Love Letter to Gavin

Gavin and I put a temporary tattoo on his hand today. We sat together and I held onto his hand so that I could put on the tattoo (Star Wars -- Anakin, to be exact). He handed me the wet washcloth, and then we sat and counted slowly to 30. I thought to myself as we were counting about how quickly 30 seconds go by, and that 30 seconds make up half a minute, and then slowly but surely minutes make up hours that make up days that make up years. There will not be many times from here on out that my boy will sit with me and let me hold his hand.

This boy, this one half of two, is such an amazing child. I love that he always wants to do the right thing, but sometimes he just can't. I love that he tries to do everything by himself first and is not happy when he has to ask for help (like from Grace regarding his new piano song). I love that he is sometimes overcome by the need to follow patterns and that these patterns have to come first before he can concentrate on anything else.

I love that he is so smart and that he loves to learn new things. I am in awe of his reading ability, his remarkable skill at analyzing material and drawing conclusions. I love that he said the other night that the reason some kids are frightened of the future is that they haven't been baptized yet. I love that he thinks about those less fortunate and wants to set up a lemonade stand to raise money for Haiti. I love that he is a good dancer and that he will bust a move anytime and anywhere.

I am encouraged at his developing social skills and was so proud today when he wanted to give his change to a little girl he had never met so she could get a snack. He also played tag with a boy he just met and seemed to have a good time. They talked a lot about gum, but that's okay.

I'm hoping that I'll always remember Gavin's not having a front tooth for a long time and that the one he lost had been broken since he was two. I hope I never forget how he looks over Sean's shoulder to watch his brother play video games and that the two will snuggle together and read a book (they'll be embarrassed by that later). I especially love how he will get all George Costanza when he needs to use the restroom (thankfully only when he's at home). If you don't know what that means, you can ask me.

Some of his other favorite things: the color green, frozen fruit bars, talking nonstop, talking nonstop to people he doesn't know or he has just met, inviting said people to our home for dinner, real estate or building games, comic books like Calvin and Hobbes, Baby Blues, Frazz and Zits, his new glasses, saying, "When I grow up, I want to be . . . " or "When I grow up, I want to invent . . . ," Pokemon, Avatar the last Airbender, having "guy time" with dad and greeting people at church (man, the guy will be an usher someday for sure).

I love this kid. I just wanted him to know that I see him and know him for who he is. He might be a twin, but he also is his own person -- a very real, very awesome little dude.