A Letter to My Boys

Gavin,
Kiddo...have I told you how funny you are lately? You make me laugh daily with the goofy little things you do and say. You've started saying "NO. WAY." when you're excited about something, or I tell you something unbelievable. You're such a perfect mimic when it comes to a turn-of-phrase like that, that it makes me wonder if you'll be good at impressions when you get a bit older.

This month, I got to go on a preschool field trip with you to Paradise Park, one of your very favorite places. You were so excited I was coming with you, but I was a little disappointed I didn't get to spend more one-on-one time with you. We were in a group with 8 of your classmates and it felt like I spent more time corralling, and keeping track of everyone than really getting to play with you. I'm still so glad I went though. The proud, my-mom-is-here look on your face when you got off the bus made my week.

Being goofy with Dinosaurs (and your friend, Lucy) at Paradise Park.

You've been on a game-playing kick lately, partly due to the several games you got for Christmas this year. Your favorite though, by far, is Candyland. We've played at least a hundred thousand times in the last month (I may be exaggerating...but only slightly). You're learning not to be a sore loser, and insist that everyone shake hands and say, "Good game" when the game is complete. Well...you insist on doing that when you win, anyway.

You're already getting excited about your birthday, which is still more than a month away. But to tell the truth, I'm getting excited, too, because this year is your golden birthday (4 on the 4th) so I want to make it extra special.

I love you more,
Mommy



Bennett,
My little man...you are not so little anymore. I think I've been in denial a little bit. Some days, you still seem so very baby to me, but those days are numbered, I know, so I'm savoring them. You were so, so sick a couple of weeks ago with the stomach flu, and while I felt terrible that you felt so terrible, I was also loving the extra snuggles. Now that you've been independently crawling for a while, you constantly want down to crawl or cruise after something new, but while you were sick, you wanted nothing but to be held. We'd sit with you on the couch and you'd slump into us, laying your head on our chests. You were such a poor, little pathetic thing for several days. You're making up for it now that you're better though, eating double the amount and crawling and cruising twice as much.

I think you're cutting another tooth or two, also, but I hope they hold off just a little while longer, because your fanged grin is absolutely adorable. Your two bottom middle teeth came in first, but on the top, instead of the two front teeth, your two eye teeth came in first, which makes you look slightly vampire-ish when you smile or laugh. It's beyond adorable, so I'm hoping for at least a few more weeks of your quirky grin.

The pea-covered version of the vampire grin.

Another one of your quirks I keep forgetting to write about is that you pick at our cuticles. When you're nursing, you hold onto my hand, and pick at my fingernails or cuticles, and even Daddy has said you do that to him when he's rocking you or feeding you a bottle. Weird, I know, but just one of those odd little things, I guess.

I thought you might not have as much separation anxiety as your brother had at your age, but it depends on the day. When we take you back to daycare after a long weekend (or a week off because you'd been so sick), you are not happy to see me leave. You get upset, too, when we drop you off with a set of grandparents, though you do a lot better when your brother is around. But other days, it's no problem at all, which I'm thankful for, because it's heartbreaking leaving a room with you crying.

I've started planning your 1st birthday party, which seems impossible to me (see first paragraph about denial). But I'm excited, too, because I know the fun of toddlerhood that comes next. And I can't wait for that.

I love you more,
Momma