25 years ago today....
Everyone in the maternity ward at St. Joseph's in Syracuse knew that Gavin was on his way. He was officially "Baby LeFever" while we debated over his name. I considered "Nigel," but it was too risky (we wanted him to survive high school) and it didn't ring true in any case. His dad wanted "Jacob." But that year it was the most popular boy name, and had the potential to turn into "Jake," which in school could be mangled into "Jake the Flake", "Jake the Snake" and so forth. Nonono.
In the meantime, I'd started calling him Pooky, after Garfield's teddy bear. It stuck pretty good when he was a baby. With those pooky cheeks. That and derivatives of "Pook," and "Pooka" have lingered as terms of affection.
Finally I remembered a name that I'd heard in college and had always liked. "Gavin" was unusual, fairly bulletproof and would also give a nod to his celtic roots. Now he's a UNC Chapel Hill med student, a personal trainer, a loving son, a brilliant commedian and an incredible intelligent person. Happy 25th (!) Birthday, Pook. <3
