole. Which actually works out OK since you've got a mild milk allergy. You've definitely got your dad's taste buds.

Some of your favorite toys are planes, balls, and cars. You will fly anything around accompanied by the appropriate airplane noise. Your dad and I gave you some Matchbox cars and a car garage with a ramp for your birthday. You could play with that thing for hours. You're also getting really good at your shape sorter. I think you have finally mellowed out enough to sit down and focus a little on some things instead of just dumping out the pieces and throwing them around. You and your sister have really started to play well together recently (though not without your share of fights). She likes to make pretend food and you oblige her in pretending to eat it. She "made" a batch of cookies the other day and you pretended to eat them all one by one.

One of my favorite things you do is give tummy blows. You've done this for ages. You'll frequently give me a tummy blow on my arm or face when you first wake up in the morning. You also think it's hilarious to try and lick me. Despite all your rambunctiousness you are also quite the snuggler. You give the best hugs and kisses and love to cuddle on the couch. You're my little brown-eyed boy and you've got me wrapped around your cute pudgy finger.

I love you my little Bubba-Boo!

Love, Mommy