Another 2 teeth have bitten the dust. Gavin had to have his top 2 removed because they weren't coming out fast enough. The one tooth had been wiggly for nearly 3 months, but it just wasn't coming out! The dentist said it could create an infection in the gums so it had to go. Gavin wasn't as sad about these two as he was about the first tooth. I guess since he was reassured that they always grow back bigger and better than ever, it's worth the sacrifice.

The best part about his new grin is the whistling "S" noises he makes now, just like in the Christmas song "Two Front Teeth." Plus - he really learned to whistle! He only has about three notes he can hit with this newly acquired ability, but it's a refreshing addition to the usual hums and buzzes he makes when stimming around the house.

Of course, he would never ask Santa for something like his two front teeth. Who would waste a request on that? He's spent the entire year being good - well, actually just the last couple weeks really bearing down and trying to be good. So he wouldn't squander a Santa wish on something as useless as the front teeth, would he? Of course not. When we took them in to see Santa, Mr. Claus took one look at Gavin and said "I bet you just want to get those 2 front teeth back, don't you?"
Gavin's reply was priceless, "Actually, I know that they will grow back. I need a metal detector so I can find pirate treasure." Well said, my man!

Gavin is a Cub Scout - a Wolf Cub, to be exact. He is so proud of this fact, and it has really been an empowering experience for him thus far. He says things like "Cub Scouts don't do it like this, they do it like that." and "That's not the Cub Scout way."

He has a "Hygiene Chart" that he has just become obsessed with. His fixation (autism driven?) on this chart has really helped his independence. He has to check off each box everyday, like drinking water, brushing teeth, bathing, etc. As soon as he wakes up in the morning, he climbs down from the top bunk and goes straight to the chart taped to the wall in the bathroom to check "Get enough sleep" off the list. Then he goes to the kitchen and gets a cup of water to check off the Drink Plenty of Water box. All of a sudden he's taking care of himself without any prompting! Just knowing that the chart is there with unchecked boxes is enough to get him moving in the morning.

Becoming a Cub Scout almost instantly gave him a new sense of pride. I'm not sure what did it, maybe the Cub master that came to school recruiting new 1st and 2nd graders? Gavin seemed pretty energized by the sales pitch, and came home that day demanding I take him to the "sign-up" meeting. At the meeting, the same fellow that spoke at school was there giving his speech to the parents and sons. I was just excited to see how focused and attentive Gavin was to this seemingly boring lecture, and all the whispered questions/comments he was peppering me with:

"Can I get a hat?"
"I will need my own flashlight."
"Do North Carolina bears eat Cub Scouts?"
"Are girls allowed here?"
"I need to earn lots of patches!"

Stationed prominently behind the pacing and prattling Cub master was a giant, 4 foot trophy for the Pinewood Derby. Many of Gavin's questions revolved around this glittering object of desire, and who could blame him? I had never seen a trophy like that, certainly it must be from the world championships or something. It stood at a true four feet tall, no kidding. And with a dazzling golden Pinewood Derby car at its apex in the wheelie position, looking like it was about to launch into orbit, Gavin was absolutely captivated by it. "Dad - we have to make a car that will win that trophy. We have to."

My experience with Cub Scouting was somewhat lackluster. I remember enjoying the time with my Dad, but it was nothing like they advertised in the brochure. Our pack never did any of the camping, canoeing, BB gun stuff in the 2 years I participated. It was all just knot tying and little crafty things. I was more into sports, and scouting eventually didn't fit into the schedule. Gavin has had a tough time with sports, and real trouble with the notion of teamwork, so scouting is a great way to condition him to the idea of cooperation and helping others.

He is starting to get the concept of being an unselfish, altruistic Cub Scout already. He really wanted the hat to wear, so everyone would know he's a scout. I said, "Ok, let's get you a hat that says 'Cub Scouts Rule' on it! Wouldn't that be sweet?" He looked at me with a deadpan gaze, pitying my foolish lack of the Cub Scout perspective, and said "You can wear that hat, Dad. A real Cub Scout would never wear a hat like that."

Gavin and I did a Storycorps interview yesterday afternoon. Storycorps is a non-profit organization that travels the country recording conversations between two people who have a special relationship. I've been listening to the Storycorps stories on Friday mornings on NPR for a long time, and I'm always moved by the interviews. They feature a 5 minute segment of a conversation that is consistently inspiring and thought provoking.

The format is just a 40 minute conversation. One person usually interviews the other and tries to guide the conversation, but I really wanted Gavin to ask me some questions too. I knew he could probably ask me some really wacky and potentially embarrassing questions like "Dad, did you know that your singing in the car doesn't sound nice to my ears?" Or worse.

When Storycorps came to our town, our friend and local "Surfers Healing" organizer John Pike suggested that Gavin and I do an interview. "Heck yeah!" I said, and we signed up. Gavin would make a great interview, since you never know what to expect out of him. His thoughts are sometimes deep and many times off the wall. He is still in a place in childhood where he believes anything is possible i.e. "Dad, lets get some wood and some metal from Home Depot and build a rocket so we can see Saturn better…"

I also wanted to get some serious thoughts out of him on autism.

Well, the date arrived and we were both very excited. The Storycorps recording booth is an awesome Airstream trailer with a soundproof room and an office space built into it. Really cool. We went through the initial waiver signing process and explanation of the recording equipment and how it all works, etc. It took quite awhile to get started, at least for a kid with autism. Gavin started getting really nervous and antsy during this pre-recording process. The recording booth was small and dark, very comfortable for me actually. To Gavin, I think it was a little overstimulating. The microphones were huge and expensive, so "Please try not to touch them," our gracious host advised. Of course, that is really all Gavin had on his mind the whole time. There was this giant black foam ball virtually floating in front of his face, and he couldn't touch it? Yeah, ok.

Aside from that, Gavin was also distracted and mischievous to the point where he really wasn't listening or thinking at all about talking with me. He had ants in his pants. I got a few good comments out of him about what he thought his future would be. He plans on being married and living in an apartment in England by the time he's 26, (news to me) drive a monster truck to work and explore the solar system to get paid. Not a bad gig, I figure.

His thoughts on autism were just that "It's not good." No revelation there. I tried to bring up a few of the benefits of autism, like being able to remember lots more than other people, but he wasn't buying it. That line of questioning ended with him under the table, trying to untie my shoes.

The interview was supposed to last 40 minutes, and ours went 35. Way longer than I anticipated, actually. If nothing else, it'll be something we can listen to throughout our lives and get a chuckle. They take your picture at the end and give you a cd recording of it, and the interview is archived at the National Library of Congress in DC.

I was hoping for an awe inspiring dialogue that would have people weeping in their cars on the side of the road all across America one friday morning when it aired, but somehow I doubt it's going to get any airtime.

19 years from now when Gav is driving me around England in his monster truck, we'll play back our interview and give eachother a high five. That'll be good enough for me.